Sports Memories by Tom Jones

 

50 years ago: 1968

• Senior receiver Larry Brandt of the Albert Lea Tigers football team set a new school record with 12 touchdowns over his junior and senior seasons. He also set a single season pass reception record for most yards with 406.

• The Albert Lea Tigers football team was selected the mythical state champion by the Minneapolis Tribune and was rated No. 1 by the St. Paul Pioneer Press. The Tigers finished the season 9-0.

• After opening the season with four straight wins, the Minnesota Pipers of the American Basketball Association were defeated by the Kentucky Colonels 131-112. Connie Hawkins led the Pipers with 32 points.

 

25 years ago: 1983

• The Albert Lea Tigers volleyball season came to an end with a 3-1 loss to Rochester Mayo in the opening round of the Section 1AA tournament. Mollee Ludtke was 11-11 serving and added 13 kills for the Tigers.

• United South Central topped Alden-Conger 3-0 in the Section 2A Sub-Section 1-A volleyball tournament in a rematch of the two teams who had met in the same final a year before. Jane Passer led the Rebels with 36 kills.

• Don Schula, tied with George Halas as the NFL’s all-time wins leader with 324 victories, was preparing his Dolphins team for a road game with the Philadelphia Eagles that with a win, would give him a place in NFL history.

 

10 years ago: 2008

• Northwood-Kensett defeated East Buchanan 28-10, sending them to the Class A state semifinal game against North Tama. Jacob Gordon, Phillip Fierova and Ryan Mueller scored for the Vikings.

• Alden-Conger was defeated 44-6 by Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley in a nine-man state quarterfinal game played in Marshall. David Troska scored the lone touchdown for the Knights.

• The Albert Lea Thunder were defeated 5-2 by the Alexandria Blizzard. Danny Wood and Jeff Slusser scored for the Thunder, who were 1-12-1 with the loss.

 

This year

• First-year coach Marc Krueger, a 2011 graduate of Albert Lea High School and head football coach of the NRHEG Panthers, has led his team to a 9-2 record, including the current six-game win streak going into the state quarterfinal game against undefeated Caledonia Friday night. Krueger, who played his high school football under Clay Anderson, was an assistant at Regis Catholic and Deer River before taking over the Panthers.