Sports Memories by Tom Jones

 

50 years ago: 1968

• Doug Christopherson’s Freeborn Yeomen basketball team defeated Frost 52-45 in Border League play. Bob Christopherson scored 20 points and grabbed 23 rebounds to lead the way.

• The Albert Lea Tigers wrestling team traveled to Rochester John Marshall and were defeated, 20-19. Jeff Richgels recorded the only pin on the night for the Tigers at 103 pounds.

• Rochester Mayo defeated the Albert Lea boys’ hockey team 2-1 in a game played in Rochester. Ken Lien scored the only goal for the Tigers with Tim Tedeman stopping 35 of 37 shots he faced.

 

25 years ago: 1983

• The Albert Lea girls’ basketball team dropped its home opener 57-42 to the Austin Packers. Mollee Ludtke and Gretta Melstad led the Tigers with 10 points each.

• The Albert Lea boys’ basketball team traveled to Duluth and were defeated by Duluth East, 69-59. Trent Struck and Brendan Danielsen led the Tigers with 13 points each.

• The Albert Lea boys’ hockey team suffered its first loss of the season as it traveled to St. Paul and were defeated by Cretin-Derham Hall, 11-0.

 

10 years ago: 2008

• Kevin McHale won his debut as the Minnesota Timberwolves head coach with a 99-98 win over the Utah Jazz. McHale replaced Randy Wittman, who was fired by team owner Glen Taylor after a 4-15 start.

• The Albert Lea Tigers wrestling team started out strong in its first dual meet of the season with a 59-7 win over Mankato West. Six pins were recorded by the Tigers wrestlers, who were ranked No. 4 in the state.

• Albert Lea graduate Ben Woodside scored 60 points to set a North Dakota State school single-game scoring record in the Bison’s 112-111 triple overtime loss to Stephen F. Austin in a game played at the Hy-Vee Classic in Des Moines. Woodside tied a NCAA record by making 30 of 35 free throws in the game.

 

This year

• Anna Anderson, daughter of Paul and Denise Anderson of Albert Lea and a 2016 graduate of Albert Lea High School, is a junior on the Iowa State University women’s swim and dive team. She competes in the 50-freestyle, 100-freestyle and 200-freestyle events for the Cyclones.