Sports Memories by Tom Jones

 

50 years ago: 1969

• Minnesota Twins owner Calvin Griffith was the subject of widespread criticism for the firing of manager Billy Martin after he led the team to the Western Division title in his first season as manager.

• Dan Harves kicked a 34-yard field goal with one second remaining to give the Albert Lea B-squad football team a 3-0 victory over Austin in a game played in freezing rain. The Bengels were coached by Jerry Nelson.

• Lea College celebrated Homecoming with a 54-32 victory over Mayville State. Bob Swanson rushed 18 times for 78 yards including three touchdowns, two coming on the ground and one in the air.

 

25 years ago: 1994

• Chaska ended the Albert Lea girls’ inaugural soccer season by defeating the Tigers 5-1 in the Section 1AA tournament preliminary round. The Tigers finished their season 3-9 under coach Jim Haun. Lisa Pederson scored the only goal on a rebound off a free kick from Aly Haun.

• Junior running back Ben Davis rushed for 129 yards as Glenville-Emmons defeated Alden- Conger 30-0 in nine-man football action.

• The Albert Lea volleyball team under coach Paul Meyer fell 3-0 to Big Nine Conference champion Winona in a match played at Southwest Junior High. Brandi Loos was 10-for-10 serving and Lori Hoffman was 7-for-7. Beth Fynbo added six kills for the Tigers, who stood at 5-13 on the year.

• The Albert Lea football team ended its regular season at 4-4 with a 21-14 loss to Faribault at Bruce Smith Field. Adam Conn and Mike Westland had one-yard runs for touchdowns.

 

10 years ago: 2009

• The Albert Lea Thunder dropped its fifth straight game and fell to 2-9 on the year when it was defeated by Alexandria 9-3. Danny Wood scored three goals in the loss. Two days after the loss, head coach Brad Zangs was fired.

• Senior goalie Stepf Ferguson’s clutch performance led the Albert Lea girls’ soccer team to a 2-1 shootout victory over Mankato Loyola in the quarterfinals of the Section 2A tournament in a game played at Hammer Field. Ferguson’s goal as the fifth shooter in the shootout for the Tigers, along with making the game-winning stop in the shootout, helped the Tigers advance to the section semifinals, where they were to face Mankato East.

• The Albert Lea junior high boys’ and girls’ cross country teams participated in the Mankato East Invitational. Luke Sundblad led the Tigers seventh grade boys’ with Haley Harms leading the seventh grade girls’. Isaac Ware and Sadie Burnett paced the Tigers in the eighth grade boys’ and girls’ run.

 

This year

• I had a nice note this week from Kevin Wulff, who now lives in Rochester, after writing about his second-place finish in a JV cross country meet held in Ellendale 50 years ago. He recalled running part of the course in a plowed field that had tire ruts to follow and it was very treacherous.

• A big shout out to the Albert Lea girls’ volleyball team for making 60 blankets this past week after practice that are being donated to the Albert Lea Cancer Center.