Sports Memories by Tom Jones

 

50 years ago: 1970

• Neil Pierce scored 28 points as Pierce Ag-Lime defeated Ben Franklin 111-84 in YMCA basketball play. Keith Tallotson scored 28 to lead Ben Franklin.

• Coach Neal Skaar’s B-squad wrestling team defeated Austin, 31-11. Picking up wins for the Bengals were Chris Richgels, Tom Bothof, Rick Brua, Steve Botten, Rick Nelson, Bob Pratt, Jim Pappas, John Ruud and Neal Barton.

• Frost defeated Emmons 62-40 to remain undefeated in Borderline League basketball action. Bob Shure led the Vikings with 19 points with Ross Honsey leading the Eagles with 12.

 

25 years ago: 1995

• Hockey coach Jerry Monson picked up his 200th career coaching win as the Albert Lea junior gold hockey team defeated Waseca, 4-1.

• Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton defeated the Glenville-Emmons wrestling team 55-9. Darin Madson and Sam Olson picked up the lone wins for the Wolverines.

• After interviewing for the athletic director job at Florida State, it was announced that Minnesota Gophers Athletic Director McKinley Boston would be staying with the Gophers program.

• The Fountain Lake Sportsman’s Club ice fishing contest on Edgewater bay yielded only nine perch on the afternoon. Kyle Anderson of Albert Lea, competing in the youth division, caught the largest perch, weighing .19 pounds.

 

10 years ago: 2010

• It was announced that Albert Lea wrestling coach Larry Goodnature was one of eight inductees that would enter the Mayo Civic Center Region 1 Hall of Fame at a ceremony that was to be held in Rochester.

• Nikifor Szczerba turned away 37 shots to record the Albert Lea Thunder’s first shutout in team history with a 3-0 victory over Alexandria at Albert Lea City Arena.

• Tanner Wichman of Albert Lea was one of the winners in the Knights of Columbus district free throw competition and was advancing to the regional competition in New Ulm.

 

This year

• The Albert Lea High School Athletic Hall of Fame committee has announced that July 31 will be the date for the biennial induction ceremony. The event will again be at Wedgewood Cove with a social hour at 5:30 p.m. and dinner and inductions beginning at 6:30 p.m. Nomination forms are available until April 1 at Security Insurance in Albert Lea.