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Sports Memories by Tom Jones

15 years

• Albert Lea’s Logan Ferrie signed a letter of intent to play football at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
• The Faribault Falcolns defeated the Albert Lea Tigers 79-49 in Big Nine boys’ basketball action. Colby Strilaeff led the Tigers with 13 points. The Tigers stood at 1-16 on the year with the loss.
• The Minnesota Twins agreed to a $5 million, one-year contract with free agent right-hander Livan Hernandez. He would go on to win 10 games in his only year with the Twins.
• The season ended for the Albert Lea girls’ hockey team as they fell 6-0 to Faribault in the Section 1A semi-final. Albert Lea Athletic Director Clay Anderson coached the team as head coach Brian Blatti was out with an illness. The team ended their season at 16-10.

20 years

• Professional wrestler Curt Hennig of Champlin was found not breathing and was pronounced dead at the scene in a hotel room in Brandon, Florida.
• Jenny Krueger scored 15 points and added 11 rebounds as the Alden-Conger Knights girls’ basketball team defeated Glenville-Emmons 45-42.
• The Albert Lea boys’ swimming and diving team captured the Big Nine Championship at the Rochester Recreation Center. It was the seventh Big Nine title for coach Jon Schmitz and the Tigers. The Tigers scored 380 points with Faribault coming in second with 298.5.
• The Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Dallas Mavericks 100-98 at Target Center. Kevin Garnett led the way in the victory with 26 points and 12 rebounds.

50 years

• Dr. Lynn Stoker of Albert Lea logged 82 miles during the month of January for the lead in the newly formed YMCA 100-mile bicycle club.
• Albert Lea’s Earl Neist, competing for the Bemidji State college gymnastic team won the still rings event, took second on the parallel bars and third in free exercise, vaulting and the high bar as the Beavers defeated the University of Manitoba 126-124.
• Neal Skaar’s Albert Lea B-squad wrestling team continued its perfect season with a 53-5 win over Osseo. Picking up pins for the Bengals were Jeff Poliak, Mike Thompson, Dale Tatarek, Larry Miller and Dennis Schmidt. With the win, they were 13-0 on the season.
• Before a crowd estimated at 400 to 500 people, the Albert Lea Jaycees handed out $1,800 in cash prizes at their fourth annual snowmobile races at the Freeborn County Fairgrounds. Andy Luna of Albert Lea jumped the track and ended up in the middle of Bridge Avenue.
• Bruce Marzinski and Tom Wiegard of Albert Lea were on the St. Cloud State College varsity track team.
• Tom Wodash made 35 saves as the Albert Lea VFW hockey team defeated Rochester B 5-1. Dale Hendrickson scored two goals with Vinny Cerrato, Todd Leach and Ross Dahl adding one.