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Sports Memories by Tom Jones

15 years

• The Albert Lea girls’ tennis season came to an end with a 6-1 loss to Waseca. Kelli Hanson picked up the lone win for the Tigers at No. 1 singles. With the loss, the team finished their season with a 9-11 record.
  

  Tom Jones

• Jim Thome’s 461-foot blast off of Nick Blackburn lifted the Chicago White Sox to a 1-0 win in a 163rd game tiebreaker over the Minnesota Twins that gave the White Sox the Central Division title.
• The Albert Lea girls’ soccer team played to a 1-1 double overtime tie with Rochester John Marshall in a game played at Hammer Field. Chelsea LeBrun’s goal off a penalty kick with six minutes to go was the lone goal for the Tigers.
• The Albert Lea Tigers football team fell 14-4 at Faribault. Matt Tiegs scored on a run of 14 yards and a catch of 49 yards for the Tigers.

20 years

• Katie Stenseth was named queen and Jon Klocek king as Albert Lea High School kicked off its homecoming week celebration.
• After tying the Rochester Community College’s men’s golf team at 318 in regulation play, the Riverland Community College team lost on a tiebreaker on the first extra hole. Former Tiger golfer Dan Breuer shot a 75 to lead the Blue Devils.
• Megan Bjorklund was 10-for-11 serving and 26-for-26 on serve receiving but her efforts fell short as the Glenville-Emmons volleyball team was defeated 3-1 by Lyle-Pacelli.
• Despite outshooting Austin 23-6, the Albert Lea girls’ soccer team had to settle for a 1-1 tie with the Packers. Katie Dooley scored the lone goal for the Tigers on a pass from Amy Marka.

50 years

• Former Albert Lea kicker Dan Harves made all 11 of his extra point attempts as the Rochester Community College football team defeated Inver Hills Community College 77-7. With the 11 conversions, he had connected on 39 in a row.
• The 49ers defeated the Bengals 28-13 in an Albert Lea YMCA flag football game played at Hayek Park. Tom Jones gathered a kickoff and returned it 70 yards for a touchdown in the loss.
• The Freeborn Yeomanettes girls’ basketball team defeated the Blooming Prairie Blossomettes 26-20 in their season opener. Terry Bird and Shirley Schmidt each scored seven for Freeborn, who were scheduled to play a dozen games on the season.
• Bert Blyleven picked up his 20th win of the season as he threw a one-hitter for the Minnesota Twins in a 4-1 win over the Oakland A’s. Jim “Catfish” Hunter took the loss to go 21-5.
• The Albert Lea girls’ golf team lost to host Austin 349-357. Kristi Jensen paced Albert Lea by shooting a 56. In its first year of interscholastic competition, the team was 0-2 under coach Tom Clawson.
• Lores Gingerich was crowned homecoming queen for Albert Lea. She would reign over festivities during the week, ending with the Tigers game against Mankato West.

Football memories

In 1937, Albert Lea high School Athletic Director W. R. McKibben reported that 5,249 people had attended the four home football games for the Tigers that fall. Forty-seven boys were out for football and 19 were becoming lettermen. He also recommended that a water fountain be installed at the College Hill field and teams be allowed to use the lights during practice.