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Sports Memories by Tom Jones

The Albert Lea Tribune has been the leader in sports coverage for Albert Lea and the surrounding area since 1897. For the readers of this column, I decided this week to look back 100 years to the Dec. 24, 1923, edition to see what was happening in the paper and with sports.

The readers of this Christmas Eve issue were presented with many interesting things you don’t see today. One particular advertisement was a coupon worth 50 votes to help nominate the Albert Lea Tribune’s Beauty Contest. The lucky winner was to be crowned “Miss Evening Tribune.”

Other advertisements included a notice from Payne Investment Company promoting Shorelain Heights as the newest residential addition to Albert Lea. Giles Cigar Store was promoting last minute gift ideas of cigars, pipes and tobacco. At the Rivoli Theatre, “North of Hudson Bay” was playing starring Tom Mix. With the cold weather, Midway Motor Company was promoting if you didn’t buy alcohol for your radiator, you could drive in and they would fix it while you wait.

When you turned to the sports section, you saw ads from the Hotel Raddison, Hotel Vendome and Curtis Hotel in Minneapolis. The page was headlined “Tiger Quint routes Denisons-score 58-28.” It was the beginning of independent basketball being played in Albert Lea in a game that had been played the night before. The game featured the newly formed Albert Lea Tigers squaring off with the Denison Independents of Mason City. This was a separate team than the varsity squad that played at the old high school. The Denisons were coached by Abe Martin, who was famous for his play with the Bayside Cubs baseball team in the Mason City area.

The team was being backed by the Albert Lea Athletic Club, a recently organized group that was compromised of businesses, professionals and other men in the community. The team was being led by a player/manager named Truesdale, who scored 23 points in the game. He had been a star at Carleton College in Northfield.

It was hoped that by moving the game which was being played on the Auditorium floor on North Broadway to a 9:15 p.m. start on a Saturday night, a huge crowd would attend after work and Christmas shopping was done for the day.

The team was still forming a schedule of games, but possible opponents included the Radio Pups of Wells, the Hormel Packers of Austin, the Duluth Tigers plus an array of independent teams from Osage, Chaska, Charles City and Red Wing. A couple of barnstorming teams including the N.Y. Bankers and the Gopher Gunners were also potential opponents for the local team.

As we head into 2024, I hope you all get out and attend a game featuring our local teams. The work the coaches and players put in is awesome to be a part of as a fan.

I would like to wish the readers of this column and the Tribune a very Merry Christmas. I look forward to continue bringing sports history to you each week.