Sports Memories by Tom Jones

 

Editor’s Note: Due to microfilm not being available, the 25 years has been replaced with 75 years for the month of September.

 

75 years ago: 1943

• The Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Minneapolis Millers 7-6 to lengthen their American Association lead to 3.5 games with five games to play.

• After five years away from the game, Bronko Nagurski left his Minnesota farm to re-join the Chicago Bears after a five-year absence from professional football.

• It was disclosed that Babe Ruth may go to north Africa to give the soldiers in camp there a close-up of the “Sultan of Swat.”

 

50 years ago: 1968

• The Minneapolis Tribune’s No. 2-rated football team, the Albert Lea Tigers defeated St. Paul Central 27-13. Larry Brandt, Jay Gustafson and Randy Bottelson contributed three of the four scores for the Tigers.

• For the second year in a row, the Glenville and Lyle football teams battled to a tie. In the game played at Glenville, Tom Belshan scored the only touchdown for the Trojans in the 6-6 contest.

• Alvina Oothoudt and Jane Foster placed one-two in the Arrowhead Country Club Ladies Handicap Invitational Golf Tournament.

 

10 years ago: 2008

• The Albert Lea girls’ soccer team took first place in their own tournament as they defeated New Ulm 4-0 and Worthington 4-0.

• The Albert Lea girls’ swim and dive team finished 10th out of 13 teams at the Lakeville relays. Gracie Thomas, Amy Horejsi and Morgan Field finished third in the 300-yard breaststroke with a time of 3:53.69.

• Peyton Manning led the Indianapolis Colts from a 15-0 second-half deficit to defeat the Vikings 18-15 at the Metrodome.

 

Going on now

• Jake Thompson, a 2016 graduate of Albert Lea High School and the son of Stan and Carol Thompson of Albert Lea, is now a junior on the University of Kentucky Wildcats baseball team. Thompson played his sophomore season at Palomar College in San Diego after playing his freshman season at South Dakota State University. This past summer, he played in Mequon, Wisconsin, for the Lakeshore Chinooks in the Northwoods League, where he batted .231 with one home run and nine RBI.