Sports Memories by Tom Jones

 

50 years ago: 1969

• Albert Lea High School golf coach Ken Ulman fired rounds of 36-34-35 to win the second annual Arrowhead Town and Country Club’s Amateur Golf Tournament. Eighteen-year-old Mike Bennett fired a 35 to be the first golfer to break par at the Arrowhead course at the event.

• It was announced that 20-year-old LPGA player Debbie Austin of Oneida, New York, would be one of the five professional golfers who would play in Albert Lea Country Club’s second annual pro member invitational golf tournament.

• Mankato State College wrestling coach Rummy Macias was spending two weeks at Camp Morraine where he was conducting Rummy Macias Wrestling Camp. Jim Pappas was one of six Albert Lea wrestlers attending the camp. Macias described the site for the camp as, “beautiful, beautiful.”

 

25 years ago: 1994

• Jolene Bute captured the Powder Puff division of the Freeborn County Fair demolition derby and won $100 and a trophy. Amy Benesh placed second and Debbie Madsen third.

• The Albert Lea Eagles 15-year-old baseball team earned the I-35 League regular season title with a doubleheader sweep over Austin by scores of 3-2 and 4-1. Adam Benson pitched the entire six innings in the opener to get the win, with Ryan Long pitching a complete game to get the win in game two.

• Kent Hrbek announced he would retire after the season. He was the only member of the team to have played at Metropolitan Stadium. Hrbek, along with Kirby Puckett, were the only two players left from the 1987 World Series championship team.

 

10 years ago: 2009

• Phil Schmidt of Albert Lea recorded a 27-hole score of 101 to defeat Brett Richards by one stroke and claim the Albert Lea City Golf Open at Green Lea Golf Course.

• The Minnesota Timberwolves reached an oral agreement to hire Kurt Rambis as their head coach after a seven-week search. He would go on to coach the Timberwolves for two seasons, compiling a record of 32-132.

• A total of 69 drivers participated in the demolition derby at the Freeborn County Fair. In his first appearance at the derby, Mapleton’s Randy Mosloski was the winner in the feature event.

 

This year

• Taking a look back, I have now written this column for one year. I would like to thank Sarah Stultz for giving me this opportunity and also Tyler Julson for proofing and editing it each week. It is so neat to look back at the sports world over the past 50 years and re-live it with readers. I enjoy the comments I hear from friends and strangers each week on how much they enjoy reading it.