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Sports Memories by Tom Jones

15 years

• The Albert Lea boys’ hockey team finished off the Wells Fargo Hockey Festival in Rochester with a 4-2 win over LaCrescent. Jordan Prescher-Smerud scored two goals for the Tigers.
• The Glenville-Emmons girls’ basketball team picked up their second win of the season as they defeated Medford 31-29. Kailey Davis led the Wolverines with 11 points.
• In the third-place game of the Windom Invitational, the Alden-Conger boys’ basketball team fell to Fulda 59-43. Travis Marth led the Knights with 12 points and Jon Back added 11.
• At the Insight Bowl played in Tempe, Arizona, the Minnesota Gophers football team fell 42-21 to Kansas. Eric Decker caught eight passes for 149 yards for the Gophers, who finished their season 7-6 under coach Tim Brewster.

20 years

• In the final game of Blake’s Bob Nelson Classic, the Albert Lea boys’ hockey team fell 5-3 to University High School of Milwaukee. Jon Breuer scored two goals for the Tigers.
• For the first time in 98 years, the Minnesota Gophers football team won 10 games as they defeated Oregon 31-30 in the Sun Bowl played in El Paso, Texas. Rhys Lloyd’s field goal with 23 seconds left in the game proved to be the winner for the Gophers.
• The Albert Lea boys’ basketball team picked up a 76-49 non-conference win over United South Central. Ben Woodside led the Tigers with 23 points with Mike Behrends adding 16.
• Tessa Christensen scored five goals as the Albert Lea girls’ hockey team defeated Waseca 8-1. Freshman Jenny Birkhofer scored her first varsity goal in the win.
• A late rally for the Albert Lea girls’ basketball team fell short as the Tigers were defeated by Northfield 46-41 in non-conference play. Danielle Rankin had 16 points to lead the Tigers with Cara Thorn adding nine.

50 years

• Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Alan Page was named the winner of the George Halas Trophy which was presented by the Newspaper Enterprise Association to the outstanding defensive player of the year in the NFL.
• The St. Paul Civic Center was hosting the second World Hockey Association All-Star Game. A crowd of 11,000 was expected with the West team, featuring Gordie Howe and Bobby Hull favored in the contest.
• Minnesota Vikings running back Chuck Foreman was named the NFL’s Rookie of the Year. He rushed for 801 yards on 182 carries and caught 37 passes for 362 yards.
• An organizational meeting was being planned at City Hall for a proposed hockey league for girls in Albert Lea. Local youth hockey organizer Jim Wodash was hoping for a turnout of 60 girls.
• Lee Meade, co-owner of the Minnesota Buckskins team in the World Team Tennis League announced they had signed their fifth player, Maricaye Christenson who was an outstanding doubles player that had qualified for play at Wimbledon the year before.
• Albert Lea elementary school athletic director Joel McDonald highlighted the elementary basketball program had 450 students playing, of which 250 were boys and 200 were girls. The fifth- and sixth-grade program covered the eight schools in the district and had 15 coaches.

A familiar face

On the sidelines as head coach of the Lourdes Eagles girls’ basketball team in their 70-18 over the Tigers at the Myron Glass Tournament played on Dec. 28 was Todd Greguson, who coached the Albert Lea boys’ basketball team for two years following Orrie Jirele. In his second season with the Eagles the team has gone 30-9.