Sports Memories: 47 Boys Participated in Albert Lea Football in 1937
Published on Friday, October 6, 2023 at 8:52 p.m.
Sports Memories by Tom Jones
15 years
- The Albert Lea women’s tennis season ended with a 6-1 loss to Waseca. Kelly Hanson gave the Tigers her only win at No. 1 singles. With this loss, the team ended the season with 9 wins and 11 losses.
- Jim Thome’s 461-foot blast off Nick Blackburn gave the Chicago White Sox a 1-0 victory in the tiebreaker of Game 163 against the Minnesota Twins, giving the White Sox the Central Division championship.
- The Albert Lea girls soccer team played to a 1-1 overtime tie with Rochester John Marshall in a game played at Hammer Field. Chelsea LeBlanc’s goal from a penalty kick with six minutes remaining was the Tigers’ only goal.
- The Albert Lea Tigers football team lost 14-4 to Faribault. Matt Tiegs ran for 14 yards and caught 49 yards for the Tigers.
20 years
- Albert Lea High School begins its Homecoming Week celebrations with Katie Stenses named Queen and John Krawczek named King.
- After tying with the Rochester Community College men’s golf team at 318 in regulation play, the Riverland Community College team lost in the tiebreaker on the first hole of overtime. Former Tiger golfer Dan Breuer shot a 75 to lead the Blue Devils.
- Megan Bjorklund was 10-of-11 on serving and 26-of-26 on serve-receive, but her efforts were not as successful as the Glenville Emmons volleyball team lost 3-1 to Lyle Parsley. It didn’t come close.
- Despite outscoring Austin 23-6, the Albert Lea girls soccer team had to settle for a 1-1 tie with the Packers. Katie Dooley scored the Tigers’ only goal off a pass from Amy Malka.
50 years
- Former Albert Lea kicker Dan Harbes made all 11 of his extra-point attempts as the Rochester Community College football team defeated Inver Hills Community College 77-7. With 11 conversions, he scored 39 times in a row.
- The 49ers defeated the Bengals 28-13 in an Albert Lea YMCA flag football game at Hayek Park. Tom Jones collected the kickoff and returned it 70 yards for a touchdown.
- The Freeborn Yeomanettes girls basketball team defeated the Blooming Prairie Brosomets 26-20 in their season opener. Terry Bird and Shirley Schmidt each scored seven points for Freeborn, who were scheduled to play 12 games this season.
- The Minnesota Twins defeated the Oakland Athletics 4-1, with Bert Blyleven having one hit, earning their 20th win of the season. Jim “Catfish” Hunter took the loss, falling to 21-5.
- The Albert Lea women’s golf team lost to host Austin, 349-357. Christy Jensen paced Albert Lea with 56 points. In its first year at Inter-High, the team went 0-2 under coach Tom Clawson.
- Lores Gingerich was crowned Albert Lea’s Homecoming Queen. She dominated the week’s festivities, ending with the Tigers’ game against Mankato West.
soccer memories
In 1937, Albert Lea High School athletic director W. R. McKibben reported that 5,249 people attended the Tigers’ four home football games that fall. Forty-seven boys participated in soccer, and 19 became lettermen. He also recommended installing fountains at the College Hill arena and allowing teams to use lights during practice.