Magic acts seem to be in order when late February and March roll around. Every year, the public is treated to remarkable performances in basketball. It fits into the "March Madness" theme that defines hoops in late winter and early spring.
As we talk about dancing and who gets invited to the big show, a little "Saturday Night Fever" has magically struck the land of the Dakotas.
In the storied history of men's basketball at The University of South Dakota, no player had made 10 three-point field goals in a single game. Now in less than a week, on consecutive Saturdays, both Jake Thomas and Louie Krogman of USD have knocked down 10 shots from beyond the arc.
On February 27 at USD's DakotaDome, Jake Thomas delivered for Dave Boots' Coyotes. In a 105-86 pounding of Chicago State, Thomas scored 40 points, including a school record 10 three-point baskets (16 attempts). He had seven in the first half on his way to breaking his own record set in 2009-10. His 40 points is the most for a Coyote player since Turner Trofholz went off in a 2005 NCAA Tournament game vs. Nebraska-Kearney. Coyote fans will remember that Trofholz had 42 points in the first-round 94-84 win at the Auraria Center in Denver. It was the highest point total by a USD player ever during a national tournament and the fourth best total in history. Thomas became the 11th player in school history with 40 points and just one of three (Barry Glanzer, 42 points, Feb. 20, 1981; and Jeff Nannen, 40 points, Feb. 20, 1979) to do it in the DakotaDome.
On March 5 in Houston, Texas, teammate Louie Krogman answered Thomas with another scintillating performance. Krogman hit 10-of-14 3-point field goals and scored a career-high 37 points to lead USD to a 96-87 win. When most players struggle to hit better than 50 percent from 15 feet, these two guys were knocking down 20 foot jumpers at better than a 62 percent rate (71 for Krogman). As they head to the Great West Tournament next Wednesday in Orem, Utah, you wonder if USD can find its way to the championship game and another bit of shooting "fever" on Saturday, March 12. Do the Coyotes have another player that can strike it deep for 10 three-pointers? Or will we see Krogman and Thomas both hit for 10 in a game - now that would be something.
February Big Month for Big Games
Interestingly, February has been a big month for big games at USD. Five of the top nine scoring performances have come during February, including Jack Theeler's 49 points vs. Northern Iowa on February 4, 1967. Don Jongewaard had 45 on Feb. 3 against North Dakota State while Barry Glanzer had 42 points vs. Nebraska-Omaha on Feb. 20, 1981. Jim Truelson scored 42 against Creighton on Feb. 4, 1957 while Jeff Nannen had 40 at the DakotaDome vs Morningside on Feb. 20, 1979. Both Glanzer and Nannen broke out on the same day (Feb. 20), two years apart. Twenty-six of the 63 performances of 30 points by an individual Coyote happened in February.
Glanzer Gets 600th Coaching Win
Burnell Glanzer of Tripp/Delmont/Armour continued his move up the all-time wins list in South Dakota boys basketball by picking up coaching career victory 600, which places him third all-time. His .749 winning percentage (600-201) ranks first. He is third in wins behind Larry Luitjens at 708-281 and Gary Munsen at 647-250. Last Thursday, Jim Schlekaway of Mobridge-Pollock recorded win 500 in an illustrious boys basketball coaching career. It is noteworthy that the three coaches with the most careeer wins in SD (Luitjens, Munsen and Glanzer) are currently coaching with teams that have shots at the state tournament. Munsen's team has already advanced to the State AA while the other two coaches are still alive.
Boots Records 23rd Straight Winning Season
South Dakota head basketball coach Dave Boots owns one of the more remarkable records as a head coach at the University of South Dakota. When his Coyotes defeated Houston Baptist, 96-87, in Texas on Saturday night (March 5), Boots clinched a winning record for the 23rd consecutive seasons. He has had 22 teams compete in conference play and those teams also have never finished below .500. This is a coach that has had 20-win campaigns for seven straight seasons entering the 2010-11 campaign and owns 16, 20-win seasons at USD (17 overall in his career). His teams have won at least 16 games every year since 1988-89. Only once in those 23 years, 2008-09, did USD not play in a league as they were in a transition year before they joined the Great West. Boots has recorded the five top wins season ever at USD and owns a 596-259 (.702) career record and is 481-196 (.717) at USD. He may hit two milestones in a single season during 2011-12, by capturing his 600th career win and 500th victory as the Coyotes' basketball mentor.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Coffee Houses Are Free Spirits
Coffee smells like freshly ground heaven, said writer Jessi Lane Adams.
I think she is right. And, might I add, paradise is regularly experienced at Coffea in Soux Falls, S.D. From the best "coffee" anywhere, to the welcoming atmosphere of staff, to the comfortable black chairs near its fireplace, everything about Coffea is inviting, homey if you will. Regardless of weather, I traverse through snow and rain to get there every morning.
Coffea is my escape; but coffee lovers everywhere have their own place that becomes their second home. Grabbing a coffee at that place is a rite of routine every morning. With its largest paintings and unique lighting, Coffea is "cool" and warm. And, how many coffee houses do you know shares its space with a wine business?
It is there, you melt to the sweet aroma of the coffee and a welcoming environment to do business or perhaps relax and socialize. As you walk in, you stroll up to the front counter to order a latte, au lait or whatever is your favorite coffee drink, and always a blueberry muffin or scone. Then, you walk straight to your seat by the fireplace or a corner oversized chair to soak in the ambiance of place. This coffee shop effect is addictive - but my what a sweet addiction.
As you shed your coat, lay down your blackberry or iphone and open up a novel or your computer, you can't help but glance up and capture the landscape of those gathered in paradise.
A college student is focused on the why and wherefores of biology with a 1,000 page text flopped open as he scratches ink onto a yellow legal pad. The quiet chatter of a book club, emit serious tones intermingled with laughter and clattering of cups to the wooden tables. A young woman in professional attire takes a sip from her latte as she studies the web design, looks up again for something to click and back into her creative world she slips. There is the lone wolf, a guy in a suit without a tie, sipping from his mug, waiting on someone or soaking in the coffee shop effect before another nearby meeting. There are two women, seated near the fire, socializing about their lives as their daughters play a card game. Two older men, one with an implement hat and plaid shirts with jeans and another with the USD cap and hunters vest over a white turtleneck, discuss the weather and how this season seems unusual but similar and then they fall into a discussion about the U.S. economy. Of course.
Indeed the coffee house effect. It grabs a lot of us and it is defined by a group mentality while at the same time, a private personal time.
It is where people congregate to do their thing - whatever that thing is.
Eyes wander and sometime meet as the gaze draws friendly smiles, sometimes a wink. Others are deep into thought, reflecting on work and play, or perhaps something personal. Sometimes you fall so deep into your subconscious that you fail to notice a friend walk in. Or, an acquaintance throwing a wave.
I find something serene and calm in coffee shops. Nearly every day it is Coffea but sometimes I find myself at Latte Da in Vermillion, S.D., or any number of Starbucks, whether in HyVees while getting groceries, or a drive-thru to get one for the road. Each has its own charm - all are defined by those that congregate there as part of their routine.
I'm always affected by service. How the staff welcomes you makes a return experience possible and most likely. Coffea staff treat you as if you are a dear friend. They are gatekeepers but people from different backgrounds, each with their own story and personality but each with the same courtesy built into their servicing conduct.
Several years ago, I walked into an electronics store in town with the intent on buying a new television. I was psyched, through this was before the flat screens and HDTV, still something a little bigger, with more color, and new was going home with me. As I walked into the the store, the two staffers just ignored me. I just brushed that off and proceeded toward the section of the store filled with TVs.
Ok, I thought, I am where I need to be. As I picked the 32 inch model that I desired, I needed help from staff to unlock the box of entertainment. I look toward the front, signaled and was ignored. I looked directly at one of the workers, signaling him and he acknowledged me but just stood there like the deer that freezes amidst carlights late at night and then just like when your car slows to a near stop, the deer prances off, so did this staffer. I tried again but was simply ignored. I started to feel a little rage inside.
Some days you can wake up in the best of moods and then something happens, and you get a little grouchy. I have never feared confrontation but I didn't prepare myself for drawing out the Genzler fire today. Yet, As I was leaving, one of the consumer-friendly (not) staffers asked if I needed something. And, the heat turned on -- "yes, guys, but I am not getting it here. I tried to get your attention but you knowingly ignored me. So, have a good day!"
They just didn't get it...didn't understand why I was mad. And people, it isn't rocket science, if you work in a business, a positive and upbeat sales demeanor should define your actions. It doesn't take any more energy to be courteous than helpful than ignorant and restive. So I walked down the mall, found another electronics place and bought my TV.
Those electronics staffers were the antithesis of what I get every day in Coffea where they are welcoming. It is attitude, good friendly smiles and a bit of charm different in each one of us but appealing to many. Even when you leave, they are there with the smiles and a thank you for coming in. It is attitude that will draw you back.
The other day I left to go to a meeting and between another scheduled business encounter, I stopped back to get a coffee at Coffea. Did I say there coffee is the best? Well, I told the worker I needed an au lait and as I brought out a $10 bill to pay for it, he said we got it. He realized that I was a regular customer (I do tip well) and as a result, I dropped another dollar into their top jar. I walked out with added pep in my step and the boorish meeting didn't seem to last as long as I feared.
Like a successful sports team, when every player does his part, victories mount. Coffea is winning every day.
My coffee routine isn't dissimilar to someone that regularly works out. When you miss a workout, something inside doesn't feel right and you feel as if you cheated yourself. So too, it is with my daily coffee shop ritual - not having a place to create and write within a calming atmosphere makes me feel as if I lost something that day, never to be recovered.
It is in this heavenly environment, that you sit among people you don't really know yet feel like they are good friends. You find yourself interacting with people from all walks on life. One day it was speaking to an elderly lady, wondering where the civility of her America has gone. Another is interaction with a young college student, using word cards to learn the Greek language. Or another time, it is two women, asking if they can sit in the empty chairs near the fire, and they converse in Spanish. I didn't understand them but their socializing demeanor suggested they were good people, similar to an associate I might have lunch with or drink a cup of coffee.
Then in only a short moment, I drift off into my writing. Trying to find the right words, which seem easier when I have a little chatter, noise from espresso or coffee grinders and the soft pattering of feet. It is where I can find the creative sense in my being. It is an escape yet a place that allows me to find a unique creativity.
Funny, you would think that at home, where I can lay out my documents and organize them in my own mindless style, would serve me better. Not so. In my little Sioux Falls paradise, Coffea, I am not distracted by radio or TV. With soft music, that changes day to day, I can find my creative grounding. And, I can learn.
Pay attention and you will find that the coffee shop congregation teaches you something. It may be in a conversation with someone you've never met or just the actions of others in the way they move and interact that may effect your own socializing skills. For me, everyday and every interaction serves as a learning moment - people teach me all the time and more frequently when they don't know it.
I need to go get another au lait and get going to an appointment. Didn't I mention it, refills are free. Just like this place's spirit.
I think she is right. And, might I add, paradise is regularly experienced at Coffea in Soux Falls, S.D. From the best "coffee" anywhere, to the welcoming atmosphere of staff, to the comfortable black chairs near its fireplace, everything about Coffea is inviting, homey if you will. Regardless of weather, I traverse through snow and rain to get there every morning.
Coffea is my escape; but coffee lovers everywhere have their own place that becomes their second home. Grabbing a coffee at that place is a rite of routine every morning. With its largest paintings and unique lighting, Coffea is "cool" and warm. And, how many coffee houses do you know shares its space with a wine business?
It is there, you melt to the sweet aroma of the coffee and a welcoming environment to do business or perhaps relax and socialize. As you walk in, you stroll up to the front counter to order a latte, au lait or whatever is your favorite coffee drink, and always a blueberry muffin or scone. Then, you walk straight to your seat by the fireplace or a corner oversized chair to soak in the ambiance of place. This coffee shop effect is addictive - but my what a sweet addiction.
As you shed your coat, lay down your blackberry or iphone and open up a novel or your computer, you can't help but glance up and capture the landscape of those gathered in paradise.
A college student is focused on the why and wherefores of biology with a 1,000 page text flopped open as he scratches ink onto a yellow legal pad. The quiet chatter of a book club, emit serious tones intermingled with laughter and clattering of cups to the wooden tables. A young woman in professional attire takes a sip from her latte as she studies the web design, looks up again for something to click and back into her creative world she slips. There is the lone wolf, a guy in a suit without a tie, sipping from his mug, waiting on someone or soaking in the coffee shop effect before another nearby meeting. There are two women, seated near the fire, socializing about their lives as their daughters play a card game. Two older men, one with an implement hat and plaid shirts with jeans and another with the USD cap and hunters vest over a white turtleneck, discuss the weather and how this season seems unusual but similar and then they fall into a discussion about the U.S. economy. Of course.
Indeed the coffee house effect. It grabs a lot of us and it is defined by a group mentality while at the same time, a private personal time.
It is where people congregate to do their thing - whatever that thing is.
Eyes wander and sometime meet as the gaze draws friendly smiles, sometimes a wink. Others are deep into thought, reflecting on work and play, or perhaps something personal. Sometimes you fall so deep into your subconscious that you fail to notice a friend walk in. Or, an acquaintance throwing a wave.
I find something serene and calm in coffee shops. Nearly every day it is Coffea but sometimes I find myself at Latte Da in Vermillion, S.D., or any number of Starbucks, whether in HyVees while getting groceries, or a drive-thru to get one for the road. Each has its own charm - all are defined by those that congregate there as part of their routine.
I'm always affected by service. How the staff welcomes you makes a return experience possible and most likely. Coffea staff treat you as if you are a dear friend. They are gatekeepers but people from different backgrounds, each with their own story and personality but each with the same courtesy built into their servicing conduct.
Several years ago, I walked into an electronics store in town with the intent on buying a new television. I was psyched, through this was before the flat screens and HDTV, still something a little bigger, with more color, and new was going home with me. As I walked into the the store, the two staffers just ignored me. I just brushed that off and proceeded toward the section of the store filled with TVs.
Ok, I thought, I am where I need to be. As I picked the 32 inch model that I desired, I needed help from staff to unlock the box of entertainment. I look toward the front, signaled and was ignored. I looked directly at one of the workers, signaling him and he acknowledged me but just stood there like the deer that freezes amidst carlights late at night and then just like when your car slows to a near stop, the deer prances off, so did this staffer. I tried again but was simply ignored. I started to feel a little rage inside.
Some days you can wake up in the best of moods and then something happens, and you get a little grouchy. I have never feared confrontation but I didn't prepare myself for drawing out the Genzler fire today. Yet, As I was leaving, one of the consumer-friendly (not) staffers asked if I needed something. And, the heat turned on -- "yes, guys, but I am not getting it here. I tried to get your attention but you knowingly ignored me. So, have a good day!"
They just didn't get it...didn't understand why I was mad. And people, it isn't rocket science, if you work in a business, a positive and upbeat sales demeanor should define your actions. It doesn't take any more energy to be courteous than helpful than ignorant and restive. So I walked down the mall, found another electronics place and bought my TV.
Those electronics staffers were the antithesis of what I get every day in Coffea where they are welcoming. It is attitude, good friendly smiles and a bit of charm different in each one of us but appealing to many. Even when you leave, they are there with the smiles and a thank you for coming in. It is attitude that will draw you back.
The other day I left to go to a meeting and between another scheduled business encounter, I stopped back to get a coffee at Coffea. Did I say there coffee is the best? Well, I told the worker I needed an au lait and as I brought out a $10 bill to pay for it, he said we got it. He realized that I was a regular customer (I do tip well) and as a result, I dropped another dollar into their top jar. I walked out with added pep in my step and the boorish meeting didn't seem to last as long as I feared.
Like a successful sports team, when every player does his part, victories mount. Coffea is winning every day.
My coffee routine isn't dissimilar to someone that regularly works out. When you miss a workout, something inside doesn't feel right and you feel as if you cheated yourself. So too, it is with my daily coffee shop ritual - not having a place to create and write within a calming atmosphere makes me feel as if I lost something that day, never to be recovered.
It is in this heavenly environment, that you sit among people you don't really know yet feel like they are good friends. You find yourself interacting with people from all walks on life. One day it was speaking to an elderly lady, wondering where the civility of her America has gone. Another is interaction with a young college student, using word cards to learn the Greek language. Or another time, it is two women, asking if they can sit in the empty chairs near the fire, and they converse in Spanish. I didn't understand them but their socializing demeanor suggested they were good people, similar to an associate I might have lunch with or drink a cup of coffee.
Then in only a short moment, I drift off into my writing. Trying to find the right words, which seem easier when I have a little chatter, noise from espresso or coffee grinders and the soft pattering of feet. It is where I can find the creative sense in my being. It is an escape yet a place that allows me to find a unique creativity.
Funny, you would think that at home, where I can lay out my documents and organize them in my own mindless style, would serve me better. Not so. In my little Sioux Falls paradise, Coffea, I am not distracted by radio or TV. With soft music, that changes day to day, I can find my creative grounding. And, I can learn.
Pay attention and you will find that the coffee shop congregation teaches you something. It may be in a conversation with someone you've never met or just the actions of others in the way they move and interact that may effect your own socializing skills. For me, everyday and every interaction serves as a learning moment - people teach me all the time and more frequently when they don't know it.
I need to go get another au lait and get going to an appointment. Didn't I mention it, refills are free. Just like this place's spirit.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
History Warms Your Heart
"History is a symphony of echoes heard and unheard. It is a poem with events as verses."
-- Charles Angoff, Journalist/Author
Every now and then I think about my own poem, those life moments that comprise my own history. Many recollections are vivid and colorful and fresh in my mind as if they happened yesterday. There are also those times that are not so memorable and are tucked away deep into my subconscious.
Angoff, a protege of H.L. Mencken, suggests that each of us recite our poems in verses of our own interpretation. Some of those moments are grand and often the fodder during discussions with family and friends during a meal, over coffee or at holiday time. As we talk, we visualize those moments as if they just happened and make them bigger and maybe less believable over time. It is nostalgic and prideful, to orate those live-intensive moments with people we know and love.
Recently I started to reflect on my own history after being asked why I had an appreciation for sports history. In an interview with popular South Dakota radio host Mike Henriksen on his Sportsmax show, we discussed my affinity to the history of sports in this state. For a moment on that show, I wasn't sure what to say. I rattled on about how I always loved sports and admired the heroes of my youth.
While that answer was mostly accurate, I don't believe it really captures my feeling on the meaning of history, whether it is sports, or some other previous walk of life. Like a spider honing on a prey in its web, so too is history attached to my deepest fiber of being.
At a young age, I was tooling around in the basement of my grandparents, when I came across boxes of old pictures. For the next few hours, I was captivated by the pictures of my relatives at family gatherings, town events and just the fun shots taken of our loved ones. I was able to visualize the lives of my grandparents through these black and white images, some that were out of focus but not so to block the picture of that time and place.
As I dug through the box, more and more pictures being shrewn around, I began a trip back through time. No, I wasn't Christopher Reeves in Somewhere in Time, chasing a lost love. Rather, I was a young boy imagining what the days and nights were like in the earlier times of my family. What was it like to jump into a Model T and head to town? How comfortable was the ride astride a horse across hundreds of miles of land against strong winds and brittle temperatures? How rough were the wagon train rides on wooden backboards across a rocky, uneven and unpredictable prairie?
I placed myself in my father's shoes when he grew up in a house that later become the family garage. With a little shiver, I moved onto to other moments, picturing what those times represented.
For me, visualization of the past often continued in the day dreams each of us have in school while listening to teachers talk about history. I melted at the wonderful discovery of Lewis and Clark. I was capitivated by Lincoln and his Gettysburg Address. I felt the adrenaline of soldiers in World War I and felt the panic and poise that men on D-Day encountered as they fought for their life and Democracy on the beaches of Normandy. When President John F. Kennedy suggested that it is not what your country can do for you but you for your country, those moments in time, aided by video and historical references, enabled me to understand how men and women of character have delivered to us the greatest country in the world's history.
History gives me meaning about my own legacy.
Each day as I dig further into history, whether my own roots or sports history, that same visualization process unwinds.
When I read about early 1900s football, I associate the passion of participation, with the grit and determination needed to survive a significantly brutal game. When I think about the pioneers of women's basketball, I think about the image of a 1902 team at USD that carried joyous smiles and comraderie of teammates because competition was only similar to a scrimmage among friends, not unlike a noon basketball game. For decades upon decades, females were blocked from showing their passion, their competitiveness in championship play. Then I reflect to what the 2008 Coyote women's team, led by head coach Chad Lavin accomplished. A team with high hopes went farther and stepped onto a bigger stage than any previous USD women's basketball team. They reached the NCAA DII finals behind the play of the Hoffman sisters (Jenna, Jeana), Bridget Yoerger, Ashley Robinette and Shannon (Sunshine) Daly. The memory of that run, a 31-game winning streak included, will always be a bright recollection in my poem. These women provided me with the chance to see through their eyes the value of team, comradeship and winning.
As the NFL season ends I still think about the commitment of Frank McCormick, the first South Dakota athlete to play in the NFL, and what he meant to Akron, the league's first-ever championship squad, and to those proud folks in the Dakotas cheering for him. I also recall what the 2005 football season at the U was like when Wesley Beschorner and Stefan Logan led Ed Meierkort's crew to 50 points a game, taking its place as the greatest offensive team in USD history and one of the most explosive ever in DII football.
I think about Josh Mueller's unbelievable and controversial basket with .4 seconds on the clock to help USD and coach Dave Boots escape with a remarkable and forever memorable win at the DakotaDome. Or, I still have recollections as a 12-year old of that 1972 game between Miller and Yankton in 1972 when Rick Nissen's Rustlers team, small in size but big in heart, defeated a much taller Yankton team led by Chad Nelson.
I struggle with other moments such as late spring when Jasmine King of Rapid City Central was felled by an achilles injury as she was going for another sprint title and perhaps a legacy as South Dakota's greatest girls trackster ever. When you see a young athlete big for fame halted by injury, it tears your heart.
Moments of visualization include my days on the gridiron, on the wrestling mat or on the mound at Gettysburg Park. I think of those early morning fall practices when the sun was dawning and football players struggled to work the cobwebs from their eyes and the tiredness from the body to put on stinky practice equipment for the privlege of smacking each other around and run 4x4's. I think about running onto the football field on Friday nights with the roar of the crowd penetrating the helmet earholes as adrenaline and butterflys in the stomach competed with each other. I think about a blocked punt and picking up the ball, heading for the endzone when my feet betrayed me as I was felled by a smallish end.
When I see pictures of the early track and field stars, the cinder track and the worn spikes make my eyes twinkle to the dedication and commitment of those sporting pioneers. I think of "Smokey" Joe Mendel of Onida, who turned South Dakota on its ear with his blazing footwork. Or in baseball, I imagine the coolness of Charles Philleppe, who grew up near Ashton, S.D., and later pitched in the first-ever World Series in 1903, beating Cy Young himself.
For me, history is addictive, enriching and charming.
Each of us in our own way, reminsce those moments and events of our lives in a multitude of differing ways. We hear echoes of our past ringing inside us and it gives us a sense of warmth. It sparks a little adrenaline and if it is only a brief moment, we feel good. Memories indeed warm the heart.
It is like when you dig into a novel in that oversized chair near the fireplace, and look up into the red/orange flames and you actually visual those moments of your life. The deeper you go, the warmer the fire gets and the more pleasant the feeling.
I guess all of this means that history is important to my sanity and it drives me to want to find more jewels of the past. History gives us perspective. It allows us to learn lessons from circumstances of days gone by and building a better tomorrow. Most of all, I believe it is a chance to enjoy what was once and might be again just with different actors in those yet unplayed events.
History is indeed a never-ending poem, featuring changing verses with each day. And the echoes both heard and unheard, never stop.
-- Charles Angoff, Journalist/Author
Every now and then I think about my own poem, those life moments that comprise my own history. Many recollections are vivid and colorful and fresh in my mind as if they happened yesterday. There are also those times that are not so memorable and are tucked away deep into my subconscious.
Angoff, a protege of H.L. Mencken, suggests that each of us recite our poems in verses of our own interpretation. Some of those moments are grand and often the fodder during discussions with family and friends during a meal, over coffee or at holiday time. As we talk, we visualize those moments as if they just happened and make them bigger and maybe less believable over time. It is nostalgic and prideful, to orate those live-intensive moments with people we know and love.
Recently I started to reflect on my own history after being asked why I had an appreciation for sports history. In an interview with popular South Dakota radio host Mike Henriksen on his Sportsmax show, we discussed my affinity to the history of sports in this state. For a moment on that show, I wasn't sure what to say. I rattled on about how I always loved sports and admired the heroes of my youth.
While that answer was mostly accurate, I don't believe it really captures my feeling on the meaning of history, whether it is sports, or some other previous walk of life. Like a spider honing on a prey in its web, so too is history attached to my deepest fiber of being.
At a young age, I was tooling around in the basement of my grandparents, when I came across boxes of old pictures. For the next few hours, I was captivated by the pictures of my relatives at family gatherings, town events and just the fun shots taken of our loved ones. I was able to visualize the lives of my grandparents through these black and white images, some that were out of focus but not so to block the picture of that time and place.
As I dug through the box, more and more pictures being shrewn around, I began a trip back through time. No, I wasn't Christopher Reeves in Somewhere in Time, chasing a lost love. Rather, I was a young boy imagining what the days and nights were like in the earlier times of my family. What was it like to jump into a Model T and head to town? How comfortable was the ride astride a horse across hundreds of miles of land against strong winds and brittle temperatures? How rough were the wagon train rides on wooden backboards across a rocky, uneven and unpredictable prairie?
I placed myself in my father's shoes when he grew up in a house that later become the family garage. With a little shiver, I moved onto to other moments, picturing what those times represented.
For me, visualization of the past often continued in the day dreams each of us have in school while listening to teachers talk about history. I melted at the wonderful discovery of Lewis and Clark. I was capitivated by Lincoln and his Gettysburg Address. I felt the adrenaline of soldiers in World War I and felt the panic and poise that men on D-Day encountered as they fought for their life and Democracy on the beaches of Normandy. When President John F. Kennedy suggested that it is not what your country can do for you but you for your country, those moments in time, aided by video and historical references, enabled me to understand how men and women of character have delivered to us the greatest country in the world's history.
History gives me meaning about my own legacy.
Each day as I dig further into history, whether my own roots or sports history, that same visualization process unwinds.
When I read about early 1900s football, I associate the passion of participation, with the grit and determination needed to survive a significantly brutal game. When I think about the pioneers of women's basketball, I think about the image of a 1902 team at USD that carried joyous smiles and comraderie of teammates because competition was only similar to a scrimmage among friends, not unlike a noon basketball game. For decades upon decades, females were blocked from showing their passion, their competitiveness in championship play. Then I reflect to what the 2008 Coyote women's team, led by head coach Chad Lavin accomplished. A team with high hopes went farther and stepped onto a bigger stage than any previous USD women's basketball team. They reached the NCAA DII finals behind the play of the Hoffman sisters (Jenna, Jeana), Bridget Yoerger, Ashley Robinette and Shannon (Sunshine) Daly. The memory of that run, a 31-game winning streak included, will always be a bright recollection in my poem. These women provided me with the chance to see through their eyes the value of team, comradeship and winning.
As the NFL season ends I still think about the commitment of Frank McCormick, the first South Dakota athlete to play in the NFL, and what he meant to Akron, the league's first-ever championship squad, and to those proud folks in the Dakotas cheering for him. I also recall what the 2005 football season at the U was like when Wesley Beschorner and Stefan Logan led Ed Meierkort's crew to 50 points a game, taking its place as the greatest offensive team in USD history and one of the most explosive ever in DII football.
I think about Josh Mueller's unbelievable and controversial basket with .4 seconds on the clock to help USD and coach Dave Boots escape with a remarkable and forever memorable win at the DakotaDome. Or, I still have recollections as a 12-year old of that 1972 game between Miller and Yankton in 1972 when Rick Nissen's Rustlers team, small in size but big in heart, defeated a much taller Yankton team led by Chad Nelson.
I struggle with other moments such as late spring when Jasmine King of Rapid City Central was felled by an achilles injury as she was going for another sprint title and perhaps a legacy as South Dakota's greatest girls trackster ever. When you see a young athlete big for fame halted by injury, it tears your heart.
Moments of visualization include my days on the gridiron, on the wrestling mat or on the mound at Gettysburg Park. I think of those early morning fall practices when the sun was dawning and football players struggled to work the cobwebs from their eyes and the tiredness from the body to put on stinky practice equipment for the privlege of smacking each other around and run 4x4's. I think about running onto the football field on Friday nights with the roar of the crowd penetrating the helmet earholes as adrenaline and butterflys in the stomach competed with each other. I think about a blocked punt and picking up the ball, heading for the endzone when my feet betrayed me as I was felled by a smallish end.
When I see pictures of the early track and field stars, the cinder track and the worn spikes make my eyes twinkle to the dedication and commitment of those sporting pioneers. I think of "Smokey" Joe Mendel of Onida, who turned South Dakota on its ear with his blazing footwork. Or in baseball, I imagine the coolness of Charles Philleppe, who grew up near Ashton, S.D., and later pitched in the first-ever World Series in 1903, beating Cy Young himself.
For me, history is addictive, enriching and charming.
Each of us in our own way, reminsce those moments and events of our lives in a multitude of differing ways. We hear echoes of our past ringing inside us and it gives us a sense of warmth. It sparks a little adrenaline and if it is only a brief moment, we feel good. Memories indeed warm the heart.
It is like when you dig into a novel in that oversized chair near the fireplace, and look up into the red/orange flames and you actually visual those moments of your life. The deeper you go, the warmer the fire gets and the more pleasant the feeling.
I guess all of this means that history is important to my sanity and it drives me to want to find more jewels of the past. History gives us perspective. It allows us to learn lessons from circumstances of days gone by and building a better tomorrow. Most of all, I believe it is a chance to enjoy what was once and might be again just with different actors in those yet unplayed events.
History is indeed a never-ending poem, featuring changing verses with each day. And the echoes both heard and unheard, never stop.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Former Coyote Player, Coach Impact First NFL Championship
As the football world readies for the Super Bowl on Sunday night, a former South Dakota athlete and coach are linked to the first-ever NFL championship team.
In 1920, long before the Super Bowl was even a dream, the late Frank McCormick (died March 20, 1976), helped lead the Akron Professionals to the first American Professional Football Association (APFA) title. The APFA became the NFL in 1923. In addition, A.H. Whittemore, who has been inducted into the Coyote Sports Hall of Fame (University of South Dakota) and died in 1938, played an indirect role in Akron's championship.
McCormick, originally of Genoa, Neb., moved with his family to Wagner, S.D., in 1905. A 5'11, 190 pound running back, McCormick received his high school degree from Wagner and then starred at The University of South Dakota in baseball and football from 1912-16.
Fresh out of law school, McCormick (B.A. degree in 1917, LLB, 1920, USD), joined Akron as a rookie fullback. During Akron's title run, McCormick scored three TDs to lead the Professionals to an 8-0-3 mark. They outscored opponents, 151-7.
According to Bob Carroll's 1982 column, Coffin Corner (http://www.profootballresearchers.org/), McCormick had two TDs in a 37-0 win over the Columbus Panhandlers early in the season. Twice in 1920, Akron turned back Jim Thorpe's Canton Bulldogs by the same 7-0 score. The week before Thanksgiving, Akron defeated the Dayton Triangles, 13-0, as McCormick broke the scoreless tie and scored the go-ahead TD on a pass from Rip King during the fourth quarter. In the final game of the season, Akron played to a 0-0 tie with George Halas's Decatur Staleys in Chicago, Ill. Based on its unbeaten record, the Professionals were crowned league champions.
McCormick, who has been inducted into both the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame and the Coyotes Sports Hall of Fame, played on Akron with NFL Hall of Fame member Fritz Pollard. A former Brown standout, Pollard was one of the early, standout performers in the APFA and with Bobby Marshall, became the first African-American athletes to play in the APFA (NFL). Pollard took over coaching Akron in 1921, which made him the first African-American head coach in pro football history. He was called one of the greatest runners ever in pro football by the legendary Walter Camp, termed by many as the "Father of Football."
The twist to this story involving Whittemore concerned his relationship with Pollard. After Whittemore left USD, he went east to sell insurance and in 1915 became a volunteer assistant coach with Brown. Whittemore had directed USD to its only unbeaten season in 1902 (9-0). It was a team that shut out all nine opponents.
According to Peter Mackie of the Edward North Robinson 1896 Collection of Brown Athletics, Whittemore may have convinced Pollard to stay in school early during his time at Brown. Mackie said Whittemore counseled a discouraged Pollard, who had arrived at Brown in 1915. Pollard became a little disenchanted after being given equipment that didn't fit and no uniform.
Mackie said Pollard was relegated to a "lonely spot on the practice field by himself to practice punting." Pollard did not dress for the first varsity game and hid behind some lockers by himself and cried. "The story is that Buck (Whittemore) went to Pollard's room the next day and suggested that he play in the scrub game on Monday against Worcester Academy. Fritz agreed, played well enough to gain attention and a foothold, and subsequently led the 1915 teams to the Rose Bowl (played in 1916)," said Mackie.
If Whittemore had not intervened with Pollard, he may not have continued his football career which would have impacted Akron's future NFL championship run. Pollard, who is also in Brown's Hall of Fame, had seven TDs and numerous big plays for Akron in 1920.
McCormick didn't stay in the NFL long. After playing 11 games in 1921, he left the sport after four games into the 1922 season (three with Akron, one with the Cincinnati Celts). In 1921, he was joined on Akron by former USD standout Paul Sheeks, who is in the Coyote Sports Hall of Fame and played on one of the Coyotes' greatest teams in 1912. Sheeks played two seasons for Akron and coach Pollard.
After giving up professional football, McCormick eventually returned to South Dakota, taking over as athletic director and head coach of all sports for the now defunct Columbus College in Sioux Falls. He was working for the Boyce law firm (later becoming the Boyce, Murphy, McDowell and Greenfield law firm). McCormick turned Columbus College into a power in the NSIC. He was also a department commander of the American Legion for South Dakota and became one of the pioneers in developing the American Legion baseball program in the U.S.
In 1931, McCormick took over as head baseball coach at the University of Minnesota, leading the Gophers to a 138-69-1 record in 11 seasons from 1931-41. Inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1967, McCormick led Minnesota to their first Big Ten baseball titles in history during 1933 and 1935. After leaving the baseball bench, he was an administrator at Minnesota before taking over as athletic director at Minnesota in 1945, serving until 1950. Later he was a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee and became commissioner of the PAC 8 (later PAC-10).
As for Whittemore, he had a coaching mark of 39-21-5 at South Dakota. Before coming to the U, he starred at Brown as a lineman in the late 1890s. He coached USD from 1902-09 and again in 1920-21. He also led the Coyotes to a 15-4 record from 1908-10 as head basketball coach. Later he coached baseball and his 1921 Coyote team was not scored upon by a collegiate team. Also, he and his wife, Helen Austin, lived in the Austin-Whittemore House, which was built in 1882 and is now the home of the Clay County Historical Society.
In 1920, long before the Super Bowl was even a dream, the late Frank McCormick (died March 20, 1976), helped lead the Akron Professionals to the first American Professional Football Association (APFA) title. The APFA became the NFL in 1923. In addition, A.H. Whittemore, who has been inducted into the Coyote Sports Hall of Fame (University of South Dakota) and died in 1938, played an indirect role in Akron's championship.
McCormick, originally of Genoa, Neb., moved with his family to Wagner, S.D., in 1905. A 5'11, 190 pound running back, McCormick received his high school degree from Wagner and then starred at The University of South Dakota in baseball and football from 1912-16.
Fresh out of law school, McCormick (B.A. degree in 1917, LLB, 1920, USD), joined Akron as a rookie fullback. During Akron's title run, McCormick scored three TDs to lead the Professionals to an 8-0-3 mark. They outscored opponents, 151-7.
According to Bob Carroll's 1982 column, Coffin Corner (http://www.profootballresearchers.org/), McCormick had two TDs in a 37-0 win over the Columbus Panhandlers early in the season. Twice in 1920, Akron turned back Jim Thorpe's Canton Bulldogs by the same 7-0 score. The week before Thanksgiving, Akron defeated the Dayton Triangles, 13-0, as McCormick broke the scoreless tie and scored the go-ahead TD on a pass from Rip King during the fourth quarter. In the final game of the season, Akron played to a 0-0 tie with George Halas's Decatur Staleys in Chicago, Ill. Based on its unbeaten record, the Professionals were crowned league champions.
McCormick, who has been inducted into both the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame and the Coyotes Sports Hall of Fame, played on Akron with NFL Hall of Fame member Fritz Pollard. A former Brown standout, Pollard was one of the early, standout performers in the APFA and with Bobby Marshall, became the first African-American athletes to play in the APFA (NFL). Pollard took over coaching Akron in 1921, which made him the first African-American head coach in pro football history. He was called one of the greatest runners ever in pro football by the legendary Walter Camp, termed by many as the "Father of Football."
The twist to this story involving Whittemore concerned his relationship with Pollard. After Whittemore left USD, he went east to sell insurance and in 1915 became a volunteer assistant coach with Brown. Whittemore had directed USD to its only unbeaten season in 1902 (9-0). It was a team that shut out all nine opponents.
According to Peter Mackie of the Edward North Robinson 1896 Collection of Brown Athletics, Whittemore may have convinced Pollard to stay in school early during his time at Brown. Mackie said Whittemore counseled a discouraged Pollard, who had arrived at Brown in 1915. Pollard became a little disenchanted after being given equipment that didn't fit and no uniform.
Mackie said Pollard was relegated to a "lonely spot on the practice field by himself to practice punting." Pollard did not dress for the first varsity game and hid behind some lockers by himself and cried. "The story is that Buck (Whittemore) went to Pollard's room the next day and suggested that he play in the scrub game on Monday against Worcester Academy. Fritz agreed, played well enough to gain attention and a foothold, and subsequently led the 1915 teams to the Rose Bowl (played in 1916)," said Mackie.
If Whittemore had not intervened with Pollard, he may not have continued his football career which would have impacted Akron's future NFL championship run. Pollard, who is also in Brown's Hall of Fame, had seven TDs and numerous big plays for Akron in 1920.
McCormick didn't stay in the NFL long. After playing 11 games in 1921, he left the sport after four games into the 1922 season (three with Akron, one with the Cincinnati Celts). In 1921, he was joined on Akron by former USD standout Paul Sheeks, who is in the Coyote Sports Hall of Fame and played on one of the Coyotes' greatest teams in 1912. Sheeks played two seasons for Akron and coach Pollard.
After giving up professional football, McCormick eventually returned to South Dakota, taking over as athletic director and head coach of all sports for the now defunct Columbus College in Sioux Falls. He was working for the Boyce law firm (later becoming the Boyce, Murphy, McDowell and Greenfield law firm). McCormick turned Columbus College into a power in the NSIC. He was also a department commander of the American Legion for South Dakota and became one of the pioneers in developing the American Legion baseball program in the U.S.
In 1931, McCormick took over as head baseball coach at the University of Minnesota, leading the Gophers to a 138-69-1 record in 11 seasons from 1931-41. Inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1967, McCormick led Minnesota to their first Big Ten baseball titles in history during 1933 and 1935. After leaving the baseball bench, he was an administrator at Minnesota before taking over as athletic director at Minnesota in 1945, serving until 1950. Later he was a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee and became commissioner of the PAC 8 (later PAC-10).
As for Whittemore, he had a coaching mark of 39-21-5 at South Dakota. Before coming to the U, he starred at Brown as a lineman in the late 1890s. He coached USD from 1902-09 and again in 1920-21. He also led the Coyotes to a 15-4 record from 1908-10 as head basketball coach. Later he coached baseball and his 1921 Coyote team was not scored upon by a collegiate team. Also, he and his wife, Helen Austin, lived in the Austin-Whittemore House, which was built in 1882 and is now the home of the Clay County Historical Society.
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