Sports Posts

Part Way to the Majors: The 1970 Duluth Dukes

The 1971 educational film Part Way to the Majors, a documentary produced by ABC News for the Sunday afternoon series Discovery, follows the Duluth-Superior Dukes as they road trip to Sioux Falls, S.D. The film starts and ends at Wade Stadium in Duluth.

Grandma’s Marathon 2022 Double: I Wanna Be Sedated

One year ago Eric Strand completed his 10th Grandma’s Marathon Double — starting at the finish line, running to the starting line, then running the official marathon. The 2022 video was finally released just before the 2023 marathon. Strand uses the 52.4-mile Grandma’s Marathon Double as a training run for the Leadville 100 Trail Run.

Strand has been running the Grandma’s Marathon since 2000 and has done the “double” since 2012, except for the pandemic year of 2020.

UMD Bulldog Hockey: Amsoil Arena Fly-through

Take a tour of Amsoil Arena, home of UMD Bulldogs hockey, via drone footage by Ethan Schultz of ShotxSchultz.

Rawkers crush Rollers in Homegrown Kickball Classic 2023

Rohrbaugh’s Rawkers piled on five runs in the seventh inning and four more in the eighth to easily top Vaagen’s Rollers 13-4 in the 2023 Homegrown Kickball Classic at Chester Bowl. The Rawkers now lead the overall series with 12 wins in 23 games.

Ode to Spirit Mountain

Standing at the top I see the river in the distance far below
In between this mountainside is covered in a heavy coat of snow
My poles are in my hands and my favorite purple skis are on my feet
My mouth begins to water like it’s waiting for the taste of something sweet
Slipping from the edge I feel a smile slowly slide across my face
‘Cause skiing down this mountain is the closest that I’ll ever come to grace

I wrote this little ditty years ago after a day of skiing at Spirit Mountain.

Video Archive: UMD Women’s Hockey Championship Threepeat

Twenty years ago today — March 23, 2003 — the University of Minnesota Duluth won it’s third consecutive NCAA Women’s Hockey Frozen Four championship defeating Harvard 4-3 in double overtime at the DECC Arena. The news footage embedded above is from KBJR-TV.

Bonnie Shea: Duluth’s first female hockey player

The University of Minnesota Duluth’s public relations and marketing department presents the story of Bonnie Shea, Duluth’s first female hockey player. Read more about Bonnie at news.d.umn.edu.

All Hockey Hair Team 2023: May the Flow Be with You

A long time ago, in a rink far, far away, the best salads and skullets, mullets and manes descended on the Minnesota State High School Hockey Tournament in St. Paul. Hockey-hair video maker John King is back with his annual compilation of the best flow in the state.

The Nimrods win American Birkebeiner Giant Ski Race 2023

This highlight video shows the drama from the qualifying run and finals of the American Birkebeiner Giant Ski Race, held last weekend on Main Street in Hayward. The Nimrod Giant Ski Team recaptured the championship this year.

Seasonal Leif Erikson statue update

PDD Quiz: Football

Are you ready for some football? Call up your best plays and tackle this week’s PDD quiz about football in the Twin Ports.

The PDD current events quiz comes your way on Nov. 27. Submit question suggestions to Alison Moffat at [email protected] by Nov. 23.

Duluth Kelleys defeat the Green Bay Packers in 1922

Although the Green Bay Packers generally get the last laugh, let it stand for the record that the Minnesota Vikings won the season opener in 2022 and the Duluth Kelleys topped the Pack one hundred years ago today.

Former Huskies outfielder makes major league debut

Former Duluth Huskies outfielder Cal Stevenson made his Major League Baseball debut for the Oakland Athletics on Aug. 10. He is the 301st former Northwoods League player to reach the majors.

Stevenson played for the Huskies in 2015. He was drafted in the 10th round of the 2018 MLB Draft by the Blue Jays.

Mystery Photo: 1962 State and Sectional Champs

This photo was acquired at the Ellefson Estate Sale in the Upper Cody part of West Duluth in 2019. It shows a youth baseball team with players wearing different jerseys, suggesting perhaps it’s an all-star squad or the team had multiple sponsors. The sponsor names on the shirts are: Kelley Duluth, City Bottling, YOT (Young Old Timers), Gately’s, West Arrow Chevrolet, Moose 1478 … and one looks like it might be M&J Super Value (the bottom word is blocked by the players forearms). Two jerseys are plain white; those players have an M on their caps while the other players have caps with no lettering.

The writing on the back of the photo gives the biggest clue: “1962 State & Sectional Champs.” But the names of the players and coaches are lost to history unless a nerd or two step up and solve the mysteries.

PDD Quiz: Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Step up to the plate for this baseball-themed PDD quiz! For more on Duluth baseball history, check out the Zenith City website and the Minnesota Digital Library.

The next PDD quiz will review the headlines from June 2022; it will be published on June 26. Submit question suggestions to Alison Moffat at [email protected] by June 22.

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