Seasons
SEASON: 3 | YEAR: 1951
HEAD COACH: FRANCIS L. LUND
Game 15 | January 23, 1951 | Charlie Grimm, Eddie Stanky
Grimm managed the Milwaukee Brewers to the American Association title in 1951 and was promoted to manage the Boston Braves in 1952. A year later he was back in Milwaukee when the Braves moved from Boston. Stanky, known as "the Brat," hit .300 for the 1950 New York Giants and would later become the manager of the Minneapolis Millers. Both guests were in town for the annual "Mid-Winter Baseball Banquet."
Game 16 | February 6, 1951 | Bud Wilkinson
A Gopher graduate and popular candidate for the Gopher head coaching job, Wilkinson instead went to Oklahoma, where his teams won 47 consecutive games between 1953 and 1957, including back-to-back national championships. Born in Minneapolis, he played guard and quarterback for Bernie Bierman and helped lead the Gophers to three national championships. He retired from coaching at age 47 and became head of the President's Council on Physical Fitness. He died in 1994 at age 77.
(LtoR) Pug Lund (physician), Bud Wilkinson, Babe LeVoir
Game 17 |March 6, 1951 | Wes Fesler
Bernie Bierman was out as Gopher football coach, and one of Fesler's first stops was at Dunkers. The former Ohio State star and head coach had been coaxed out of retirement to join the Gophers, and he stayed three years before giving way to Murray Warmath.
Game 18 | March 28, 1951 | Adolph Rupp, Hank Iba
The NCAA Final Four was becoming a major event, and it came to Williams Arena in 1951. Rupp and Iba were two of the biggest names in college coaching at the time, and Rupp's Kentucky team won the championship with a 68-58 victory over Kansas State. The tournament did not return to Minneapolis until 1992.
(LtoR) Adolph Ruff, Well Wright (physician), Hank IBA, Gil MacPhail
Game 19 | May 1, 1951 | Bruce Dudley
The former president and general manager of the Louisville Colonels, Dudley was the commissioner of the American Association in 1951. He was in town for a series between the Colonels and the Millers, and the visit included time with the Dunkers where the topics included Willie Mays and how soon it would be before Mays would be recalled by the parent New York Giants.
Game 20 | August 21, 1951 | Patty Berg
The graduate of Washburn High School and the University of Minnesota returned home for a local event. The future Hall-of-Famer won 60 times on the LPGA tom: She learned to golf at Interlachen Country Club and is credited as the force behind the forming of the Ladies Professional Golf Association. A three-time Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year, she died in 2006 at age 88.
(LtoR) Lou Crosby (physician), Patty Berg, Bruce Reincker
Game 21 | November 21, 1951 | Wes Westrum, Bobby Thompson
The Giants were the World Champions of baseball, and Thompson was known as the man who hit "the shot heard round the world" for his game-deciding home run off Brooklyn's Ralph Branca to decide the National League title. Teammate Westrum, a catcher for the Giants, was a native of Clearbrook, Minnesota. He hit 20 home runs for the 1951 Giants.
Game 22 | December 14, 1951 | John Kundla
The former University of Minnesota star was the only coach the Minneapolis Lakers had in its first 10 years. His 1951-52 team was on its way to winning the third of five consecutive NBA titles. A member of the NBA Hall of Fame, he went on to coach the Gophers from 1959-1968.