Seasons
SEASON: 8 | YEAR: 1956
HEAD COACH: CHARLES D. PYLE
Game 50 | January 23, 1956 | Bill Rigney, Eddie Stanky
This was a return engagement for both guests. Rigney, following the success of the 1955 Millers, was named to succeed Leo Duroucher as New York Giants manager in 1956. His successor with the Millers was Stanky who led the team in the first season in the new Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington.
Game 51 | February 21, 1956 | Jim Kelly
The personable Kelly was the long-time track and field coach at the University of Minnesota. He was the head track coach of the U.S. Olympic team that competed in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956. Bobby Joe Morrow won both the 100 and 200 meter dashes for the United States.
Game 52 | March 9, 1956 | Jack Petroske, Gene Campbell
There was a strong Minnesota influence on the 1956 U.S. Olympic hockey team that took the silver medal at Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. Campbell and Petroske were coming off great careers at the University of Minnesota and were among 11 Minnesotans on the team. Campbell later went on to an impressive career as health administrator at the Mayo Clinic.
Game 53 | September 6, 1956 | Dick Siebert
An 11-year big league first baseman, Siebert coached the University of Minnesota baseball team for 31 years and led his team to National Champion-ships in 1956, 1960 and 1964. A native of Fall River, Massachusetts (home of Lizzie Borden), Siebert died in 1978 at age 66.
(LtoR) Ike Armstron (physician), Dick Siebert, Gil MacPhail
Game 54 | September 14, 1956 | Art Rooney, Ed Kiely, Father Tom Meagher
Now that Met Stadium had been built, it was time to convince pro football owners that the facility was ready for an expansion team. The Minneapolis newspapers put up the money to lure the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Philadelphia Eagles to the Met for their season opener (won 14-12 by the Steelers) with the proceeds going to Father Meagher's Catholic Charities. Kiely was the Steelers' PR man, and Steeler owner Rooney told the Dunkers that the stadium would surely host a pro team in the foreseeable future.
Game 55 | October 10, 1956 | Johnny McGovern
A native of Arlington, Minnesota, McGovern was a 148-pound quarterback shortly after the turn of the century. About that time, Eastern newspapers began to recognize the caliber of football played farther West, and in 1909, McGovern was named first team All-American by Walter Camp and Look magazine. He was honored by Dunkers on the 50th anniversary of his first year as a Gopher football player.
Game 56 | December 5, 1956 | Bill "Moose" Skowron
A standout baseball and football player at Purdue, Skowron played first base for the New York Yankees in the mid to late 1950s. A record-setting hitter in amateur baseball in Austin, Minnesota, Skowron was coming off one of his best years in 1956 when he hit .308 for the World Champion Yankees with 23 home runs and 90 RBIs.