Seasons
SEASON: 15 | YEAR: 1963
HEAD COACH: PHILIP SIEFF
Game 111 | January 21, 1963 | Vic Power, Sam Mele
A native of Puerto Rico, Power was one of the all-time great fielding first basemen. He spent 12 years in the major leagues, and was with the Twins from 1962 to the middle of 1964 when he was traded to the Angels for Frank Kostro. Power's biography recalls the time in the South in the mid-1950s when he was refused service by a waitress who told him, "we don't serve colored people here." The quick-witted Power allegedly replied, "I don't eat colored people. I just want rice and beans."
Game 112 | February 18, 1963 | Steve Jackman
A native of Rochester, Jackman was the fastest swimmer in the United States from 1961-1963. Some of his individual records in the 50-and 100-yard freestyle events for the University of Minnesota lasted for 30 years.
Game 113 | April 10, 1963 | Birdie Tebbetts
Tebbetts' major league career lasted 53 years as a player; manager and scout. He was the new manager of the Cleveland Indians when he appeared before Dunkers. He held that job for four years before he was succeeded by George Strickland.
Game 114 | April 16, 1963 | Donald Jackson
Skating in the 1962 World Figure Skating Championships, Jackson, nicknamed "the King of Blades," won the event by being the first to successfully land a triple lutz in an international competition. He joined the Ice Follies after his victory and later founded the Jackson Skate Company, maker of one of the most popular brands of figure skates in the world.
Game 115 | May 3, 1963 | Bill Murray
There was a time when Duke University was a minor regional football power; and Bill Murray was the team's coach. A great halfback at Duke in the late 1920s, Murray returned to coach the team from 1951-1965. During that period, his teams won six ACC titles, and he was later elected into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Game 116 | May 17, 1963 | Ara Parseghian, Duffy Daugherty
One of the most successful coaches in Northwestern history, Parseghian was a year away from being recruited to coach at Notre Dame. His Northwestern teams defeated Notre Dame four straight times, and the Irish knew a good coach when they saw one. He coached at Notre Dame from 1964-1974. Daugherty coached football at Michigan State from 1954-1972. His 1965 team won the national championship. Both coaches are in the College Football Hall of Fame, and coached against one another in the "Game of the Century" in 1966, a 10-10 tie.
(LtoR) Back row: Pug Lund, Ike Armstrong (physician; Front row: Duffy Daugherty, Ara Parseghian
Game 117 | July 18, 1963 | Phil Rizzuto
The son of a Brooklyn streetcar motorman, Rizzuto played shortstop with the New York Yankees from 1941 to 1956. Upon retirement he moved into the Yankee broadcast booth, where he spent the next 40 years, popularizing the catch phrase "Holy Cow!" In 1950 he was the first mystery guest on the long-running television show What's My Line?
(LtoR) Back row: Mike Perry (physician), George Drake; Front row: Phil Rizutto, Algot Johnson
Game 118 | October 1, 1963 | Paul Flatley, Ron VanderKelen
During their college football careers few players tormented the Gophers as much as Flatley (Northwestern) and VanderKelen (Wisconsin). Flatley was a fourth-round draft choice of the Minnesota Vikings who went on to be the NFL Rookie of the Year as a wide receiver in 1964. VanderKelen quarterbacked the Badgers to the Big Ten title and a berth in the 1963 Rose Bowl. It was the first time in bowl history that a #1 team (USC) would meet a #2 team in a bowl. USC won, but VanderKelen was named the game's MVP. He backed up Fran Tarkenton as a Viking quarterback from 1964-1967.
Game 119 | November 21, 1963 | Earl Battey
The catcher in the Minnesota Twins' first game in 1961, Battey held that position through the end of the 1967 season. He won three Gold Gloves as the best fielding catcher in the American League, and was named an AL All-Star four times. Until the arrival of Joe Mauer, Battey was considered by most to be the best catcher in Twins history.
Game 120 | December 12, 1963 | Carl Eller
The stellar defensive end for the Minnesota Gophers had just finished as a runner up in the voting for the Outland Trophy when he appeared at Dunkers. Several months later, he was a first-round draft choice of the Minnesota Vikings and went on to star as part of the Vikings' "Purple People Eaters" defensive line. A six-time all-pro selection, "Moose" Eller is in both the college and professional football halls of fame.
(LtoR) Carl Eller, Bill Boyer (physician), Vern Mikkelsen