EDGERTON A BASKETBALL LEGEND

While being interviewed by Tom Tomashek for a segment in TOWN BALL, a baseball book which he co-authored with Armand Peterson, I mentioned to Tom that I had taught at Edgerton and he immediately inquired if I had been associated with Edgerton High School's 1960 state basketball championship team.

     I explained that although I was teaching in Minneapolis that school year, I was the head basketball coach at Edgerton for three years prior to the championship season, one in which Coach Rich Olson and the Flying Dutchmen, representing a town of approximately 1,000 residents, fashioned one of Minnesota's all-time sports stories at any level, amateur or professional.

     Tom asked if anyone had ever written a book about that team and I told him that to my knowledge the event had only been briefly described in several books. He then suggested that we collaborate on a book about that incredible season and told me to think about it while he and Peterson put the final touches on TOWN BALL.

     True to his word, Tom called back early in 2007 and this time urged me to become involved, explaining that if something wasn't written soon it would never get done. I'm no writer and I was not there for the championship season, but I knew the players and many wonderful people in Edgerton, so it seemed a natural thing to participate in something special as this.

    The book is long overdue and can now clearly show the uniqueness of not only that unique team, but for the town's profound passion for basketball, instilled early by E.O. Nickerson in the early 1920s and solidified by J.H. Brovold and the many other coaches through Rich Olson and beyond.

    In my final season of 1958-59, Edgerton finished 17-5 and reached the District 8 final before losing to Jasper on a last-second shot. The loss was particularly disappointing because the team had defeated previously unbeaten Ellsworth in the semifinals, but encouraging for the program in that four starters and a group of promising young players were coming back the next season. I, on the other hand, did not return because the school board and I could not come to terms on salary, and I had a wife and three children to support.

     I was fortunate to get a good job in the Minneapolis school system and Edgerton was fortunate to find a fiery and capable coach in Rich Olson, 23, who led the team to a 27-0 finish that included Minnesota State Tournament victories over Chisholm, Richfield, and Austin, towns four or more times larger than Edgerton. The fivesome of Dean Veenhof, Dean Verdoes, Darrell Kreun, Bob Wiarda, and LeRoy Graphenteen became household names in that year, and nearly 50 years later they are still fodder for sports conversation.

     My reason for becoming involved in this book is somewhat personal because I take pride in having played an integral part in establishing the foundation on which that championship season was built. But the major reason for my participation is that the people of Edgerton, the 1959-60 team, and its coach deserve to have a definite account of a spectacular achievement presented to not only Minnesota sports fans, but any individual who appreciates team work and a strong work ethic.

     To paraphrase the late Winston Churchill, never have so few done so much to entertain and excite so many.

- Coach Ken Kielty