Concordia's life-long coach Edwin "Sonny" Gulsvig died Thursday at his home shortly after watching Minnesota rally to beat Northwestern in the Big Ten playoffs.
The 79-year-old Gulsvig earned nine varsity letters at Concordia in football, basketball and basketball from 1946-50 and returned to coach the Cobbers basketball team in 1955.
In 23 seasons, he won a school record 237 games for the Cobbers, ending at 237-332.
He also coached under Jake Christiansen and Jim Christopherson in the Cobbers football program for 36 years and was head baseball coach and assistant coach for 20 seasons.
Since his retirement in 1991 he has been a strong supporter of Concordia and High school sports in the community while battling declining health for the past 15 years.
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His son Chuck has coached Moorhead High School's boys basketball team for 25 seasons. His father frequently accompanied him to Bemidji for Spuds-Lumberjacks contests.
Said Athletic Director Larry Pappenfuss, "He was a symbol of everything we've stood for at Concordia for so many years. He is one of those people so many of our athletes will look at as a mentor and a friend."
Lopez steps down
The area said goodbye to another coaching legend this week when Jean Lopez announced her resignation as Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton volleyball coach.
Lopez guided the DGF spikers for 24 seasons compiling more than 300 victories. She has been the school's only coach since Dilworth combined with Glyndon-Felton and led the Rebels to three state tournaments, taking second in 2004 and third last fall.
She ends her career at 314-189 including a 110-11 mark the past four years.
One of her top highlights was coaching her daughters Kelly and Jennifer, both named Minnesota Gatorade's Player of the Year. Kelly just finished her sophomore year at NDSU and Jennifer will join her on the Bison volleyball team next fall.
Their mother plans to spend much of her time next fall following her daughters.
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She will be succeeded by her assistant Tessa Tysver.
Mat Hall of Fame
Three Grand Rapids natives will be among eight individuals honored by the Minnesota Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame April 12 at Owatonna.
Jim Kamman, a state high school champ who went on to earn an NCAA national title at Michigan, will be awarded the Outstanding American Award.
Allen Goeden will receive the State Courage Award for his long years of work with youth and high school wrestlers after having been paralyzed below the waist.
He was an outstanding grappler at Itasca CC and an NIC champion at Moorhead State.
George Graff has coached Morris High School's mat team for the past 40 years. He will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award.
All eight will be permanently enshrined at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum at Stillwater, Okla.
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Trimble to grid Hall
Walker's Gary Trimble will be inducted into the Minnesota High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame March 29 at Minneapolis.
He will be joined by Brainerd's Ron Stolski, Mario Lucia of Bigfork and Grand Rapids and Jim Simms of Thief River Falls High and UMC.
Trimble, a 1966 Walker High graduate, earned 10 letters in high school, four in baseball and three in basketball and football.
He played both football and baseball at BSU.
He compiled a 40-16 record in six years at Fairmount, N.D. and 111-72 in 19 years at Kimball, Mn. Since retiring from teaching he manages the Kimball Country Club and has been a fishing guide on Leech Lake for 35 years.
O'Brien moves up
Dan O'Brien, Bemidji High football coach in 1993 and 94 had been added to the Minnesota University coaching staff as director of football operations and high school relations.
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O'Brien left Bemidji after two seasons to join the Concordia grid staff at St. Paul, becoming head coach before moving to Hamline as Athletic Director.
Firearms safety
Firearms safety classes will be held April 22-24-29 and May 1-6-8 at Horace May School from 7-9 p.m. A field day will end the session on May 10.
Neil Luepke and Dennis Zeto will conduct the classes for shooters at least 11 years old with their 12th birthday falling before or during the next hunting season.
Parents or guardians should accompany the shooters to the first meeting at 6:30 to sign forms and pay the $15 registration fee. They can also register over the phone with the Bemidji Area Community Education office at 333-3100-ext. 305 or 301.
Tennis meeting
The Bemidji High tennis team will hold its annual Parent-Athlete meeting Thursday at 5:30 in the phy ed classroom on the second floor of the field house.
All tennis prospects and their parents or guardians are required to attend. Tennis practice will begin March 24.
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Plys rules the world
Duluth's Chris Plys rink won the title at the World Junior Curling Championships at Ostersund, Sweden. Plys defeated Oskar Eriksson of Sweden 7-5 in the title match.
Plys scored three in the third to take a 5-2 lead and added two in the eighth to widen a 5-4 advantage.
The win was the third World Junior title for USA but the first since 1984.
Anderson wins first
Bemidji's Sam Anderson made his first start for North Dakota and was the wining hurler in a 9-2 win over Kentucky Wesleyan at Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. He scattered three hits over 7 1-3 innings, fanning seven for his first collegiate win .
The 2006 Lumberjacks graduate was red shirted last year by the Sioux.
Two more hit 1,000
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Two more area cagers topped the 1,000 point mark this week. Warren junior Casey Larson scored 18 against NCW to go over the magic figures. He became the fifth Pony to top that figure. But it became the first time the school has had two on the same team, Evan Mattson topped 1,000 earlier this year.
Otto Robischke saved his best for last, scoring in his final me for Goodridge against KCC in the 8A-West tournament opener. KCC won the game to end the Goodridge season.
Brainerd girls co-op
The Brainerd girls hockey team may join with Little Falls next season for the sport. It may depend on whether the sport is among ones to survive severe athletic cutbacks at Brainerd after a bond referendum failed to pass.
The school will make known which sports will stay and which will go at a public meeting Tuesday night.
If it comes about, it would not only add income to the program from Little Falls but allow Brainerd to field a JV team for the first time in several years.
Brainerd already has a cooperative agreement with Crosby-Ironton and Pequot Lakes for the girls sport.
Little Falls is expected to add 12 new players to the slim Brainerd squad which ended with 22 this year.
Schuldt down under
Nevis eighth grader Bryon Schuldt has been invited to represent Minnesota in the 20th annual Down Under International Games in Australia this summer.
Athletes from the U.S., Australia and New Zealand compete against kids their own age in track.
Detroit Lakes track coach Mike Labine who has coached the Minnesota team for three years, recruited Schuldt.
Team Minnesota will have 24 members of which 18 have been signed up.
Schuldt attracted attention when he became the first seventh grader in history to qualify for the state Class A track meet last spring in the 3200 after taking second place at the Section 8A meet.
He ended 18 at the state. He will compete in the 14-15 age group.
Team Minnesota will begin workouts following the state high school meet.
Schuldt has received an All State Academic Award and plays both football and basketball at Nevis.
New hockey mark
Total attendance for this year's state hockey tournament set a new record when 129,721 fans attended, breaking the old mark by more than 4,000
The meet also broke a single session record when 19,559 watched the 2A semifinals Friday night.
