Glory days revisited

Athletes and coaches from the former 212 Conference come together for reminisce about the old days

By Scott Thoma

Over a 47-year span, the 212 Conference produced some outstanding professional and collegiate athletes, as well as highly-successful coaches.

Several former 212 Conference athletes and coaches met at Cactus Jack’s in Stewart last year. The group has been meeting four times a year, giving them a chance to reminisce about the old days and form friendships with former opponents/rivals. Each get together includes a meal and a guest speaker. Contributed photo

The original eight schools in the conference, running west to east along the 212 Highway — Sacred Heart, Renville, Danube, Bird Island, Hector, Buffalo Lake, Stewart, and Brownton — in south central Minnesota remained the same from April 14, 1947 until 1974.

The map of the 8 original 212 conference schools. Graphic by Carter Zuhlsdorf

The conference eventually expanded to include several other schools along the 212 Highway, that lasted until 2004, a 57-year run. The reason for the disbanding of the conference was due mainly to several school districts pairing or consolidating, and several of those districts deciding to joining other conferences with bigger schools.

Several years later after the 212 dissolved, the late Rod Black, a longtime three-sport coach at Danube, decided to organize a group that would meet in Danube and Renville and talk about the glory days of the conference. The first organized group gathering had around 15 people in attendance.

Black was a well-respected athlete (1952 graduate) and coach at Danube. He guided three basketball teams to the state tournament (1960-61, 1961-62, 1978-79). In all, he coached from 1956-92 and was inducted into the Minnesota Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1988.

Bob Bruggers of Danube, right, scores the first two points of the 1962 State Basketball Tournament.  The other two Danube players are Jerome Roelofs (42) and Mike Gort (20).  Bruggers was one of the most prolific prep athletes in Minnesota history. Contributed photo

“Rod was one of the best people on this planet,” said Tyrone Wacker, a standout athlete who graduated from Stewart in 1962 and a longtime coach of several sports. “He was one of the most remarkable people I’ve ever known. He cared for everyone and his players loved playing for him.”

Wacker began getting more and more involved in the history of the 212 Conference.

“At one of the meetings, Jim Dolan of Renville mentioned that someone should write something down about the history of the 212 Conference,” said Wacker. “I was kind of a historian and was retired, so everyone looked at me. I was bored and I loved researching, so I started looking through every yearbook and every newspaper from those original eight schools from 1947-1974.”

1965 All-Conference football players from Stewart, left to right: Doug Krienke, halfback; Marlowe Kottke, end; Ted Burke, fullback; Merril Zieman, end; and Duane Lenz, linebacker. Contributed photo

The conference get-together eventually stopped for a few years and Wacker, who now resides in Sioux Falls, took over the reinstallation in 2012 with the help of Black’s twin daughters, Deb Holwerda of Danube and Pam Freiborg of Willmar. The conference gatherings rotate sites from the communities that were the “Original Eight” of the conference.

“We first started getting together once a month and then went to once every two months, but that got to be a little too much for people to meet that often and a long commute from those on the west end to the east end, so we now try to have get-togethers four times a year,” said Wacker. “Because I live in Sioux Falls, Deb and Pam organize the other things. I send out about 250 newsletters by email from a list of people that have attended in the past or are interested in news about the conference.”

Holwerda and Freiborg select a date and site for the event, locate a speaker or two, and figure out the meal.

The 1955 Renville Conference and District Championship starting five. Left to right: Junior Groen, Roger Duininck, Warren Brandt, Mally Bengston and Chuck Huselid. After winning the district title, Renville upset Walnut Grove in the first game of Region 3, then lost to Ortonville on a last-second shot. Contributed photo

“We have big shoes to fill to keep doing what our dad was doing,” said Holwerda. “We want to try and keep his legacy going. One of the things we like so much is seeing the joy it gives some of these guys to come and talk about the good old days.”

There will be another organized gathering in early August and a date and site to be determined.

“We want as many people to come as we can,” Wacker said. “They don’t have to be from the original eight schools. This is for anyone interested in talking or hearing about the 212 Conference.”

Wacker went on to coach two state championships in football at Gaylord (1972 and 1985), and a state baseball title with Jackson in 2002. He is the only coach in Minnesota history to be inducted into the Coaches Association Hall of Fame in both of those sports.

During the gatherings, as many as 50-75 former players, coaches, officials and fans show up to reminisce, enjoy a meal, and listen to the speakers.

Former Bird Island great Barry Wohler, left, poses with Tyrone Waker. Wohler was a speaker at one of the recent events. Contributed photo

“I really enjoy getting together with these people,” said Ron Kelm, a 1963 graduate of Brownton High School, where he played four sports. “It’s been fun getting to know some of these athletes I played against but never really got to know. I’ve made a lot of friendships.”

The group has been attempting to locate a place they could use for a museum to house all of the 212 Conference paraphernalia from years gone.

Currently, a mini 212 Conference museum is housed in a room at Cactus Jack’s Bar & Grill in Stewart, owned by Kory Kosek, a former minor league pitcher drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies. Items such as pennants, photos of the conference championship teams, and even a Hall of Fame wing with approximately 25 of top athletes and/or coaches are enshrined.

One of those athletes was Bob Bruggers of Danube, who went on to play five years in the National Football League with the Miami Dolphins and San Diego Chargers.

Former Danube standout Bob Bruggers, left, and his coach Rod Black. Contributed photo

“We had some very good athletes come from the 212 Conference,” said Kelm. “Some of them are no longer with us, but it’s still interesting to hear stories about them.”

At the gatherings, athletes, coaches and fans talk about when Brownton, Danube, Hector and Renville built new gymnasiums in the early 1950s to handle the ever-increasing crowds attending games as rivalries among the conference schools heated up. Stewart followed suit with a new gymnasium in 1965, Sacred Heart in 1967 and Bird Island in 1969.

By 1950, every one of the eight schools had a lighted football field except Stewart, which didn’t get lights installed until 1970. Conference football games began in 1947 with all teams required to play six-man football. In 1952, the conference voted to move up to eight-man teams. After playing two seasons of eight-man football, the conference began playing 11-man football.

The 212 Conference meetings draw on an average of 50-75 former athletes, coach and family. Contributed photo

Conference basketball began in 1947 and baseball in 1952.

The first conference track meet was held in 1952 at the Renville County Fairgrounds in Bird Island.

Wrestling began in the conference in the winter of 1958 with just four of the eight schools offering that sport — Brownton, Stewart, Buffalo Lake and Hector Bird Island, and Sacred Heart joined in 1961, and Renville and Danube in 1964. The first conference wrestling tournament was held in 1960 and hosted by Hector. 

If anyone is interested in attending the next meeting or wants more information, email Tyrone Wacker at tyronewacker1@msn.com.