North High School - Polaris Yearbook (Minneapolis, MN)

Page 13 text:

North wings its way to the 1953 Twin G'ty Championship. Jacobi Sets Cage Standards for North Jacobi sets dunked as the 1952 cagers clinch city title. Basketball at North is much the story of one man. J. J. (Jake) Jacobi. Jake coached North basketball for twenty-seven years and produced six city championship teams, four twin-city championship teams and two state runner-up teams in 1933, and 1938. Basketball had started at North in 1919. but for ten years North’s cagers achieved only average success. In 1930 Jacobi took over. Within two years he produced a city championship team and a state runner-up team the following year. There was one three-year period during which North lost only one of thirty games. In Jake’s twenty-seven years with North teams, the Polars finished in the second division only once. When he relinquished his title of dean of Minneapolis coaches in 1957, Jake became athletic director at North, and remains in this office at the present time. 190-1 found N.H.S. city champs in baseball. Teams were organized only to be disbanded because of lack of interest. The outlook for baseball looked dim until the 1920's when Tom Kennedy took control of the team. Under his skillful direction between the years of 1925 to 1929 North won five straight city championships and the 1927 team claims to be the best baseball outfield ever to represent North. Since then North periodically has produced excellent teams, the best of which have been the '}6, ’41. '42, ’52 and ' S0 teams. North's oldest baseball team picture, from approximately 1910. Anyone with information on this picture, please contact North. Another run scores for North as the 1938 season draws to a close.

Page 12 text:

Seventy years of unparalleled sports activity originated late in the fall of 1896. That fall found North High students lining up for North's first interclass football scrimmage. Seventy years and countless athletic contests later, North can proudly point to a record of trophies, honors and championships unmatched by any other school in the city, perhaps even in the state. While always striving for a victory, North athletes have never forgotten the importance of conduct befitting a North student and have, on the whole, one of the finest reputations for sportsmanship in the city. With a tough-fought victory over the old Camden team, 1896 saw the inauguration of interschool football at North, and with it a tradition of outstanding individuals and winning teams. Year after year of Hard-nose football has served to strengthen this tradition, as has every other athletic contest North has participated in. Coach Tom Kennedy explain the finer point of blocking a he prepare another championship team, in this case, the 1935 team Kennedy, Football Pace North Athletics North's oldest extant team picture found to date. If anyone has information about thi picture, please contact North High NORTH'S 1907 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL TFAM- FIRST ROW: F. D. Casey, W. F Kurkc. SECOND ROW: A F. Casey. E. Swenson, H. Turner, E. L. Armstrong. A. Randall, E. F. Dikeman. S. P. Knaeble THIRD ROW: L. B Duntlcy, J. J. Brennan, R A. Leighton, F. S. Chicken. F. B. Lees (captain), G. Leighton. FOURTH ROW: R. T. Tenny (coach). A. Johnson, H Myc. S. Olson SIXTH ROW: C. A. Dikeman (manager), F. Burgan (coach). Ask any alumnus what winning teams” mean and one will most certainly be answered in terms of football— North's first city championship in 1904, the United States high school championship of 1907, 1910’s great championship team, the last few minutes of the 1927 North-Central clash for the city title, which ended in a 0-0 tie, 1938’s title team grabbing top city honors, or I953's Minneapolis championship team. A team is no better than the individuals concerned with it. No single individual is more thought of in connection with football than Tom Kennedy. Coming to North in 1919. Tom Kennedy produced more winning teams in all sports during his time than any other coach at North. Right up to ms death in 1965 he remained an ardent supporter of athletics at North. D. Ferrcra display the little bit extra that won for North the 1953 city championship.

Page 14 text:

1901 CINDERMEN REAR ROW: Dexter, Freedman. Morrill. Baker. CENTER ROW: Bantr. Dutton, Pope, Nye. FRONT ROW: Cutts, Barnes. One facet of athletics at North that cannot be overlooked is girls’ sports. Girls' sports can be proud of their sixty-five years of continual growth. Initiated in 1901 with Cora Sun-dcll's girls' basketball team, the)’ have grown so much that at one time or another nearly any sport imaginable has been represented. Since 1918 thousands of North girls have been honored with 'N' letters, pins and awards. With the coming of the G.A.A. (Girls' Athletic Association) in 1922, interscholastic competition, grew sharply. Since 1937 modem dance has been a favorite with North girls; at the present time North has one of the top modem dance groups in the state. North’s Athletics: Something for Everyone North perfect the nunly art in this 1935 picture of the boys gym. 1962, another typical year at Louie and the gym team display city, region, and state trophies. Although football, basketball, and baseball have always been the biggest sports at North, no less than a dozen less publicized sports have involved North students through the yean. While not one of the big three, one sport has constantly produced winning teams. Under the capable leadenhip of coach Louis Burnett, the North High gymnastics team has fought its way to 17 city, 15 region, and 14 state titles. No other gym team in the Northwest has been able to approach such a fine record. One other North team has consistently ranked high. Skiing has truly achieved a place of honor among North sports. Rarely has a year gone by without North grabbing one title or another. Largely due to the excellent coaching of Lars Kindem, North produced six consecutive city championship teams between 1958 and 1963. At the dose of the 1965 season the North skiers had expanded their winning streak to fifty without a single dual meet loss. Boxing as a sport no longer exists at North, but for many years North's reputation in athletic circles rested largely on its fine boxers. Boxing at one time drew more participants than any other sport. In 1934 North FIRST ROW: Amic Swartz. James Legro, Bruce Palmer. Johnny Tobler, Steve Person. SECOND ROW: Charles Moore, Bill Gleason, Paul Juntilla, Bill Ingi-son. John Bruchert. Bob Staboo. Bill Finlayson. THIRD ROW: Tom McBride. Bruce Hinrichs. Loren Smith, Coach Lewis Burnett, Tom Johnson, Creighton Orth. Steve Fritvold. FOURTH ROW: Gary LaFave. Joe Ncuberger, Jerry Waddick, Bill Jordan, Glenn linfors, Gary Leone. sponsored ninety-one boxers Another extinct but once popular sport was speed skating. Winter still gives impetus to swimming, hockey, and wrestling. all of which are now rising in popularity. Spring has always helped North by producing an atmosphere suitable for track, golf, and tennis, all of which have produced title teams at one time or another. In the fall one may see coach Louis Burnett preparing yet another championship crosscountry team. But. no matter what the sport. North's athletics have served to strengthen individual character, and to produce an understanding of team responsibility, characteristics North High graduates have carried into all fields of enJeavor.