This month marks the 60th anniversary of when the Marshall High School boys basketball team won the state championship. There is a special display in the school exhibit at the Lyon County Museum with items donated or loaned, including the original scorebook, warm up jackets, player’s trophy, commemorative booklet, and more.

On March 23, 1963, the Marshall High School boys basketball team took home the state championship by defeating Cloquet 75-74. The championship team consisted of head coach Glenn Mattke, assistant coach George Korver, Dave Webb, Loren “Whitey” Johnson, Denny “Red” Schroeder, John Nefstead, Terry Porter, Dave Markell, John Kirscht, Daryl “Butch” Otten, Sandy MacDonald, Dick Larson, Brian Murphy and Marion Paradis. Johnson, Nefstead, and Porter were picked for the All-Tournament squad.

The headline in the Marshall Messenger after the 1963 state championship game read: “Marshall-1963 State Champions. In what many observers called the greatest final game ever played in a state high school basketball tournament. Marshall High School nipped Cloquet’s excellent and rapid-fire Region Seven champs, 75-74, for the 1963 state championship. The Tigers, who came into the tournament unheralded and were classified as underdogs in each of their three rugged tests, set spectators buzzing with their precise shooting, but they had been doing this all season.”

The 1963 team energized the town. Fans would flock to Marshall Tiger games, home and away, to support the team. Every game Marshall played had tournament size crowds. In the playoffs, the fan buses started with around 8 to 10 buses and increased the further the team got. The photograph featured this week shows the team and the crowd who helped welcome home the state champions. The coaches and their wives along with the team members rode in a parade down Main Street led by the band. Coach Glenn Mattke received the key to the city from then Mayor C.F. “Bud” McGuiggan as part of the welcome home celebration.

The photograph featured this week from the Lyon County Museum’s collection was donated by Loren “Whitey” Johnson a few years ago. The photograph was taken during the parade in Marshall to celebrate the team and their win at state.

The Lyon County Historical Society (LCHS) is a non-profit, member-supported organization. LCHS operates the Lyon County Museum at 301 W Lyon St in Marshall. The Lyon County Museum is open year-round to visitors. To contact us, visit our website: www.lyoncomuseum.org, call: 507-537-6580, email: director@lyoncomuseum.org, or on our Facebook page.