Upside Down Under: An impressive lineup...

Two weeks ago I was at Bismarck State College for an event and it had been 38 years since I was on campus. It has changed drastically, but it was fun to be back there if only for a few hours.

When it was my time to speak, I started with asking a question. “How many of you are Bismarck High School graduates?” Approximately 10 people raised their hands of the roughly 60 in attendance. Then I asked them if they know who Weston Dressler is? They all said they at least recognized his name.

Unfortunately, however, these BHS grads didn’t know the most important message about Mr. Dressler. About a month ago, he was inducted into the Canadian Football League Hall of Fame and none of them were aware of that.

It could have been they aren’t sports fans and don’t pay attention to football. It could have been the Bismarck media didn’t cover it, or it could have been something completely different.

But, after playing 11 years in the CFL and setting numerous records including winning a Grey Cup, Dressler should be recognized locally for his time as a flanker with the Saskatchewan Roughriders and later the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

When he played in Regina, he was arguably the most likable player in the Roughriders franchise. But that’s not really a surprise given he was just as popular when he played at UND and was given the name Mr. Electricity because of his knack for sparking the fans.

Dressler certainly made a name for himself, but so have many other North Dakotans such as, boxer Virgil Hill, football player Carson Wentz, or hockey player Mason Morelli.

As some of you might realize, the sports landscape in North Dakota has changed a great deal in the past 20 years. In fact, there was a time here in the state that most of us who call ourselves sports fans, wondered what it would be like to have seen someone like baseball player Roger Maris play in his or her respective sport.

In my own mind, that goes back to December 1985 when the funeral for Maris was held in Fargo. From 1961 when Maris hit 61 home runs for the New York Yankees to 1985 when he was laid to rest, there was a void for North Dakota sports fans.

Virgil Hill had won a silver medal in the Olympics a year earlier, but he was just beginning as a professional boxer at the time and hadn’t yet achieved his impressive won/lost record.

In the years to follow, however, additional sports figures from within the state would pop up and now there are numerous players in numerous sports making a name for themselves.

First, there was Darin Erstad from Jamestown, who broke into the Major Leagues with the California Angels in 1995. He played a number of years with the Angels and Diamondbacks and became an American League All-Star.

Rick Helling from Fargo was a pitcher with the Texas Rangers; and who can forget Travis Hafner, who grew up in the small town of Sykeston and became a standout player with the Cleveland Indians (now called Guardians).

Hafner showed us that anyone playing baseball in a small town has a chance to make it big.

It doesn’t stop with baseball. NDSU has groomed numerous players who are now in the NFL: Wentz, as I mentioned earlier, Trey Lance and Christian Watson are becoming common names on Sunday after-noon.

Small-town football players have shown they can make it too. Simon and Grant Romfo, who helped Langdon win a state football championship, are now tearing it up at UND. Simon Romfo was named starting quarterback, while his brother Grant is a running back.

Dave Osborn, who played for the Minnesota Vikings, came from Cando. Jim Kleinsasser, also with the Vikings, came from Carrington; Pete Retzlaff, Ellendale; Phil Hanson, Oakes; Jeff Boschee, Valley City; Randy Hedberg, Parshall; and Les Jepson, Bowbells, among others, have done well in sports.

And let’s not forget Monique and Jocelyne Lamoureaux, twins from Grand Forks who played women’s hockey for Team USA in the Olympics.

Yes, North Dakota has come a long way in sports since Oct. 1, 1961.