A New Ulm institution continues

NEW ULM -- It is the longest running banquet of its kind in Minnesota.

Saturday night, April 7 at Martin Luther College, the 47th Annual New Ulm Club Athletic Banquet will take place as senior athletes from New Ulm High, Minnesota Valley Lutheran and Cathedral High are honored.

"It is the longest and most prestigious of its kind," said Carl Wyczawski, who has been a member of the New Ulm Club since 1956. "Usually high schools have their own banquets; that is the way that it used to be in the past."

The New Ulm Club banquet originally started when New Ulm had what was then termed an "exchange club" back the late 40's and early 50's, according to Wyczawski. "Then, the federal government said that unless they let women join, they would lose their charter. So the members of that club, in 1954, switched to the New Ulm Club. At that time, people like Herb Schaper, Don Gollnast, Harold Fenske, were in the club. And they started out by having Minnesota Gopher football coach Murray Warmath as their guest speaker at the first banquet back in 1954."

Wynn Brockmeier (who coached football great Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch in high school) was the second speaker.

Wyczawski said that the idea of honoring the athletes of New Ulm's three high schools came from Schaper. "He is the father of the athletic banquet here. He was a sports writer at The Journal back then and it was his idea to honor the athletes from the three high schools."

Schaper said that the idea for the banquet was taken from the banquet that Mankato had at that time -- a banquet which has since faded in Mankato but has grown in New Ulm.

"They had the idea and we copied it from them," commented Schaper. "Don Gollnast and I were real big into the banquet. It is the longest running city-wide banquet of its kind in Minnesota.."

"To keep this banquet going has taken a lot of work from a lot of different people," said Wyczawski. "In the past, we have always had the banquet; that is the highlight of the year. We have a fall picnic when we honor all the coaches and their spouses. We used to take an annual trip to a Gopher football game, but that was dropped when they stopped playing Saturday afternoon games."

In addition, the New Ulm Club has donated money to the three high schools, in addition to other items.

"I think that the high school seniors enjoy the banquet," said Wyczawski. "I think that it is a great banquet."

Speakers at the annual banquet have ranged from Olympic star Jesse Owens, Rev. Bob Richards, former Green Bay Packer coach Dan Devine, late Gopher coach Cal Stoll to Frosy Westerling, now the head football coach at Pacific Lutheran

Only three former New Ulm athletes have graced the docket as speakers -- Jim Emmerich, Frank Whitcomb and now, this year, Steph Klaviter.

"You always hear afterwards from these athletes years after that this is the nicest banquet that they have been in," said Wyczawski. Some of the former athletes live in towns much bigger than New Ulm but their is not a banquet that is as well run and received as the New Ulm Club banquet.

"I talked to (a former NFL official and former speaker at the banquet) and he still comments about how much he enjoyed the banquet," said Wyczawski.

"The community of New Ulm has been very responsive to the banquet," said Wyczawski. "The businesses have all been great. And Martin Luther College has been great with their food service and facilities. The banquet originally was held at Turner Hall, but because of the size we switched to the college and they all have been great, great people."

While the banquet now is very, very successful and enjoys near-sellout crowds each year, the genesis of the banquet was not easy.

"It was very difficult in the early years financially," said Schaper. "But somewhere along the way, we hit on the idea of selling the program and the advertising. That saved the banquet."

Schaper said that the banquet originally was started when New Ulm sports was not at a high level. "And in the beginning the banquet was for the underclassmen instead of the seniors because we wanted to instill in them the idea of winning."

Since then the idea has changed to honor the senior athletes. "But you have to have some people like the New Ulm Club to do the work to put on the banquet each year. The thing could have folded a number of times but members of the club would not let that happen."

One of them was Schaper. "I remember back in the formative years, a bunch of (New Ulm Club members) met at Eibner's at noon and the banquet looked pretty dreary, but three or four of us went out and beat the bushes to sell tickets to sell tickets. That probably was a pivotal year to the success."

"We are close to being 50 years old (now at 47 and still strong), that is amazing run to put it in perspective," he said.

So next Saturday night when the 47th annual banquet takes place, the New Ulm Club will honor senior athletes from New Ulm's three high schools, it may well be more than just the athletes who are honored.

The New Ulm Club and its former and present members, plus the staff at Martin Luther College should be honored for their hard work and dedication in making this banquet possible.

To those people, thank you from all of New Ulm.

NEW ULM DAY AT MARTIN LUTHER COLLEGE: Plans are being made to have a "New Ulm Day" at Martin Luther College next basketball season. Right now, Saturday, Jan. 19, when the Knights play St, Scholastica in mens and womens basketball, is the day.

ALL New Ulm residents will be admitted FREE to the games and drawings from New Ulm businesses will be held.

RANWEILER TO MANAGE KAISERHOFF: Brady Ranweiler will take over the reigns of the New Ulm Kaiserhoff this season as former manager Tom Steinbach declined the position. Steinbach will stay play.

SCHUGEL BRINGS GOOD WORK ETHIC: Cathedral baseball coach Bob Weier said that shortstop Joey Schugel "brings competitiveness, coach-ability and a very good work ethic in practice. He knows that that is how he becomes a better player and he is more than willing to work hard at the things that he is told to do. From the team standpoint, he is a leader in the infield and knows the situations. He is always on top of the game and knows it well."

Weier is also high on Dusty Wilfahrt, who Weier describes as "a kid who works hard and he loves the game of baseball."

Column by Jim Bastian, Journal sports writer