Benson High School
West central Minnesota, 65 miles west of St. Cloud on #12
Years Represented: 1923-1927
Gladys Gilbertson Crowley played on the Benson girls basketball team from 1923-1927.
Gladys shared her history in November 2006.
Gladys wrote, "I am sure I cannot add much to your knowledge of girls basketball in the mid- 1920s, but I hope I can add a little color. Our team photo was taken during the 1925-1926 season to show off our new uniforms. I am in the back row on the far right side.
"Benson High School did not have a gym of its own, so before my time, games were played in a grade school gym. After WWI, the Benson Armory was built so thereafter all of our games, boys and girls, were played there. The girls had no shower facilities!
"Since the high school had no gym, we had no physical education at all. Consequently we had no professionally trained coaches. During the time I played, 1923-1927, we had business education teachers as coaches. We were taught little or no techniques."
Gladys recalled, "Of course, we couldn't cross the center line. Since I was the shortest forward, I was stationed at the center line to receive the ball from the guards and sent it on to the scoring forwards. I was taught one trick that was a crowd pleaser. When being guarded too tightly, I tossed the ball over the guard's head, ran around and caught it, and had an unguarded pass to a scorer. I was never called on that trick so it must have been legal.
"In those days, scores were pretty low. I remember one game ended 8-5 in our favor.
"Though we played in all the towns the boys did, we girls were awarded only flimsy, flat felt letters. The boys, of course, received beautiful tufted letters."
After high school, 1929-1930, Gladys played one year at Cloud Teachers College but those games were all intramural. Editor's note: Colleges dropped competitive teams beginning in the mid- 1920s.
Gladys shared her history in November 2006.
Gladys wrote, "I am sure I cannot add much to your knowledge of girls basketball in the mid- 1920s, but I hope I can add a little color. Our team photo was taken during the 1925-1926 season to show off our new uniforms. I am in the back row on the far right side.
"Benson High School did not have a gym of its own, so before my time, games were played in a grade school gym. After WWI, the Benson Armory was built so thereafter all of our games, boys and girls, were played there. The girls had no shower facilities!
"Since the high school had no gym, we had no physical education at all. Consequently we had no professionally trained coaches. During the time I played, 1923-1927, we had business education teachers as coaches. We were taught little or no techniques."
Gladys recalled, "Of course, we couldn't cross the center line. Since I was the shortest forward, I was stationed at the center line to receive the ball from the guards and sent it on to the scoring forwards. I was taught one trick that was a crowd pleaser. When being guarded too tightly, I tossed the ball over the guard's head, ran around and caught it, and had an unguarded pass to a scorer. I was never called on that trick so it must have been legal.
"In those days, scores were pretty low. I remember one game ended 8-5 in our favor.
"Though we played in all the towns the boys did, we girls were awarded only flimsy, flat felt letters. The boys, of course, received beautiful tufted letters."
After high school, 1929-1930, Gladys played one year at Cloud Teachers College but those games were all intramural. Editor's note: Colleges dropped competitive teams beginning in the mid- 1920s.
Benson 1926