Richard Everett Londgren

DAVID & Goliath as metaphor for Lynd basketball Richard Everett Londgren

Though the story of the 1954 "Hoosiers" got phenomenal attention, eight years earlier the tiny town of Lynd (population 218) rolled toward the Minnesota state championship (all schools in the same boat) with 29 wins without a loss. In 1946, some 70,000 watched their games, with national record-setting attendance at the University of Minnesota fieldhouse. Even TIME mentioned Lynd (in the days before SI), and Upper Midwest newspapers and radio couldn't resist getting on the bandwagon about Lynd as the DAVID against Goliaths. Alas, DAVID lost to Goliath in the championship game. But Lynd lingers on--though not as a high school in the time of changing demographics--but at least in my several sports stories. And in the annals of the Minnesota Historical Society. My saga also serves as a metaphor about how a mix of players can submerge ethnic, religious and town-versus-country differences to create a sensational team and a lasting synthesis to inspire countless others.