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Hall of Fame inducts four and honors the 1969 baseball team John E. Ahlstrom Staff Writer
T
he South St. Paul High School Athletic Hall of Fame inducted four new members at its annual induction ceremony prior to the Packers-Mahtomedi football game on Sept. 20. With their enshrinement, the number of inductees in that hallowed assembly swelled to 59. The 2019 class – the 13th in school history – included Tom Hammond (Class of 1952), Paul Moen (1960), Steve Ninnemann (1979) and Barb Covey (1981). In addition, the Hall of Fame Committee recognized the 1969 Baseball Team that advanced to the state tournament. All of those honored have contributed in a special way to the rich tradition of South St. Paul High School athletics. Tom Hammond Although South St. Paul is considered a hockey town, the basketball program enjoyed considerable success
The 1969 South St. Paul High School baseball team. during the 19-year reign of head coach Ken Fladager (1947-66), who was enshrined into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2016. No player contributed to that success in a more decisive manner than Tom Hammond. Under Fladager, the Packers advanced to the state tournament on three occasions – in 1950, 1952 and
1962. Hammond played on the 1950 squad and was the co-captain and centerpiece of the 1952 team that finished runner-up in the one class state tournament. He was an All-Conference and an All-Region honoree in 1951 and 1952 and, along with his teammate Jack Wade was named to the 1952 All-State Tournament team.
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Hammond, who died at the age of 82 in June of 2017, paid homage to his head coach when he was interviewed prior to Fladager’s induction in 2016. “I’ve never been around a coach who taught the fundamentals of basketball better than Ken Fladager,” said Hammond. “We often started the season with inferior talent, but we always
improved as the season progressed because we adhered to his system and played suffocating defense.” Halfway through the 1952 season, the Packers’ record stood at 6-5. From that point forward, however, they caught fire and reeled off 12 straight wins. They captured the Suburban Conference title with a 43-39 victory over Stillwater and proceeded to
win seven consecutive games in the post-season before succumbing to Austin in the state title game. Hammond was recruited to play basketball at Hamline College, but tuition was high and he left to find work after just one semester. He enrolled at the University of Minnesota in 1959, graduated with honors in 1963, and traveled the world as part of his illustrious 30-year career with the 3M Company. In retirement, he enjoyed his requisite Saturday morning coffee visits to South St. Paul to commiserate with friends. He is survived by his wife Judy, daughters Jennifer and Laurie, and four grandchildren. Paul Moen One of the most visible and revered figures in South St. Paul athletics for six decades, Paul Moen technically entered the Hall Fame as a coach, although the imprint he leaves behind includes far more than that. His service to the school as an equipment manager, bus driver
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