School Boys tournament. Roland was Runner-up to the Davenport Blue Devils in a 50-40 Championship game. Under the leadership of the crowd favorite, sophomore Gary Thompson, Roland had played a nip and tuck game until the final minutes. Coach Cheadle paid special mention of Frank's contribution to the team during his senior season. Frank was on the Honor Roll.
Wayne Tjelmeland'52 played in both the 1951 and the 1952 Iowa High School Boys State Tournament as a member of the Roland Rockets in two of their three year run for a state championship. It was the memorable years of Gary Thompson and the Roland Rockets 1951-'53. The Tjelmeland family bought their farm and moved to nearby Howard Township in the spring of 1949.
Hazel Horness'53 won the right to represent Milford Twp in the Sectional and District free throw competition and threw in the State Tournament at the Drake Fieldhouse. The girls tournament games actually were played at the Des Moines Vets Auditorium beginning in 1955.
Ron Otto'56; Jurine Borton'56 each were listed as Honorable Mention on the final selection of the All State Basketball Teams. They were the first ever Milford Twp athletes to earn state recognition. (An interesting side note is that they started kindergarten together at Richland No 9 Rural School, both moved with their families in first grade- Ron to Boone and Jurine to Fernald- then in third grade both moved to Milford Twp.) Jurine set a County scoring record of 57 points which stood until 1961. Also Larry Miller'56 was overlooked and omitted from recognition on the all county team (and perhaps all state team honors) by a similar named lad from Roland. Coach Cochrane visited with many about this situation but to no avail.
Dick Neasham'57 won two Arizona Individual State Tennis Championships in 1956 and 1957.
Norene Hughes'59 represented Milford at the All State High School Chorus.
Bill Jacobson'59 was selected on the Honorable Mention list of the final selection for the Boys Basketball All State Team. He was the third Milford Twp athlete to be recognized with this state honor. He was the leading scorer in Story County as a junior and a senior.
Janet Hansen'60 moved with her family (Ingval and Jerene Hansen) to Roland as a sophomore in high school. She experienced playing in the IGHSAU Basketball Championship tournament with the Roland Rockettes her senior year. She was selected her junior year as a guard on the Registers 2nd All State Team. Roland also had a Janet Hanson, an outstanding guard, who graduated in 1959.
DeAnn Hill'61 was on the 1959 Roland Girls State Softball Champtionship team for Coach Bill Hennessay.
Karen Thompson'64, as a freshman in 1961, represented Milford Twp at the Sectional and District Free Throw competition in 1961. After the merger in 1961 Karen played for the Roland Rockettes in the "sweet sixteen" of Iowa Girls High School State Basketball Tournament as both a sophomore in 1962 and a senior in 1964. She was elected Senior Class President at Roland. See pages 202, 206.
Clair Twedt'64 was cheerleader for the Roland 1962 State Tourney Team. She was Editor of the '64 yearbook.
Kathy Egland'65 was cheerleader for both the 1962 and 1964 girls State Tourney teams.
Wayne Tjernagel'64 was a three year starter for the Nevada Cubs following the merger in 1961. He was selected on the Iowa High School Athletic Association Boys All State 5th Team as a junior and the All State 2nd Team as a senior while playing for the Nevada Cubs. In 2000 Wayne was one of 15 players named to Nevada HS All Time Team for the 1st 75 Years. Wayne was inducted into the NHS Hall of Fame in 2001. Note: A point of interest is that both his brothers played in State Tournaments three of their four years as players for the Roland Rockets; Stanley `Stan' Tjernagel 1949-'53 and Loren Tjernagel 1956-'59. Stan was a class mate of the Great Roland Rocket, Gary Thompson, and on the famous team that lost to Davenport in 1951 for the one class IHSAA State Championship. Loren helped Roland win the 1958 IHSAA Class B Championship. See page 198.
Dean'67 (Amil'33) and cousin John'66 (Floyd `32 and Grace Tendall'35) Twedt participated for Nevada Cubs after the 1961 merger and represented NCS in the Iowa High School Boys Track Meet and the Drake Relays. Both were known for their distance running. Dean was inducted into the Nevada Community School Hall of Fame in 2006. See Hall of Fame page 197.
Barbara Jacobson'66 was a guard and a forward on the first team for the Nevada Cubs when they made the final eight in their division of the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union Basketball Tourney. Her season total of 152 rebounds tied Nevada's record with15 in one game. She served on the Nevada HOF committee for years.
Karen Hughes'67 earned State "1" ratings for both her treble voice solo and with the NHS sextet.
In 1968 two Milfordites played for Nevada in the Girls' State Basketball Tournament with only two seniors on this team, Junior Kathy Fitzgerald'69, a guard, Jeanette Brooks'70 (Virgil`36), a forward, and one of only two sophomores on the team. Jacque Strother'68 was the manager.
Mike Jacobson`93N (Bob `57) `92 Football; 1st team All District & Honorable Mention 3A All-State. Played all four years at Nevada and was named Academic All Conference.
1945- 1st Team Katherine Olinger guard See page 140 1945- 2nd Team Isabelle Brooks forward See page 140 1944-'45was the first full year for Girl's Basketball at Milford 1949- Jack Morris `49 1st Team N Story County 1949- Juanita Warren Honorable mention 1950- Juanita Warren Honorable mention 1956- Ron Otto `56 1st Team All Story County 1956- Jurine Borton `56 2nd Team All Story Co 1956- Hazel Horness `56 Honorable mention 1959- Norene Hughes `59 Honorable mention 1958- Bill Jacobson `59 1st All Story County 1959- Bill Jacobson `59 1st All Story County
No County teams were selected when Milford had strong teams in 1926, mid 1940's, or 1947. In the mid 1940's the Huxley Merchants selected an All County Team on which Fred Matters `44 was listed.