Twin Cities Sports

Sheldon Anderson is professor of history at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where he teaches modern European and sports history. He is the author of The Politics and Culture of Modern Sports.

“Twin Cities Sports constitutes something like a civic biography of athletics for a metropolis that is often described as the ‘most underrated city in America.’ Eschewing hype and boosterism, Sheldon Anderson has produced an admirable, entertaining anthology consistent with the unassuming, candid ethos of the Land of 10,000 Lakes.”—Daniel A. Nathan, former president of the North American Society for Sport History“Well documented and smartly argued, these essays demonstrate the Twin Cities’ compelling history with sports. Sheldon Anderson has succeeded in bringing together essays that express a unique Minnesota connection. A fine resource for history buffs as well as sports fans.”—Chris Elzey, coeditor of DC Sports: the Nation's Capital at Play

• IntroductionMap of MinnesotaMap of the Twin Cities1. From Parks to Recreation: The Minneapolis Parks System, 1880s–1920s by Shannon Murray2. Fairways Open to All: A History of Golf in the Twin Cities by Thomas B. Jones3. Aces on Ice: The Glory Days of Speed Skating in the Twin Cities by David C. Smith4. The End of Jim Crow and the Decline of Minnesota Gopher Football by Sheldon Anderson5. From the Cedar-Riverside Marines to the Purple People Eaters: Professional Football in the Twin Cities by Dick Dahl6. Just for Kicks: The World’s Game Comes to the Twin Cities by Tom Taylor7. The State of Basketball: Minnesota’s Storied Hardcourt History by Sheldon Anderson and David C. Smith8. The Minneapolis Lakers: The First NBA Dynasty by Stew Thornley9. Minnesota Ice: The Eleventh Hockey Province by David C. Smith and Sheldon Anderson10. From DC Follies to Frostbite Falls: Calvin Griffith and the Senators’ Move to Minnesota by Jon Kerr11. The Minnesota Twins, Tony Oliva, and the Cuban Baseball Players by Blair Williams12. Of King Tuts and Kewpies: Professional Boxing in the Twin Cities by Scott Wright13. “How ‘bout Dat, You Turkey Necks!”: The Heyday of Twin Cities Pro Wrestling by Sheldon Anderson and Brad Lundell