| NSC Stars future is up in the air |
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One of the Stars top additions during training camp was Two Boys Gumede, left, a South African national, who became the Conference- USA Player of the Year playing at the University of Alabama-Birmingham. Photo by Jason Olson
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Nine months after the idea of bringing back professional soccer to the
National Sports Center in Blaine, became a reality, the future of the
NSC Minnesota Stars after the 2010 season looks bleak at best without
some help from community.
| The Gray Ghost Bill Andberg: 1911-2007 |
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| Thursday, 13 December 2007 | ||
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The Gray Ghost of Anoka, Dr. Bill Andberg — one-time owner of countless
national and world running records, who in 1971 was declared to be “The
World’s Fastest 60-year-old man” — died late Tuesday afternoon (Dec. 11). During his career Andberg owned 30 world and national records from the half-mile run to the 26.2-mile marathon. His claims to fame were numerous, but the Gray Ghost, of Anoka — a name he picked up because his training trail took him up and down the pathways of a local cemetery while he wore a gray sweat shirt — was more than just a runner. In reality he was many things, first and foremost Andberg was the only horse and animal doctor the Anoka area knew for many years, a man who retired from this profession at the age of 88. Those who knew Andberg best, called him a Renaissance Man of Renaissance men. He was a mentor to youth — of all ages — one who embraced classical music, sang in choirs and played a violin, which was hand-made by his father. He was a composer, too, composing one piano piece entitled “Variations” which was played at his 85th birthday and will be played during his Sunday (Dec. 16) memorial service. That was not all. “Doc” Andberg, “Bullet Bill” was an outdoorsman — an avid hunter and angler. He played golf, skied and loved to bowl. In fact, he was pretty good at this indoor sport, winning the National Seniors Championship in 1984 and boasting a lifetime average of 280. Last year at the age of 95, Andberg had a 215 game. Still, his name is synonymous with running, a sport he took up for the second time in his life after a 30-plus year break between his last competitive season with the University of Maine track and field team and his 55th birthday. In truth, Andberg decided to hit the roads and cemetery trails with the goal of dropping 10 pounds and regaining the same personal level of fitness he enjoyed while in college. What he didn’t know that it would lead to hundreds of races and nearly 40 years of setting records. It was the “Marathon Handbook” which declared Andberg as “The World’s Fastest 60-year-old man in 1971 after he broke upon the masters (over 40) running scene, but he didn’t rest with that laurel. Hardly. As he continued, the records fell. At one point in his career, Andberg simultaneously owned the United States Age-Group records for the 20-, 25- and 30-kilometer runs and the half marathon. He also owned world masters record in the 10,000 meters and the 1,500 meters and a national record in the half mile, the 880-yard run. As younger world class runners entered the masters division, Andberg’s records — one by one — were wiped from the books. His Minnesota mile mark for a man over 60, a 5:18.8 — set at the age of 62 — was the last to go in 1999. But only after it had withstood challenges from other notable athletes for 23 years! Still, each time he competed through his 70s and into his 80s, Andberg set a new standard, a new high-water for those who followed to eclipse. He would have continued had it not been for two bouts with Lyme disease that affected his joints and for some crumbling bones (from years and miles of running) in his feet. Ultimately, he was forced to give up running, but instead of retiring for a second time shifted his focus to Nordic ski racing where he established a whole new group of age-group marks after the age of 80. Along the trails, Andberg not only earned recognition as a consummate competitor, but as a friend to more people than the number of races he ran. “He was one of those special people,” said his daughter Julie. “I don’t how to explain it, but he had an impact on nearly everyone with whom he came in contact during his life... He was that kind of man.” Andberg was preceded in death by his wife of 61 years, Ruth, and his parents Helmi and Gust, and brothers Eric and Harry. He is survived by children Paul (Diane) Andberg of Claremont, FL, Chris (Gary) Gorham of Blaine, Wendy Andberg (Michael Pileggi) of Ham Lake, Julie Andberg of Minneapolis; grandchildren Brent (Heather) Andberg, Rebecca (Robert) Turner, Lisa (Guy) DuFault, Mike (Jill) Gorham, Brie and Brenna Pileggi, Annika Grahn; and eight great-grandchildren, with another one due in May. A Sunday (Dec. 16), 3 p.m. memorial service will take place at the First Unitarian Society, 900 Mt. Curve Av., Mpls., 612-377-6608. Memorials are preferred to: Bill Andberg “Gray Ghost” Scholarship Fund for Anoka High School track and field athletes, Anoka High School, 3939-7th Av. N., Anoka, MN 55303, Attn: Barry Terrass. Bill desired to help young people go to college who might not otherwise have the means. |
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