Jerry Griffith – WHS Class of 1965

Football – letter winner; All-Conference ‘64; Co-captain ‘64; 2 time “Lem Herting Loudest Tackle” Award winner;

Basketball – letter winner; All conference ‘65

Baseball – letter winner; 2 time All Conference; District 8 Championship baseball team

Academics and Activities – National Honor Society; Senior Class President; 1964 Homecoming King

College – University of North Dakota B.S in Mechanical Engineering – Football, Baseball

Awards – one of the first 4 year Army ROTC scholorships

Other – Worthington Cubs Amateur Baseball Team (7 years)

Jerry became a Lt. Colonel in the US Army Reserves with four years active duty and 18 years USAR duty. He has spent 21 years with Gulf Oil (now Chevron USA) working with synthetic fields and now Exploration and Production activities in Mississippi and Texas.

Jerry is the father of two children: Mike and Lori. He resides in Midland, Texas. He was inducted into the Trojan Hall of Fame in 1996.

Posted on Wed, April 22, 2020 by Clasine Lester

Julie Smith – WHS Class of 1976

Basketball – 3 years; All Conference 76; Most Valuable 76; State Tournament Team 76 (Minnesota’s first State Girls Basketball Tournament)

Activities – Band

College – Worthington Community College – Basketball, 2 State Championship Teams, 1 Regional Championship Team; in the top 20 career scoring leaders; St. Cloud State University; University of West Virginia – PhD Industrial Psychology

Julie is self-employed as a psychological consultant. She was inducted into the Trojan Hall of Fame in 1995.

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Tomm Smail – WHS Class of 1968

Football – All Conference

Basketball – All Conference

Track – Regional Champion Discus

Activities – Student Government

College – North Dakota State University Class of 1972 – Football, All Conference 1972; 2 time All American; Coach’s All-American 2nd Team and Academic All-American 71-72

Tomm and his wife, Joyce (Polokoff) have 2 daughters, Jordan and Reagan. They reside in Oakland,CA. He was inducted into the Trojan Hall of Fame in 1995.

Posted on by Clasine Lester

Lloyd Phelps – WHS Class of 1958

Gymnastics – Region 2 Champion, State participant

Baseball

Football – set single game scoring record; single season scoring record 1957; Presently 5th on career scoring record; Co-Captain

Track

Basketball

College – Worthington Community College – Football, Basketball, Track; St. Cloud State University – Football; University of Nebraska, Omaha – BS Degree; Southwest State University – Secondary education, teaching and coaching license

Military – Major, US Army, retired after 25 years; Vietnam Veteran; Special Forces/Green Beret; Aviator, Decorated 28 times; enlisted Minnesota National Guard at 15, State National Guard Boxing Champion 1957; enlisted U.S. Marines Corps 1958

Community – Alderman, Worthington City Council; Worthington Police Civil Service Commission and Charter Commission

Coach – Worthington Community College Assistant Football Coach

Lloyd and his wife, Marian (Pass) have 6 children Jamie, Lloyd II, Kevin, Vikki, Kelley, and Michael. He is currently teaching history at Worthington Community College. Lloyd retired in 1995 as a Probation/Parole officer for Rock-Nobles Community Corrections. He was inducted into the Trojan Hall of Fame in 1995.

Posted on by Clasine Lester

Donald Frerichs – WHS Class of 1949

Basketball – All Conference; All Regional Team

Baseball

Football – All Conference

Track – All Conference; All Region

Gymnastics

Activities – Band; Choir

College – Mankato State College – Football, All Conference; Track, All Conference; NAIA All American, Champion, Record holder long jump

He and his wife, Dianne (Rickbeil) have 3 children, Craig, Scott, and Krista. He was inducted into the Trojan Hall of Fame in 1995.

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Marty Jorgensen – WHS Class of 1966

Basketball – 3 year starter; 224 Assists; 24 game point average; 1052 career points; All American
Baseball
Football

Academics and Activities – Student Council, German Club; Trojannaires; Choir: president, solos; National Honor Society; Homecoming attendant

College -University of South Dakota, University of Arizona

Military
-U.S. Navy 1968-1976

Marty and his wife, Jo, have 4 children, Dawn, Phillip, Jeremy, Marty and 2 grandchildren, Christopher and Joshua. He was inducted into the Trojan Hall of Fame in 1989.

Posted on by Clasine Lester

Dennis Hale – Coach

Jackson High School Class of 1965

Football – All-Conference, All State

Basketball – All Conference

Baseball – All Conference

Track

College – University of Minnesota, Football, member of last Big Ten championship team in 1967; played in 1968 North-South Shrine All-Star game

Other – Fourth-round draft pick of New Orleans Saints

Awards – Member of MN FB Coaches Hall of Fame

Career – Kenyon and Barnesville HS Coach and teacher; District 518 Physical Education teacher

Coach – WHS Football Coach for 33 years, 8 SWC Championships and 3 State Tournament appearances; Assistant Boys Basketball Coach for 31 years

He was inducted into the Trojan Hall of Fame in 2011.

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Doug Brands – WHS Class of 1994

Basketball – Two-year letter-winner; All-Conference; Daily Globe All-Area, Pioneer Press All-State; School record in career FG percentage; member of 1993 and 1994 SWC Championship teams and 1994 State Tournament team

Track – Lettered four years; SWC High Jump champ; qualified for State High Jump; placed 7th in State High Jump; MVP as a senior; broke the school record in the high jump his senior year

Activities – Band, Choir (Male Vocalist of the Year);

Academics – WHS Triple A Award winner; National Honor Society; graduated with highest honors

College – Sioux Falls College; Basketball – four year letter-winner in basketball; three time All-Conference; two time Academic All-American; Conference Defensive Player of the Year; Track

Doug taught math was Co-Head Track Coach at WHS before becoming the principal at the Learning Center in Worthingon. He has been Assistant Boy BB coach. He and is wife, Jen, live in the Worthington area with their sons, Kalen,Charles, and Tobias. He was inducted into the Trojan Hall of Fame in 2011.

Posted on by Clasine Lester

Greg Travis – WHS Class of 1983

Football – 2-time All-Conference and Daily Globe All-Area 1st team two years; MVP senior year; School record holder in pass completions and passing yards

Basketball – 2-time All-Conference and Daily Globe All-Area 1st team two years; Mr. Minnesota Basketball finalist; Most Valuable senior year

Baseball – All-Conference; MVP as a senior; Lions All-Star Baseball game participant

Academics – National Honor Society, National Merit Scholarship quarter-finalist

College – Played baseball and basketball at Normandale Community College; 10-0 in two years as a pitcher for the Lions; NJCAA Academic All-American; earned B.S. from Bellevue University in Nebraska.

Other – Played semipro baseball

Greg currently resides in Omaha, Nebraska with his wife, Laurie, and son, Dylan. He is employed as a Merchant Solutions Specialist with PayPal. He was inducted into the Trojan Hall of Fame in 2011.

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Dennis Hower – WHS Class of 1953

Basketball

Golf – Honors: Won Junior Golf Championship Regional, Alexandria, MN (players under age 16); Medalist in Mankato Region Round; 2 year State Tournament qualifier; placed 5th Senior year 1953

College – University of Notre Dame; University of Minnesota – Law J.D. Degree

Dennis taught at University of Minnesota for over 30 years as a full professor of Business Law where he received the Horace T. Morse Teaching Award. He was inducted into the Trojan Hall of Fame in 1994.

Posted on by Clasine Lester