It’s basketball tournament time! For over 100 years, basketball has been a cornerstone of North Dakota’s sporting scene—uniting players, fans, and entire communities in the pursuit of victory. Join us as we celebrate the history of basketball in the region, through Dakota Datebook!
In November 1903, a brief in the Fargo Forum mentioned that Tower City had “developed a lot of basketball enthusiasm.”
And it was true—Tower City developed and supported several strong, even renowned, basketball teams over the years. The high school girls' basketball team was the first to truly make a mark. In 1907, they went undefeated and ended Valley City’s three-year winning streak when they faced them. For the next few years, the team remained strong in competitions.
In 1915, the Tower City boys’ team stepped into the spotlight, winning their first state championship with a 24-13 victory over Minot.
A picture of the seven young men, along with their coach and manager, appeared in the Fargo Forum after their victory. The newspaper reported, “This is the Tower City basketball team, champions of North Dakota, who won their title in a clean-cut, decisive manner after a season of victories… In the final tournament at Grand Forks, Tower City won by decisive scores against both the Bismarck and Minot teams.”
The Bismarck Tribune noted, “Close guarding and wonderful basket shooting featured the game. Minot was outplayed at every stage. Tower City displayed clever teamwork throughout.”
Their coach, Harry Haggart, a former Fargo High School and college basketball “star,” was credited with “imbuing his boys with something of that …fighting spirit which is characteristic of Fargo college teams.”
One article stated, “There is little wonder that Tower City has a champion basketball team, considering the way the people of that town stand behind the players.”
By 1917, the team was being called the “famed Tower City high school basketball team,” which for years had been known for producing the fastest basketball teams in the state.
Dakota Datebook by Sarah Walker
Sources:
- Tower City History 1879-1979, Centennial Edition
- The Fargo Forum and Daily Republican, November 28, 1903, p11
- The Ward County Independent, July 18, 1918, p11
- The Fargo Forum and Daily Republican, January 4, 1910, p3
- https://ndhsaanow.com/champions/basketball-boys * Please note: this link states the score as 14-13, but all articles I looked at note 24-13, with some noting the first half was 14-7, so I believe this is a typo on this site.
- The Bismarck Daily Tribune, March 14, 1915, p1
- The Fargo Forum and Daily Republican, March 24, 1915, p4
- Grand Forks Daily Herald, March 15, 1915, p10
