There was a time when just about everyone in North Dakota knew the name and fame of Arnold Oss, the greatest athlete ever to grow up in Lidgerwood. From 1917 to 1921, Oss made sports headlines across North Dakota and Minnesota. He played football, basketball, baseball, ran track and was a star in them all.
Arnold “Arnie” Oss (1899–1979) played with such a rare combination of strength, speed, and skill that he became known as “the Lidgerwood Flash.” North Dakota sportswriters rated him as the state’s greatest all-around athlete of the half-century from 1900 to 1949, and Minnesota sports editors likewise named him their number-one amateur athletic star for the same period.
Oss first made his mark at Lidgerwood High School, playing quarterback for two years and then halfback for two more. His running ability was so remarkable that the University of Minnesota recruited him in 1917. He stood 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighed 175 pounds, and had impressive strength. Opponents often seemed to have him stopped, only for him to break free and sprint down the field for long gains.
Much of his strength came from summers spent working for his father, Ole, in the family blacksmith shop. From age 12 on, he handled the bellows, heavy hammer, and anvil, building arms described as “strong as iron bands.”
At the University of Minnesota, Oss earned nine varsity letters, three each in football, basketball, and track in 1919, 1920, and 1921. He was an All-American in basketball in 1919 and 1921, and in track he ran the quarter-mile in an impressive 47-plus seconds. He was also a football All-American.
On this date in 1919, Collier’s Weekly selected Arnie Oss as first-team halfback on its Big Ten All-Conference team.
After graduating, Oss settled in Minnesota and entered the insurance business, eventually becoming an executive. He married Frances Supple of Stillwater in 1925, and they raised a son and a daughter.
Arnold Oss, the “Lidgerwood Flash,” died at age 79 in 1979 in Edina, Minnesota. His wife, Frances, died in 1993. Both were buried in Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis, far from Lidgerwood, but not forgotten in North Dakota sports history.
Dakota Datebook written by Steve Hoffbeck, retired MSUM History professor
Sources:
- “Oss, Williams, Johnson on Collier’s All Star Teams,” Minneapolis Journal, December 9, 1919, p. 24.
- “Arnold Oss, Over-Night Football Star, Keeps in Physical Trim By Blacksmithing in Summer,” Minneapolis Tribune, October 17, 1920, p. 31.
- “Arnie Oss, M Club Hall of Fame,” gophersports.com, accessed December 11, 2021.
- “Camp Selects Dakota Man,” Dickinson Press, December 27, 1919, p. 1.
- “Arnie Oss, Doc Cooke In Basketball Hall Of Fame,” Minneapolis Tribune, January 15, 1961, p. 40.
- Dick Cullum, “Where Is He Now,” Minneapolis Tribune, August 1, 1958, p. 15.
- Eugene Fitzgerald, “Oss Rated Top All-Around N.D. Athlete Of Half Century,” Fargo Forum, April 16, 1950, p. 25.
- Dick Gordon, “Oss Named State’s Best Athlete in 50 Years,” Minneapolis Star, December 26, 1950, p. 24.
- Eugene Fitzgerald, “Oss Named Minnesota’s No. 1 Athlete For Half Century,” Fargo Forum, December 28, 1950, p. 9.
- “Star Lidgerwood Athlete Oss Dies,” Fargo Forum, August 18, 1979, p. 13; “Former Minnesota Athlete Arnold Oss Dies At 79,” Minneapolis Tribune, August 17, 1979, p. 51.
- “Oss, Frances S., Age 90,” Minneapolis Star-Tribune, May 3, 1993, p. 14.
- “Mary Frances Supple Weds Arnold C. Oss At Stillwater Home,” Minneapolis Journal, August 27, 1925, p. 18.
- Eugene Fitzgerald, “Keeping In Line,” Fargo Forum, February 26, 1950, p. 17.
