On this date, in 1971, a young man named Steve Blehm scored 85 points during the Ramsey County Basketball Tournament in stark weather. That's right, 85 points.
Blehm was playing for the Devils Lake School for the Deaf, which beat Hamden 122-22. During his high school career, Blehm scored 3,859 points, a state record that may never be broken. But that's not his only record.
His four-year average of 41.5 points per game was a national high school record, as was his 35.8 average during his freshman year. In his sophomore year, he established another record, averaging more than 47 points per game, the highest ever average for a sophomore. Blehm was unstoppable in all facets of the game, whether it was field goals, rebounds, or free throws.
In his four years with the School for the Deaf, he made 827 points from free throws alone. He once made 17 free throws in one game. It wasn't that he was exceptionally tall.
At a modest 5'11", he still managed a total of 1,352 rebounds while in high school. Blehm probably would have risen to the top of his game no matter what, but he did overcome some challenges, having lost his hearing during childhood when a now-banned medicine was prescribed for ear infection. Radio broadcaster Lee Halvorson called Blehm one of the most mature young men he'd ever run into.
Halvorson used to do play-by-play for KDLR in Devils Lake. He recalled an opposition coach saying they could win if they could hold Blehm to 40 points. But Blehm went out and scored 56.
After high school, Blehm went to Minot State for a semester, then transferred to Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. There he was MVP in 1976 and 77, and in 1978 was named Gallaudet's Athlete of the Year. He also won a gold medal at the World Games for the Deaf in Romania. Blehm wasn't perfect.
Coach Brenner had to call in his 4th grade son Terry to help Blehm pack his equipment. He was my idol, no question, Terry said, but he would forget his shoes or his jersey or his athletic supporter. Most people would loan him things, except for the athletic supporter.
Stephen was married to Linda Blehm, now deceased. They raised 3 daughters, Vera, Maggie, and Sarah. He lives in Virginia, where he works for the United States Postal Service.
In 2018, he was named Deaf Father of the Year by the Virginia Association of the Deaf.
Dakota Datebook was written by Merry Helm
