Roosevelt Hall of Fame

Celebrating Minneapolis Roosevelt Teddy athletes and their remarkable achievements.
If you know of an athlete that deserves recognition please contact us with details

John Thomas

Sport: Basketball
Years at Roosevelt: 1989-1993
Accomplishments:

Team Captain 1992-93, won Mpls City Title

College: University of Minnesota 1993-1997
Accomplishments:

Team Captain, 1997 NCAA Tournament Final Four

Professional Playing Career: 1997–2013
NBA:

Selected by the New York Knicks with the 25th pick in the 1997 NBA draft
Teams: Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors, Minnesota Timberwolves, Memphis Grizzlies, Atlanta Hawks, New Jersey Nets

Minneapolis Roosevelt alumn John Thomas as a Roosevelt High School student

Minneapolis Roosevelt alumn John Thomas as a Unniversity of Minnesota Golden Gopher driving to the basket during a game at Williams Arena, The Barn

Minneapolis Roosevelt alumn John Thomas as a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves. This image is an official press photo used for marketing

Minneapolis Roosevelt alumn John Thomas featured on 2 trading cards. One for the UofM Gophers, one from the MN Timberwolves

Reed Larson

Sport: Hockey
Years at Roosevelt: 1972-1974
Accomplishments:

1974 MN Mr Defense, 1974 MN State Tournament

College: University of Minnesota 1974-1976
Accomplishments:

NCAA Champions 1976

NHL:

Drafted By Detroit Red Wings NHL – 1976 (#22 Overall)
10 seasons with Detroit Red Wings: 1976-90
3 NHL All-Star games
Played in 904 regular season NHL games
Became first American player to score more than 200 goals
Elected to United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 1996

Minneapolis Roosevelt alumn Reed Larson wearing a stocking cap as a Roosevelt Teddy

Minneapolis Roosevelt alumn Reed Larson's 1974 Roosevelt State Tourney Team (Larson front row left side)

Minneapolis Roosevelt alumn Reed Larson as a member of the Minnesota Gophers Hockey team

Minneapolis Roosevelt alumn Reed Larson’s Collectible Hockey Trading Cards as a Detroit Red Wing

Rob Mestas

Sport: Basketball
Years at Roosevelt: 1991-1995
Accomplishments:

Minnesota Mr Basketball 1995

College:
Miami University (Ohio) 1995-2000
Accomplishments:

No. 3 on Miami's Career Leaders for Assists: 438

Coaching:
Roosevelt Boys Basketball 2012-2018
Burnsville Boys Basketball 2018-2020

Minneapolis Roosevelt alumn Rob Mestas talking with a Roosevelt Boys basketball player during a game

Minneapolis Roosevelt alumn Rob Mestas being hugged by his head coach at Miami University

Minneapolis Roosevelt alumn Rob Mestas as a member of the Miami -OH University basketball team

Tom Nordland

Sport: Basketball
Years at Roosevelt: 1953-1957
Accomplishments:

Minnesota State Tournament Champions 1956 & 1957
MN All-State Team
MN State Tournament Top Scorer
Inducted into the Minnesota Basketball Hall of Fame 2020

College:
Standford 1957-1961

Career:
Developed and taught the "Swish" method of shooting by creating 3 highly-acclaimed SWISH instructional videos & a coaches eBook still sold worldwide

Minneapolis Roosevelt alumn Tom Nordland shooting a jumpshot as a Roosevelt Teddy

Minneapolis Roosevelt alumn Tom Nordland shooting a jumpshot over a Minneapolis Patrick Henry player in 1957

Minneapolis Roosevelt alumn Tom Nordland Portrait photo from the 1980’s

Marcus LeVesseur

Sport: Wrestling, Football, Track & Field
Years at Roosevelt: 1998-2000
Accomplishments:

141-match win streak
Holds the high school wrestling state record for most wins
Won 4 State Titles (3 while at Roosevelt)

College: Augsburg University
Accomplishments:

Undefeated & untied, with a record of 155–0
Won four NCAA Division III Championships individually, and a member of two teams that won National Championships
Awarded the Wade Schalles Award for Best Collegiate Pinner 2005
Amateur wrestling record of 296–0 through his senior year at Augsburg

Professional Career:

MMA debut in 2003 against Doug Henkey. He won via KO 44 seconds into round one and went on to compile a record of 21-5 while competing for regional promotions
MMA Record: 29 matches, 22 wins, 7 losses
Ultimate Fighting Championships: 1 win, 2 losses

Minneapolis Roosevelt alumn Marcus LeVesseur as a Roosevelt Teddy wrestler

Minneapolis Roosevelt alumn Marcus LeVesseur as a Bloomington Kennedy High School wrestler

Minneapolis Roosevelt alumn Marcus LeVesseur as a Augsburg University wrestler during a match.

Minneapolis Roosevelt alumn Marcus LeVesseur as a UFC fighter during a match

Mike Ramsey

Sport: Hockey
Years at Roosevelt: 1974-78
Accomplishments:

30 goals and added 27 assists in 26 games as a Senior
State Tournament 1978
Named Top Defenseman of MSHSL 1977-78

College:
University of Minnesota: 1979
Accomplishments:

NCAA National Championship in 1979 as a freshman

Career:

Selected 11th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1979 NHL draft
Youngest member of the U.S. Olympic team that won the gold medal in 1980 in Lake Placid, N.Y.
4-time NHL All-Star
Minnesota Wild assistant coach for eight seasons
Inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001

Minneapolis Roosevelt alumn Mike Ramsey as a of the 1978 Roosevelt Teddies hockey team

Minneapolis Roosevelt alumn Mike Ramsey as a member of the 1980 US Hockey Team “Miracle on Ice”

Minneapolis Roosevelt alumn Mike Ramsey as a member of the 1980 US Hockey Team playing against Russia

Minneapolis Roosevelt alumn Mike Ramsey’s NHL Hockey cards with Buffalo and Pittsburgh

Greg Larson

Sport: Football, Basketball
Years at Roosevelt: 1953-1957
Accomplishments:

MN State Champion - Basketball
MN All-State Team - Basketball
MN State Tournament Top Rebounder - Basketball

College:
University of Minnesota 1957-1961
Accomplishments:

Captain of Big Ten Champion team
Played in 1961 Rose Bowl Game vs Wash State
Inducted into M Club Hall of Fame 2010

Career:

Drafted by New York Giants
Started for 13 Seasons (missed only 3 games)
Offensive Captain from 1968-1973
Started at 3 positions -Guard, Tackle & Center in 3 NFL Championship games
All-Pro selection 1966, Pro-Bowl game 1967

Minneapolis Roosevelt alumn Greg Larson as a member of the University of Minnesota football team

Minneapolis Roosevelt alumn Greg Larson during an NFL game with the New York Giants.

Minneapolis Roosevelt alumn Greg Larson during a cold and rainy day during an NFL game with the New York Giants. He’s got blood on his face and looks like he’s been in a battle.

Minneapolis Roosevelt alumn Greg Larson ‘s NFL Football cards with New York

Greg Wicklund

Sport: Tennis
Years at Roosevelt: 1973-1977
Accomplishments:

High School record: 43 wins, 1 loss

College:
University of Minnesota 1978-1981
Accomplishments:

4-year letter winner
Big Ten Singles Champion 1981
Led team to first Big Ten Championship in 72 years
NTA Player of the Year
2-time USPTA Player of the Year

Career:

Assistant Coach for Minnesota 1982-1988
Led Gophers to 2 Big Ten Team Championships, 2 Runner-Up Titles. #9 National Ranking in 1986
Ranked 1st in USTA Northern: Men’s Open Singles & Doubles 4 times
World Ranking of #482
Won the Houston Open
Won Northwest Tennis Association Player of the Year Award
Tennis Director & Head Pro at the Edina Country Club for 38 years
Won USTA Northern Bob Larson Media Award 2005
Won Super Category II National Tournament - 50s Singles 2009
Named USTA Northern Frank Voigt Pro of the Year 2010
USTA Senior National Singles Champion in 2010

Minneapolis Roosevelt alumn Greg Wicklund at a Roosevelt Girls Tennis practice providing guidance to the players

Minneapolis Roosevelt alumn Greg Wicklund smiling at the camera

Bob Johnson

Sport: Coach, Hockey & Baseball
Years at Roosevelt: 1958-1961
Accomplishments:

Coached Teddy Hockey to four Minneapolis City titles in six seasons

College:
University of Minnesota

Coaching:
Roosevelt Hockey
Colorado College Hockey 1963-1966
University of Wisconsin Hockey 1966-1982
Accomplishments:

Earned seven NCAA bids in his 15 years at Wisconsin, NCAA titles in 1973, 1977, and 1981, as well as finishing second in 1982
Named the NCAA Coach of the Year in 1977, as Wisconsin swept the WCHA regular season, playoff, and NCAA tournament titles
These years cemented the "Badger" nickname, which he would carry with him for the rest of his career

U.S. Olympic Head Coach, 1976
Calgary Flames Head Coach, 1982
Pittsburgh Penguins Head Coach, 1991 - Won Stanley Cup

Minneapolis Roosevelt High School Hockey Coach Bob Johnson during his days as a coach of the Wisconsin Badgers

Minneapolis Roosevelt High School Hockey Coach Bob Johnson during his days as a coach of the Wisconsin Badgers instructing at a Youth Hockey Camp

Minneapolis Roosevelt High School Hockey Coach Bob Johnson holding up the Stanley Cup trophy as Head Coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins

Minneapolis Roosevelt High School Hockey Coach Bob Johnson coaching during a game with the Calgary Flames

Hall of Fame Plague for Coach Bob Johnson at the University of Wisconsin

Fortune Gordien

Sport: Track & Field
Years at Roosevelt: 1940-1944

College:
University of Minnesota: 1946-48
Accomplishments:

Led the Gophers to their first-ever NCAA track and field national championship, the follow-up to their third-place finish the previous year. In the successful team-title campaign, Gordien won his third consecutive NCAA discus title.
four-time All-American and a three-time Big Ten champion

Career:

An American discus thrower and shot putter who set four world records in the discus throw. He competed in this event at the 1948, 1952 and 1956 Olympics and placed third, fourth and second, respectively. At the 1955 Pan American Games he won a gold medal in the discus and a silver in the shot put.
Domestically Gordien won six AAU and three NCAA titles. According to the Guinness Book of Track and Field: Facts and Feats, the smallest crowd ever to see a world record may have been 48, the number attending a Pasadena, California all-comers track meet in 1953 when Gordien set his last world record that stood for six years.
In the 1950s, Gordien had a few minor roles in films and TV series, including The Cisco Kid (1950), The Egyptian (1954), Not for Hire (1959) and North to Alaska (1960).

Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 1948 London Discus throw
Silver medal – second place 1956 Melbourne Discus throw

Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place 1955 Mexico City Discus throw
Silver medal – second place 1955 Mexico City Shot put

Gordien was inducted to the Helms Hall of Fame in 1953, and into the USA Track & Field Hall of Fame in 1979

Minneapolis Roosevelt High School Track & Field alumn Fortune Gordien winds up during a Discuss practice throw in an empty stadium

Minneapolis Roosevelt High School Track & Field alumn Fortune Gordien winds up during a Discuss throw during a competition.

Minneapolis Roosevelt High School Track & Field alumn Fortune Gordien during a discuss throw at the Olypmic Games.

Minneapolis Roosevelt High School Track & Field alumn Fortune Gordien after a throw during the Olypmic Games.

Minneapolis Roosevelt High School Track & Field alumn Fortune Gordien on the set of a Hollywood movie

Ray Christensen

Sport: Broadcaster
Years at Roosevelt: 1941-1945

College:
University of Minnesota: 1945-49

Professional Career:

Play-by-play announcer for the Minnesota Golden Gophers sports teams from 1951 until 2001
Inducted into the Minnesota Broadcasting Hall of Fame 2002
Christensen also worked games for the Minnesota Twins, Minnesota Vikings, and Minneapolis Lakers.

Minneapolis Roosevelt High School alumn Ray Christensen’s head shot photos as a young broadcaster for WLOL and WCCO radio

Minneapolis Roosevelt High School alumn Ray Christensen as he waves to crowd after being recognized during a Minnesota Gopher Basketball game

Minneapolis Roosevelt High School alumn Ray Christensen’s head shot as a broadcaster for CBS WCCO radio in the 1970s.

Bill Kuusisto

Sport: Football
Years at Roosevelt:

College:
University of Minnesota: 1937-39
University of Wisconsin
Accomplishments:
National champion-1940
Second-team All-Big Ten-1940

Career:

Drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the eighth round of the 1941 NFL draft
Played professionally for six seasons
NFL champion-1944
Was also a professional wrestler

Minneapolis Roosevelt alumn Bill Kuusisto pictured as a Minnesota Gopher football player

Minneapolis Roosevelt alumn Bill Kuusisto’s Football cards as a member of the Green Bay Packers

Minneapolis Roosevelt alumn Bill Kuusisto pictured as a professional wrestler

Ron Docken

Sport: Hockey
Years at Roosevelt: 1964-66
Accomplishments:

1966 - MN High School State Tournament - All State Tourney Selection

College:
University of Minnesota 1967-1970

Career:

Signed by a minor league professional team, the Johnstown Jets 1971, where he played over 200 games in the crease as the Jets 'goal robber'.
1971-78 - Johnstown Jets - (Minor League Professional
1977 - Charlestown Chiefs - Backup Goalie for the Chiefs
1978-80 - Long Beach Sharks and Johnstown Wings
Was an extra in the movie Slapshot, starring Paul Newman

Minneapolis Roosevelt alumn Ron Docken as a member of the St Louis Blues NHL Hockey team

Minneapolis Roosevelt alumn Ron Docken lunging to stop a shot in a game during his Roosevelt playing days

Minneapolis Roosevelt alumn Ron Docken posing with actor Paul Newman on the set of the movie Slapshot

A clip from the movie Slapshot starring Paul Newman. Minneapolis Roosevelt alumn Ron Docken pin a scene in the movie standing on the ice with acting legend Paul Newman

Honorable Mention

Al Gowans, Coach - Football
Coached Teddy football 1937-1953, Won three Mpls City Championships and the Minnesota State
Championship in 1956. Al Gowans Field named for him at Roosevelt High. Was a standout football player at Cornell College. Third team All State Guard, 1920, All Conference Guard, 1921 and 1922, Second team All State Guard, 1921 and 1922, Captain of football team, 1922. He served as the head football coach at Des Moines University in Des Moines, Iowa from 1926 to 1928 and Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota from 1930 to 1936.[1] Gowans was also the head basketball coach at Macalester in 1936–37

John C "Jack" Wells, Principal, Coach
Was Roosevelt's principal for 17 years. Was also a teacher and coach during his career. He served on the Minnesota State Athletic Commission. Jack Wells Gymnasium at Roosevelt was named after him.

Dennis Stockmo, Athletic Director
A long-time Athletic Director at Roosevelt responsible for building and expanding the sports programs for 39 years, 1982-2021. Before becoming Athletic Director coached Football, Basketball and Baseball. A Teddy graduate (1978) and athlete (football & basketball). Played basketball for Augsburg University.

Bob Lindberg, Hockey
An American retired ice hockey left wing and coach who was a two-time All-American for Colorado College and played in three separate World Championships. Graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1963. He was a member of Bob Johnson's first recruiting class and began playing with the varsity club the following year. He played for the following teams: Johnstown Jets, Fort Wayne Komets, Lausanne HC, EHC Biel, ZSC Lions.

Lloyd Hollingsworth, Football, Baseball, Gymnastics
Attended Gustavus Adolphus, where he earned 11 varsity letters in football, baseball, and gymnastics. After graduating in 1936, he coached as high schools in Clinton, Madison, and Waseca, Minnesota. He returned to Gustavus Adolphus in 1942 as athletic director and head coach in football, basketball, and baseball.

He served three stints as the head football coach at Gustavus Adolphus College, in 1942, from 1946 to 1950, and from 1952 to 1960, compiling a record of 94–33–5.

Frank Kleckner, Tennis.
Won MN State High School Tennis Singles in 1960. Played for the University of Minnesota Gophers where he became Big Ten tennis champion. Roosevelt Class of 1961.

Ron Naslund, Hockey
Led Roosevelt to the 1961 State Tournament. First team All-State hockey player who starred for Denver University and won a Silver Medal at the 1972 Olympics in Japan. Class of 1961.

Bart Larson, Hockey
Played on the 1959 North Dakota team that captured the school's first national championship. Coached Edina High School leading them to the State Championship in 1982 and 1997.

Earle Solomonson, Basketball, Football
Starred in basketball and football for Roosevelt, being named Minnesota’s High School Athlete of the Year. He served as the head football coach at North Dakota State University from 1985 to 1986 and at Montana State University from 1987 to 1991, compiling a career college football head coaching record of 39–42–1.

Steve Lundeen, Football
A member of the Gopher Big Ten championship team in 1967 after a great career at Roosevelt.

Wayne Courtney, Coach - Basketball
Coached Roosevelt to back-to-back state basketball championships in 1956 and 1957. In Minnesota High School Basketball Hall of Fame.

John Werket, Speedskating
Inducted into the National Speedsakers Hall of Fame. From 1948 to 1950, Werket was a top 1,500-meter speed skater in world skating championships. In 1952, John won silver in both the 500m and 1500m, giving him ten World Championship medals in all. In 1967 he served as the World Team coach for the US national team. He coached world-class athletes Diane Holum and Anne Henning (two gold medal-winning skaters at the 1972 Olympics in Sapporo, Japan).

Ken Exel, Basketball
Was an American professional basketball player. He played for the Oshkosh All-Stars, Syracuse Nationals, and Minneapolis Lakers in the National Basketball League during the 1940s.

Wally Kersten, Football
Is a former American football tackle. He played for the Los Angeles Rams in 1982.

Don Riley, Sportswriter
Was an American sportswriter at the St. Paul Pioneer Press newspaper covering Minnesota sports, from 1943 to 1988 through his "Eye Opener" column. He joined the Pioneer Press after high school. During his time there, he gained a reputation of agitating Green Bay Packers fans.

Bill St Mane, Hockey
Was a fixture in the south Minneapolis athletic area, providing teams with uniforms and equipment, often at cost as his store (St Mane Sporting Goods) since 1958. He is in the Minneapolis Hockey Hall of Fame and was past president of the Lions Club.

Dave Mona, Public Relations, Writer
Class of 1961. He set the standard for over 30 years as a radio, television and newspaper reporter, public relations rep, media personality and community leader. He brought major sports events to Minnesota and served as President of the U of M Alumni Association.

Sammy Morgan, Wrestling
A retired American mixed martial artist. A professional from 2001-2008, he competed for the UFC, was a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter 2 and also fought in the Strikeforce, EliteXC, King of the Cage, and Shooto promotions. Made his professional debut in 2001 and compiled a record of 16-6 with notable wins over Aaron Riley and Duane Ludwig before becoming a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter 2. Nicknamed the Squeeze.

Pat Westrum, Hockey & Football
A stand out hockey and football player at Roosevelt. Was an All State football player for Roosevelt. Played hockey for the Teddies from 1964-1966, made it to the State Tournament 1966. Attended the University of Minnesota - 1967-1970 and was Captain of the hockey team - 1970, and the team won the WCHA Championship - 1970. Played on the USA National Team - 1970-71 & 1978. Professional Hockey Career - Birmingham Bulls (WHA), Calgary Cowboys (WHA), Minnesota Fighting Saints (WHA). Minnesota Hockey District 6 Coach in Chief, USA Hockey Educational Program, NHL Scout - Montreal, 2016 Minnesota Hockey Ted Brill Award.

Notable School Records

Basketball

Minneapolis Roosevelt 1,000 Career Point Scorers

Rob Mestas - 1995
Kiara Strickland - 2007
Tyesha Wright - 2010
Suriya McGuire - 2010
Olivia Wren - 2024
Jaida Walker - 2024
Cady Davis - 2024