When Zorn Arena, as it is now known, was dedicated 70 years ago, it was a big deal on campus, in the community and across the state.
This past Tuesday, December 6, marked the 70th anniversary of the final dedication event, the first basketball game played in the facility which was then called simply the "new gymnasium."
The game pitted the Blugolds against the University of Chicago Maroons, the alma mater of Blugold coach Willis L."Bill" Zorn who was starting his 25th season as head coach of what was then called Wisconsin State College at Eau Claire. Zorn would continue to coach Blugold basketball for 40 years, retiring in 1968.
The "new gymnasium" was one of four units in the nearly $1.5 million facility that also included the "little theatre" (later called Kjer Theater), a laboratory school of elementary classrooms which houses the campus school and a speech education and psychology unit with classrooms, laboratory, conference rooms and offices (later called Brewer Hall).
This story draws information from the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram, the university newspaper called the Spectator and the university yearbook called the Periscope, all of whom devoted special attention to the dedication. The 1952-53 Periscope devoted the first two pages of the yearbook to the dedication activities on October 8 and another page to the dedication game on December 6.
Plans for the new facility began already in 1948 for what was called Wisconsin's first major post-war building. Governor Oscar A. Rennebohm was responsible for the first shovelful of earth at the groundbreaking on Oct. 31, 1950. President W. R. Davies laid the cornerstone on September 19, 1951. A dedication ceremony and banquet took place on October 8, 1952. The dedicatory address came from Dr. Ralph McDonald, president of Bowling Green University. George E. Watson, the superintendent of public instruction in Wisconsin, gave the address at the dedication banquet.
The Spectator, a bi-weekly publication of four pages, came out on the day of the dedication with a special six-page edition. It enumerated all of the individuals who would have their turn at the podium during the dedication and the ensuing banquet, a veritable who's who in the state, city and campus. The banquet was held in the "old gymnasium" which at the time was in Schofield Hall, now the university's administration building.
The new buildings were presented by W. D. McIntyre, President of the Board of Regents. Accepting the buildings were Charles Jenks, President of Student Government; Lester Emans, Chairman of the Faculty Building Committee; David Rowlands, Eau Claire City Manager; and Glen Rork, 1st Chairman of the Area Committee.
Another speaker was Eugene McPhee, Director of Teacher Education for the Board of Regents. Others providing remarks were Pat O'Brien, President of the Alumni Association; Orville Torgerson, President of the Northwest Wisconsin Teachers Association; State Assemblyman John Pritchard and State Senator Arthur Padrutt.
While the dedication took place on October 8, the facilities were ready for use when students returned to school in September that year.
The banner headline in the October 8 Spectator proclaimed in all caps 'TODAY MARKS GREAT STEP IN HISTORY OF COLLEGE'. The special edition included seven different photos of both the interior and exterior of the four-unit building.
The October 8 Leader-Telegram included a detailed story about all the specifics and features of each of the various units. It concluded with a description of the remodeling that took place in Schofield Hall with the ability to move the campus school and education department and the gymnasium to the new facilities.
As part of dedication week (the dedication took place on a Wednesday), the "Little Theatre" put on a performance of "The Royal Family" Wednesday evening and the Northwest Wisconsin Teachers Association held its annual convention on Thursday and Friday in the gymnasium.
The October 9 Leader-Telegram headlined that 600 people attended the dedication ceremony while 400 were seated at the dedication banquet. Educators from 23 institutions of higher learning were on hand, representing the states of New York, Illinois, Ohio, Minnesota and North Dakota in addition to Wisconsin.
In the actual game that took place on December 6, an estimated 2,000 fans watched the Blugolds totally decimate the University of Chicago by a 91-49 margin. The Maroons were coached by Nels Norgren who was in his 30th season and had coached when Zorn attended Chicago. Zorn, a native of Stevens Point, started his collegiate career at Stevens Point Normal, then transferred to the University of Chicago where he became a football standout as a fullback under Amos Alonzo Stagg when the Maroons were members of the Big Ten Conference. Stagg was one of the great innovators in the development of college football and was the first person selected to the College Football Hall of Fame as both a player (Yale) and coach in the charter class of 1951.
According to the University of Chicago website, the Maroons were no longer a member of the Big Ten Conference when their basketball team came to Eau Claire on December 6, 1952. Under Stagg's guidance, the Maroons won seven Big Ten titles and two national championships. Unfortunately, after Stagg's retirement in 1932, the football program declined and was dropped in 1939. The Maroons dropped their membership in the Big Ten in 1946. The University of Chicago has competed within NCAA Division III since that division's inception in 1973.
But in 1952, they were completely overmatched by Zorn's Blugold squad. Zorn used 14 players and saw all but three break into the scoring column. In its report of the game, the Leader-Telegram stated: "From the moment Eau Claire scored on two fast-break dashes in the first half minute of play, it was apparent that Chicago would be no match for the speedy and sharpshooting Blugolds. Coach Nels Norgren's team kept trying but was far outclassed and soon left far behind."
The starting lineup of Stan DuFrane and Hank Sletner at forwards, Dick Greene at center and Cornell Torgeson and Mike Hanson at guards built up a 27-12 first quarter lead. Zorn substituted freely after the opening period. While the Blugolds shot 55 percent from the field, scoring many uncontested layups, Chicago hit just 21 percent of its field goal tries. Stan DuFrane, who would become a Blugold Hall of Famer, led Zorn's squad with 19 points while Sletner, Hanson and Jim Thoermer chipped in with 11 apiece and Roger Hanson, who also would join the Blugold Hall of Fame, added 10 off the bench.
Seventy years later, Zorn Arena is on its final legs. While a celebrated and welcome addition to the Blugold campus and athletics program in 1952, it has seen a lot usage and generated its share of history but will be replaced in the next few years by the Sonnentag Center. Undoubtedly that facility, which will also include multiple units, will open with the same excitement and fanfare that took place 70 years ago. And so, the circle of life continues!
Story by Sports Information Director emeritus Tim Petermann.
