About the Book

Champions of Carlton County-State Tournament Teams tells the story of those teams from Carlton County who were State Champions or State Runners-Up. It also tells the story of the basketball teams from the 1950's and 1960's, who represented Carlton County and northeastern Minnesota. For those teams, when there was only one class, just making it to a state tournament was an extraordinary accomplishment. The book also features a compilation of rosters and tournament scores for each team from Carlton County that has appeared in a Minnesota State High School Tournament.

Over 100 coaches and players were interviewed. Teams whose stories are featured include:

***1955 Esko basketball team

***1958 Cloquet basketball team

***1959 Carlton basketball team

***1962 and 1963 Cloquet basketball teams

***1975 Esko football team

***1975 Moose Lake volleyball team

***1976 Cloquet football team

***1979 to 1982 Moose Lake girls teams (volleyball, basketball, softball)

***1983 Barnum boys basketball team

***1992 to 2005 Cromwell football teams

***1994 Barnum softball team

***1996 and 1998 Esko softball teams

***1998 Carlton boys basketball team

***2003 and 2005 Cloquet/Esko/Carlton girls hockey teams

***2008 Barnum girls basketball team

These teams and their experiences impacted the communities they represented and are part of the cultural history of Carlton County. Their stories, on and off the field of play, deserve to be recognized and remembered.