• "Our Home"
• Extended Family
  • Introduction
  • Ausland
  • Bailey
  • Bradford
  • Long
  • Ochsner
  • Rockwell
  • Shontz
  • Wenzel
• Index of Names
• Lines of Descent
• Bios & Blogs
• A Rich History
• Photo Gallery
• Contact
• "Family Talk"

 

Bailey Makes a Fine Record

Allen Ransom Bailey Retires from Coaching

[The Palo Alto Reporter, in its June 6, 1929 issue, carried the following article on its first page:]

Retiring EHS athletic coach has four years of achievement behind him, as he leaves the coaching profession to enter the life insurance field.

Alan (sic) Bailey, for the last four years the athletic coach in Emmetsburg High School, has resigned his position to enter the life insurance field. The termination of Mr. Bailey’s services recalls certain proofs of the splendid record he has made here, a review of which is interesting at this time.

In the fall of 1926, Mr. Bailey, after being told he "had no material to work with," took hold of the EHS football team and built up the season’s score of 255 points as against 16 for his opponents.  The same season he took the leading role in forming the high schools of this territory into an athletic organization.  His efforts resulted in what we now recognize as the Lakes Conference.  The following spring his team made more points in the Conference track meet than all the other conference teams combined.

In the fall of 1926 Bailey developed the memorable state champs.  This was the year of the famous "Four Horsemen" Jensvold, Ryan, Fain and Allan.  The season was topped off by the total scores of 230 to 25, and claim to the state title.  Also, "Monk" Jensvold was made captain of the all-state team.  The conference track championship was won hands down the following spring.

The 1927 football team stacked up a total of 248 points against 36 and tied with Spencer for the conference championship.  The following fall (1928) in spite of many sad and bad "breaks", a grid iron total of 166 against 33 was achieved.  In the basketball season following, Bailey’s team tied Spencer for the conference title, won the sectional tourney at Plover and was defeated by only the small margin of one point in the district meet in Webster City. 

The 1929 track team won the Lakes Conference 53 to 45, took second in the invitational meet at Estherville, won the district meet at Spencer, and, as though to add one big, final laurel to Bailey’s coaching career, Frank Smith broke the tape in the 220 at the state track meet at Ames two weeks ago.

Summing up Bailey’s record, his men won seven out of a possible 12 Lakes Conference championships.  His four football teams piled up a grand total of 899 points against 110 of their opponents.  Spencer and Estherville were supposed to be the long standing athletic enemies of Emmetsburg.  Neither crossed our football goal line during Bailey’s administration.

Mr. Bailey is a graduate (sic) of the University of Michigan.  Also he attended the State Teachers College at Cedar Falls.  In August 1926 he was married to Miss Kathryn Ausland.  At the close of the school year he entered the sales field of the Equitable Life Insurance Corp. of New York.  Mr. and Mrs. Bailey will continue to make their home in Emmetsburg.

 

See also obituaries published at the time of Bailey's death, and

"My Dad, My Coach," by J. Martin Bailey