For nearly six decades, he has been a been an integral part of the Minnesota State Moorhead basketball scene, a connection that has outlasted eight men's head coaches, four university presidents, three conference name changes and two home courts.
A member of the Dragon Hall of Fame and the exclusive 1,000-point club, Lowell Bolger enrolled at Moorhead State Teachers College in 1954, the beginning of a life-long love affair with the Dragons. More than a century later, he is still around, prodding his Dragons on and shouting encouragement from his traditional perch in the shadows of north basket.
Long after he stopped playing the game and almost 20 years since he retired from coaching it, Bolger is still drawn to basketball, fascinated by its ever-changing nature and the joy it still brings him.
“I watch a lot of basketball, and it's still enjoyable,” Bolger said. “It's a more physical game and a much, much tougher defensive game. Now you have to work hard to get your shot off. It's a fast-paced, tougher game.”
Bolger lives for game night, soaking in the environment while carefully observing MSUM coaches Karla Nelson and Chad Walthall work their courtside magic. “I enjoy watching our women play, and I think Chad's done a good job with the men's team, too. I really think he's just one or two players away.”
A Moorhead native, Bolger attended St. Joseph's School and Moorhead High, and caught the basketball fever at a young age. “We practiced at the high school, but played our home games on the hard, tile floor of the junior high.”
Bolger started three years with the Spuds and earned all-conference honors twice. He also lettered in football and baseball and helped Moorhead High advance to both the basketball and baseball state tournaments. Bolger was recruited by University of North Dakota head basketball coach Louie Bogan.
“Coach Bogan met with me and my family and offered me a scholarship, and I told him I was going to go. That summer after I graduated, I was playing baseball for the Moorhead Chix and (MSTC coach) Larry MacLeod was on the other team. I was at first base, and somehow we started talking, and he said he wanted to meet with me. A lot of my teammates, including Donnie Betzen, Ken Grabinske and Ron Miller, were already here (MSUM), and they said I should talk to him. Those guys really talked me into sticking around.”
Bolger accepted the invitation to join his pals, and hit the ground running as a freshman in 1954.
“I started all four years; it was a great experience. When I got here, I already knew a lot of the guys, and I was confident. I have no regrets; it was a lot of fun, a great four-year experience.”
He still has vivid memories of a cast of remarkable players, both fellow Dragons and opponents.
“I played with a lot of great players, including Sherm Moe, Denny Anderson, Kenny Reitan and John Torgerson, and that helped me a lot. If I got open, the ball would be in my hands.” Bolger also fondly remembers many of imposing opponents. “Vern Baggenstoss was a big, strong powerful player from St. Cloud. Bill Brady of Mayville State and Bill Quenette of Concordia College were both very good players.”
It was the best of times, but after four seasons with the Dragons it was time to move on, and Bolger was ready for another challenge.
“I graduated with Social Studies and Physical Education majors. I always wanted to be a teacher and coach. I still had a love for the area, and I really didn't want to go too far away.”
Bolger struck gold when he landed the head coaching job at nearby Hawley High School in 1958 at the tender age of 22 years. It was a union that would soon pay remarkable dividends for both parties.
“I knew they were going to be good,” said Bolger. “I watched them play at Concordia the year before, and I knew they had some good players, including Dick Reidberger and Ron Hendrickson. When Lyndon Sonju (transferred) in, that was the key.”
Bolger and the Nuggets carried their dreams all the way to the 1959 Minnesota State High School Tournament, a one-class show on the biggest stage of them all, Williams Arena. It was the premier sporting event in Minnesota, a wondrous adventure Bolger will never forget.
“We beat Moorhead in the district tournament, that was the biggest thing, and then we had to win two games in the regions at Concordia. That was great, the place was packed.”
“The state tournament was overwhelming, something I'll never forget,” said Bolger. “We got lots of telegrams left and right, including ones from the firemen and police. It was a great trip. There are so many great memories, and I still see some of those players.”
Bolger thoroughly enjoyed his stay with the Nuggets, but the call from his alma mater was too enticing. “I stayed at Hawley for three years and decided to go back to Moorhead State for my master's. Larry (MacLeod) had taken a sabbatical, and I worked for Glen Cafer.”
Bolger later moved to Duluth East High School as an assistant coach. “We got beat by Edina in the finals of the state tournament when (Jeff) Wright hit a corner shot. I started at Moorhead in 1966. My last year of coaching was 1982, and I retired from teaching in 1993.”
“I spent one year under Shocky Strand and then Bill Quenette came in as head coach. We went back to the state tournament my first year, and got beat again by Edina in the championship game.”
It wasn't just basketball, however, that stirred Bolger, and he was more than willing to become a champion for another group of eager but challenge young athletes.
“I used to bring a sack lunch to my phy ed office at Probstfield,” Bolger remembers. “I noticed a class of handicapped students would come in, and I thought maybe they would let me do some things with them. The other teachers thought that was great, so I brought some balls and we started playing little games and races. I really enjoyed it, and it hit me, so I went to the school board and said 'why can't we include them in our physical education program'? We did.”
Bolger quickly came up with a plan to put a foundation under his dreams.
“We raised money from the people in Moorhead, and we began taking the students swimming, going to the Y and the bowling alley and to Camp Confidence in Brainerd. Later, the Special Olympics started, and we really got involved. We ended up having the state and regional meets here for years. We worked hard to make it the best we could, and the people at MSUM were absolutely fantastic to us.”
Lowell and his wife Priscilla have three children, sons Jeff and Joe and daughter Kim and five grandsons. It's just perfect for a Bolger starting five, and basketball is in their blood. “Jordan (Bolger) is the first man off the bench at Eastview High School and Austin (Nelson) is a sophomore at Moorhead High.”
Bolger missed only one MSU Moorhead game this winter. “I had to watch my grandson play,” he said. Clearly he's not done watching basketball anytime soon.
While Bolger appreciates the Dragons, the feeling is mutually shared by members of the MSUM athletic staff. MSU Moorhead women's coach Karla Nelson especially appreciates Bolger's unwavering loyalty.
“One of the first things I notice when I walk out on the court is if Lowell Bolger and Jim Phillips are in the stands,” Nelson said. “When I see them I know it's 'game on.' ”
“Lowell is very supportive and his big heart matches his Dragon pride. He has always been very encouraging for me and the women's program, and I appreciate that very much.”
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