Frank Noyes helped Starbuck win its first district basketball title in 1932
Sports | Published on August 7, 2023 at 2:34pm CDT
Hall of Fame inductee: Frank Noyes — Starbuck High School Class of 1932
Starbuck High School won its first district basketball championship in 1932 behind the all-around play of Frank Noyes. He stood nearly 6’4” tall and had the speed of a sprinter. His skills allowed him to compete at the highest level in college when he enrolled at the University of Minnesota. He remains the only boys basketball player from Starbuck to have played at the Division One level.
Starbuck hadn’t fielded a high school basketball team for several years until restarting in the 1928-1929 school term. The school leased the DuGlada Theatre building for practices and games. The floor was slanted and the baskets were about eight feet high. Peculiar playing conditions were common for the era. Another oddity of the season had the Starbuck team getting stormed in at Barrett but at least they had their 9-7 win to celebrate. Later in the season, they rode the train from Glenwood to Hoffman for a game. Noyes was a freshman and posted the second most points scored on the year.
Practice sessions for the 1929-1930 season didn’t begin until the Christmas break because a new gymnasium with a floor 80 feet long was being completed. The team had a record of 7-4 and finished in fourth place in the district.
The 1930-1931 team had a more robust schedule than previous teams – both in the number of games and in the level of competition as they competed against Benson, Glenwood, Morris, and Wadena. Noyes was the leading scorer as the Bucks reached 15 wins in 22 outings and played for the sub-district championship. During the tournament, they lost one of their players due to a broken wrist that was sustained while crank-starting his car.
As a senior, Frank scored in double figures in multiple games including a season high of 25 points against Melrose. Starbuck had just one loss during the regular season, that being a 15-13 setback to the school across the lake. The return game at Starbuck featured an overflow crowd and a 22-14 win for the Bucks. To open the playoffs, Noyes scored 17 points to top Benson 29-3. Wins over Hancock and Herman secured a berth in the District 22 finals. Starbuck trailed most of the title game against Campbell.
Reuben Olmeim scored at the buzzer to send the game to overtime and an eventual 24-20 win for Starbuck’s first-ever district championship.
Besides Starbuck, the Region Six combatants included Moorhead which was making its ninth consecutive region tournament appearance; Crosby-Ironton, which had won district titles in four of six seasons; and Glenwood, which had five district titles in six seasons from 1927-1932. The Pope County teams were in opposite brackets and both fell to Crosby-Ironton by double digits.
Enrolling at the University of Minnesota after graduation from SHS, Noyes was allowed to practice but couldn’t play in basketball games. Although there weren’t scholarships, one benefit of being an athlete was being given the opportunity to work to earn money. During the summer, he was part of a crew that replaced the sod on the football field. As a sophomore, Noyes was touted as a potential starter as either a guard or forward. He played in some early season games, including making one start, before an injury to his Achilles tendon interrupted his college experience.
Several years later, Frank enrolled at Macalester College in St. Paul. He was a key player on the 1937 Scots team that won its first undisputed basketball championship. He completed his college career as Macalester’s captain and was among the leading scorers in the Minnesota College Conference.
Frank lived to be 87 years old. A grandson of his has been an official for 26 years and has worked state tournament games. Two great-granddaughters are playing basketball – one in college at Eau Claire and one in high school at Maple Grove.
Congratulations to the family of Frank Noyes, 2023 Minnewaska Area Schools Athletic Hall of Fame inductee!