Everly Cattlefeeders











	This website is not officially affiliated with the City of Everly, Iowa nor any of its officers or representatives. This is a fan site only and any opinions expressed are solely those of contributors to the site. All care is taken to be accurate, informative and fair.

The Everly Cattlefeeders took their sports seriously, and ultimately produced two hall-of-fame athletes, a hall-of-fame coach and a pro women’s basketball player, along with several college athletes and some semi-pro players. Not bad for town with a a population much smaller than the average cruise ship’s passenger list.

Overview

1965 -Superintendent, Harold Blair and Principal, Eugene Evans inspect one of the many trophies outside
the “new gym”

Although there were many great Cattlefeeder teams and athletes of all stripes over the decades, Everly was best known for its girls basketball teams of the mid-20th Century, affectionately dubbed the Cattlefeederettes. Two of Everly’s superstars, Peg Petersen (1963) and Jeanette Olsen (1968) were named to the Iowa High School Girl’s Basketball Hall of Fame. Coach Larry Johnson, who led the Cattlefeederettes to the State Championship in 1966, as well as many other successful seasons and State Tournament appearances, was named to the Iowa Girls Coaches Hall of Fame in 2007.

Another star Cattlefeederette, Connie Kunzmann (1974) went on to play pro basketball in the short-lived Women’s Basketball League from 1978 to 1981, when she was tragically slain in Omaha, Nebraska.

In the earliest days of the Everly school system, organized sports were not part of the equation. Just after the turn of the 20th Century, a school baseball team was formed, and was the only sport offered for nearly two decades.

Everly Baseball Team
1939 State Champions

The first Everly baseball team began playing around 1906. In 1939, the Cattlefeeders, led by star players Ray Koehnk and Eugene Spangler captured the State Baseball Championship crown, thus putting Everly on the map as a formidable sports power, despite its size. Both Koehnk and Spangler went on to play college baseball, and Spangler also went on to the minor leagues. Baseball remained a strong force in Everly sports for many years, reflecting America’s love affair with baseball in general.

An early form of girls basketball was played in Everly for a few years starting in or around 1915, in a time when women were not even allowed to vote. The girls teams in these early days were referred to as “the bloomer girls”, as their uniforms were classic early 20th century bloomer ensembles.

Everly’s first boys basketball team was formed in or around 1921, and by the late 1930s was a force to be reckoned with.

1930 - the “bloomer girls”
Everly girls basketball team

In 1940, the first "Girl's Athletic Association" was organized, with every girl in high school as a charter menter. As quoted from the 1940 PUNCH, "The purpose of the organization is to create a greater interest in wholesome leisure time activities, to offer greater opportunities for leadership, to stimulate interest in health, and to promote sportsmanship. A play night is held every two weeks."

The first “modern day” 6-on-6 girls basketball team was formed before 1953 (exact year yet unknown). 1960 brought the first football team, which in their second year of existence won all of their eight games played. In 1961 came the first boys track team, followed by a girls track team in 1963.

Girls softball was added into the mix in 1957, and the early 70s saw the introduction of boys and girls golf teams in 1973, both of which were short-lived. 1978 saw the introduction of a girls volleyball team, which replaced Fall softball.

For more about Everly Cattlefeeder teams, as well as statistics, photos and articles, please click on a link below:
• Baseball (1906 - 1993)
• Girls Basketball (1915 - 1990)
• Boys Basketball (1921 - 1990)
• Softball (1957 - 1990)
• Football (1961 - 1990)
• Boys Track (1961 - 1990)
• Girls Track (1963 - 1990)
• Boys Golf (1973)
• Girls Golf (1973 - 1974)
• Volleyball (1978 - 1990)
• ...and who could forget the Cheerleaders (1920s - 1990)