Prior to a game on Monday, May 6, the St. Francis High School softball team recognized Vern Gilbertson for his contributions to education and the SFHS softball team.
Gilbertson threw out a ceremonial first pitch and had the opportunity to talk with the team. The evening also celebrated the Teresa Rolling Radzinski/Coach Gilbertson Girls Fast Pitch Softball Scholarship, which was established in September of 2023. The 2024 senior softball players who want to continue their education past high school were the first to be awarded the scholarship. If anyone would like to donate to the scholarship fund, please contact sharon.bergman@isd15.org.
View photos from the May 6 game. (Photos by Tony Hoglund)
About Gilbertson's Impact and the Scholarship
The St. Francis High School girls softball program was started in 1975 by teacher Vern Gilbertson who served as the head coach for 15 years and taught at SFHS from 1962 to 1993. He retired from coaching after the 1989 season. The 1980 team was the first SFHS softball team to win the Region 7AA Championship and play in the state tournament. The team placed fourth overall. In September of 2023, the 1980’s girls softball team and coaches were inducted into the St. Francis High School Hall of Fame to receive recognition of their accomplishments. Players were contacted from across the United States and 12 confirmed attendance for the event. Teresa Rolling Radzinski was found living in Florida and traveled back to Minnesota for the event. When Coach Gilbertson met Teresa again at the Hall of Fame Induction ceremony, she thanked him for finding her and he confessed that hearing she was going to fly back to Minnesota to attend “made his day.” He had been thinking of his 1980 team and remembering the players that led to its success.
Teresa, a 10th grader in 1980, had pitched for the junior varsity team and was added to the varsity roster for tournament play. In the 5th inning of the Region 7AA Championship game with runners on 1st and 2nd and no outs, Teresa was called upon to pitch for the first time in a varsity game. She was up to the task and finished the game giving up no hits, no runs, and striking out one batter. Her pitching helped to win the Region 7AA Championship and moved the team to state tournament play.
The day following the induction program, Coach Gilbertson received a message from Teresa thanking him for the effort to find and include her. She then pledged a generous $10,000 donation to St. Francis High School acknowledging Coach Gilbertson. She asked him to direct the donation and a self perpetuating scholarship was established for SFHS girls softball senior players who want to continue their education past high school. The first SFHS Teresa Rolling Radzinski/Coach Gilbertson Girls Fast Pitch Softball Scholarship was awarded in the 2023-24 school year.