Rochester’s Rich Sports History

The history of sports in Rochester was the focus of this month's Rochester history program during the Rochester Today show on KROC-AM.

Retired Post Bulletin sportswriter Bob Brown joined Andy Brownell in the KROC-AM studio Monday morning to talk about the findings of his research into the history of sports in the city.  Brown spent nearly 40 years covering local sports for the PB, but looked all the way back to the founding of city as he prepares to produce a book about sports in Rochester.

He found the first record of a baseball game being played in Rochester just over a decade after the city's incorporation, and the sport has been popular in the community ever since. Brown says Rochester hosted three different minor league baseball teams shortly after the turn of the century, which was followed by some popular and successful amateur clubs.  During that time, Charles "Swede" Risberg played for Rochester teams for three seasons following his lifetime ban from Major League Baseball for his involvement in the famous Chicago "Black Sox" cheating scandal.

Brown also had details about Rochester's first football game in the late 1890's, the city's introduction to hockey and Lou Gehrig's numerous visits to the Mayo Clinic that led to his ALS diagnosis 75 years ago.

During one of his visits, the baseball legend came to the KROC-AM studio in 1939 for an interview that can be heard through the above YouTube post.

You can near the entire discussion with Bob Brown by clicking on the play button below...