By BSU Alumni & Foundation
Published 8:00 am on July 1, 2025
Travel back in time with us as we remember some of the momentous moments of Bemidji State history from the month of July.
July 1, 2022: Britt Lauritsen began her tenure as Bemidji State’s newest director of athletics. Lauritsen replaced retiring athletic director Tracy Dill and made Bemidji her new home after spending the past eight years at Washburn University as the assistant athletic director and senior women's administrator. Lauritsen also became the university’s first female athletic director since 2001. Doreen Zierer held the position from 1995-2001.
July 7, 1961: A new NFL franchise – the Minnesota Vikings – opened training camp at Bemidji State. Rookies reported on July 7, while camp officially ran from July 10-Aug. 31. The fledgling team featured rookie head coach Norm Van Brocklin and rookie quarterback Fran Tarkenton. The Vikings held training camp at BSC from 1961-65.
July 8, 1913: The Normal School Commission visited Bemidji to inspect the city’s potential as a host for the state’s sixth normal school. They were toured and dined at a banquet at the Markham Hotel and presented with plans and arguments for Bemidji. Attorney E.E. McDonald declared, “There is not a more moral or law-abiding city of its size in the state.” When asked about the number of saloons in town, McDonald gave the number 29, possibly an under-estimate, but he countered with nine churches. The commission finally selected Bemidji on a vote of 4-1-the dissenting vote for Thief River Falls.
July 12, 2012: A destructive storm changed the horizon around Bemidji and on the BSU campus, including Bemidji State’s athletic venues. The BSU campus has several trees down, and crews have already begun the clean-up process. Diamond Point Park took the brunt of the storm, as nearly 50 percent of the trees were down.
July 14, 2024: Unicon, the World Unicycling Convention and Championships, came to Bemidji for two weeks. The event, unofficially known as the Olympics for unicycling, brought about 1,200 unicyclists to town. Unicon takes place every two years all over the world, with 2024 being the first time since 2002 that the event took place in the United States. Kirsten Goldstein, a 2014 Bemidji State grad, served as co-director and was largely responsible for bringing the event to Bemidji.
July 15, 1993: Bemidji State unveils the now-iconic Alumni Arch and Founders' Walk as part of its 75th anniversary celebration kickoff. They serve as a way to recognize the many persons who gave special assistance to the school's operation, especially in those earliest years. The arch also stands as the university's unofficial front door and is a gateway to the entire campus.
