When the name Larry Ross pops up in a conversation northern Minnesota, most people think hockey.
Ross spent 31 seasons behind the bench for the Falls High Broncos and finished his career with a record of 566 victories, 169 losses and 21 ties. Ross’s Broncos won six Minnesota Boys’ State Hockey Tournaments in his tenure.
Aside from being a legendary high school hockey coach, Larry Ross loved the game of golf.
Today, Falls Country Club honors his contributions to golf and the legacy of the Ross family with the Ross Memorial Golf Tournament.
“I am happy that our father is remembered that way,” Larry’s son, Steve Ross, said. “Obviously he is remembered for hockey, but he was a very avid golfer.”
The Ross Memorial is held each year on the Friday before the Smokey Bear Invitational and is used by some as a tune-up for the Smokey and by others as a social event.
“I think it’s very special that people can come from out of town and get two tournaments in one trip,” Larry’s widow, Dorothy Ross, said.
Larry Ross first came to International Falls in May of 1954 by way of rail to interview for the hockey coaching position at Falls High School. Before boarding the train in St. Paul, he played a round of golf as he often did in May.
When Ross arrived in International Falls, Mother Nature provided him with a clue that the area was a good place to build a hockey program — a blizzard.
Ross returned to St. Paul and informed the family that they would be moving up north and the rest is high school hockey history.
“There was a crossroads between playing hockey or golf,” Larry’s daughter, Patty Ross, said. “He had a decision to make between focusing on hockey or golf. Golf meant everything to him.”
Larry was a member of FCC and played in the Inaugural Smokey Bear in 1955. Larry would play in every Smokey Bear until his death in 1995, winning the championship in 1956 and 1960. Larry’s brother, Jim, was also an avid golfer and played in many Smokey Bears until his death in 1983. The final Ross brother to play in the Smokey Bear was Jack and he still participates in the Ross Memorial each year.
“It mean an awful lot; golf is what they lived for,” Dorothy Ross said. “Everybody in the Ross family, no matter how big or small they are or how distant, they are all into golf.”
The Ross Memorial is played in honor of Larry and Jim and is well attended by the Ross family.
Seven members of the Ross family played in the tournament this year including Larry’s son, Steve; Larry and Jim’s brother, Jack, and his two sons, Charlie and Andrew. Jim’s sons, David and Jamie, played; Jim’s son, Larry, was unable to attend the tournament this year. The final member of the Ross family playing was Jim’s grandson, Jason.
After the festivities at FCC are complete, the Ross family meets for their own trophy presentation and meal. Until recently, the family met at the Ross home on Riverview Boulevard to give away the Ross Clan Trophy to the member of the family that does the best in the tournament.
The Clan Trophy was passed from last year’s winner Steve Ross to this year’s winner Jamie Ross at the meal on Friday night at the home of Patty Ross on Rainy Lake..
A portion of the proceeds from the tournament each year is donated to the North Star Hospice in honor of the Ross family.
For more information about the Ross Memorial or to sign up for next year, contact the FCC Pro Shop at 218-283-4491.