Alfred “Alf” Sorensen - Class of 1936

Alfred Sorensen was born in 1916 as one of eight children to Peter and Johanne Sorensen. He was an All-State player in basketball and football for three years at Sparks High. As he progressed in his education at UNR, he also progressed as an athlete by lettering in football, basketball, and baseball. He pitched a no-hitter at a Wolf Pack baseball game. As UNR’s starting quarterback, he threw the longest completed pass in 1938 with 57 yards. He also became interested in boxing and won the State Championship and the Golden Gloves as a welterweight. He was known as an athlete’s athlete, with outstanding performances in many sports.

One night as he was strolling casually around the UNR campus, he came upon a young lady trying to lift a rather large pot into the trunk of her car. Being the gentleman he was, he stopped to help, and such is the history of Alf Sorensen meeting his future wife, Joanna Record. She went to Reno High School, but since this was the only flaw in his eyes, they married in 1943 and had three children: Sandra, Rick, and Mark.

Alf always let his love of Sparks shine through. Upon graduating from UNR, Alf became a coach at Sparks High School where he became good friends with “Tip” Whitehead and became colleagues with Orsie Graves, with whom he had played basketball. He actively coached Little League. As part of many Sparks Labor Day celebrations, he would box in exhibition matches, which his daughter, Sandy, hated to watch.

His other passion, which he talked about constantly, was music in all of its forms. It was an infatuation that had been passed to all of the Sorensens, especially with their creation and formation of the family band, complete with violin, saxophone, piano and anything else they think to include. Alf fondly mentioned music in every love letter he sent to his lovely bride and his children.

Then, in 1954, while returning from refereeing a game in Winnemucca, his car hit a patch of black ice. After the accident, which left him partially paralyzed, he had the full support of the entire city behind him. His death years later was a great blow to such a fine city and such a fine school, but his three children and four grandchildren, all of who attended, or currently attend Sparks High School, survive him. The Alf Sorensen Recreation Center is named in his honor.

Inducted 2003