A look back at some of the sports happenings during the week of July 28-Aug. 3:

Last year on July 29, 2023: Baseball is back at Columbia for the first time in six years as the first game was held on its newly dedicated Wahl Memorial Field, named after former MLB player Kermit Wahl of Columbia. He played in majors from 1944-51 for Cincinnati, Philadelphia and St. Louis. The old baseball field and city park were abandoned having experienced flooding in recent years leaving the city with a rich, century-old baseball history without a field to host games. Columbia native and Chicago resident Dean Buntrock and his family funded the new field and city park. Wahl (Nov. 18, 1922-Sept. 16, 1987), who played his last MLB game 72 years ago on July 29, 1951, went on to become a teacher and coach at Groton along with an administrator at several college such as Northern State after his retirement from baseball.

10 years ago on July 29, 2014: The Chicago Bears have signed former Brandon Valley and SDSU standout football and basketball player Dale Moss. After playing four years of basketball at SDSU, Moss played one season of college football for the Jacks. That has led him to signing with several NFL teams and playing in the Arena Football League with the LA KISS.

20 years ago on July 31, 2004: Rapid City native Becky Hammon scored 24 to pace New York past Connecticut 80-66 in an WNBA game.

30 years ago on July 30, 1994: Former Minnesota Vikings coach Bud Grant was inducted in the NFL Hall of Fame. Grant is a regular visitor to South Dakota as he is an avid hunter.

40 years ago on Aug. 3, 1984: The North Central Conference reversed an earlier decision this year to allow the SDSU football team to compete for the NCC title this fall. In 1981, SDSU signed a contract to play the University of Wyoming on Nov. 10, 1984. Later in 1981, the NCC added new members St. Cloud State and Mankato State. Later, the conference matched SDSU to play NCC member Northern Colorado on Nov. 10, 1984. SDSU said it would honor its contract with Wyoming, and the NCC had a rule that said all its teams needed to play each other to be eligible for the conference title. SDSU’s game against Wyoming will count as a conference game as will Northern Colorado’s Nov. 10 game vs. Eastern Washington.

50 years ago on July 31, 1974: The 1974 South Dakota high school wrestling coach of the year, Chuck Scheppy of Webster, has resigned to take a job in private business in Brookings.