Unfortunately, finding a complete and readily available roster for the Bertrand High School football team from the 1962 season proves challenging. High school sports records from that era weren't always meticulously kept digitally, and accessing archival information can be difficult. However, let's explore some avenues to potentially uncover this historical data.
How to Find the 1962 Bertrand High School Football Roster
There are several strategies you could use to track down information about the 1962 Bertrand High School football roster. These methods require some detective work but could yield results.
1. Contacting the School Directly
The most direct approach is to contact Bertrand High School's administration. Their office might possess yearbooks, old newspaper clippings, or even digitized records containing the roster. Explain your interest in researching the team's history, and they might be able to direct you to the appropriate resources or individuals who might have this information.
2. Checking Local Archives and Historical Societies
Local libraries or historical societies in the Bertrand area might house archives of local newspapers, yearbooks, or other historical documents that could include the 1962 football roster. These organizations are often repositories of community history and are a valuable resource for such searches.
3. Searching Online Archives
Websites like Newspapers.com or Ancestry.com (subscription required) often contain digitized archives of local newspapers. Searching for "Bertrand High School football" along with the year 1962 might yield articles mentioning the team and possibly its roster. Remember that the level of detail in these articles can vary greatly.
4. Reaching Out to Alumni
Connecting with alumni from Bertrand High School's class of 1962 or nearby graduating classes could be fruitful. These individuals might have personal recollections, photos, or even copies of the team roster. Online platforms like Classmates.com or Facebook groups dedicated to Bertrand High School alumni could help you connect with potential sources.
Why Finding Old Rosters Can Be Difficult
Several factors contribute to the difficulty of finding old high school sports rosters:
- Record-Keeping Practices: Before widespread digital record-keeping, maintaining detailed sports records was less common. Many records were kept manually and might have been lost or damaged over time.
- Storage and Accessibility: Even if records exist, they may be stored in archives that aren't easily accessible to the public. Locating and retrieving these documents often requires considerable effort.
- Privacy Concerns: Public access to old rosters might be limited due to privacy concerns related to the players' personal information.
Remember, persistence is key when searching for historical information. The more avenues you explore, the higher your chances of finding the 1962 Bertrand High School football roster.
Additional Research Tips
- Be specific in your searches. Using keywords like "Bertrand High School," "football," "1962," "roster," and "Nebraska" (assuming the school is located in Nebraska) will refine your search results.
- Try different search engines. Explore various search engines beyond Google, such as Bing, DuckDuckGo, or specialized historical search engines.
- Check for variations in spelling. There might be slight variations in the school's name or location in older documents.
While finding this specific roster might require dedicated research, the process itself can be a rewarding journey into local history. Good luck with your search!
