Cattlefeeders from coast to coast
Local museum serves as resource for Sports Illustrated article on former EHS standout Connie Kunzmann
March 3, 2022
The Everly Heritage Museum has recently gained attention from far beyond the confines of northwest Iowa.
The local museum played a role in a recent Sports Illustrated story about Connie Kunzmann and the Women's Pro Basketball League (WBL). The WBL was the first professional women's basketball league in the United States and Kunzmann, a former Everly Cattlefeeders basketball standout, was one of its early stars before her murder in 1981.
The story, which appears in the March edition of SI, interweaves the history of the WBA, Kunzmann's role in the league, and the tragedy of her death. It features images of old photos, trophies, uniforms, news stories and other items that are on display at the Everly Heritage Museum.
Connie Goeken, an original member of the committee that founded the museum, was proud the facility could serve as a resource for the story.
"It's a great read, particularly for those who remember the Cornets and those who knew Connie and what a remarkable young woman she was," she said. "We at the museum were so proud to be a part of honoring her memory and celebrating her part in the sport she loved so much."
Veteran SI photographer David Klutho drove to Everly from his home base in St. Louis to capture the images of Kunzmann's memorabilia. He spent almost six hours photographing the collection with the help of Goeken and fellow museum volunteers VerDon Schmidt, Cindy Fliss and Craig Kunzmann, Connie Kunzmann's brother. They helped Klutho unpack, assemble and then repack his carload of equipment, which was a fascinating experience for the foursome.
"This was a really unforgettable experience for all of us, and David was so very nice to work with," said Goeken.
Sports Illustrated may be the most famous publication to print the Everly Heritage Museum's name, but it's far from the first. In addition to local newspapers, KCAU TV's Tim Seaman featured the facility on the news broadcast's "Siouxland Stories" spot.
Goeken admitted the recent attention has been "a little surprising." Volunteers spent more than two years organizing the facility, which cut the ribbon in November of 2021.
"It was very flattering coverage of the museum," Goeken said of KCAU's report. "The Sports Illustrated story really came out of the blue, although we knew that Connie Kunzmann's brothers had been interviewed by an SI reporter a few months ago. We didn't think the museum would have anything to do with the story until an editor from SI called VerDon Schmidt to tell him they were sending a photographer to shoot photos."
The museum isn't just a shrine to the Cattlefeeders of yesterday – it serves as a place for the community's entire history.
"I think the basketball portion of our collection may be what gets some people in the door to begin with, particularly Everly alumni and residents, but they seem to enjoy the whole museum once they come in and see everything we're featuring," Goeken said.
Recent coverage has led to a few inquiries and visits to the museum. While the attention has been somewhat unexpected, Goeken and the rest of the museum committee were proud the facility is doing what it set out to do – tell Everly's story.
"It really seems like we've begun to fulfill the mission we set for ourselves when we first started planning the museum. It's exciting to know that all our hard work has paid off, and the vision we had for what the museum could be seems to be coming to fruition," she said. "Our challenge now is to keep the organization relevant and interesting once the newness wears off. We have a lot of plans and ideas for upcoming exhibits and events, and we're excited to keep growing the number of people with whom we can share our common history."