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All of us probably have made a time capsule at one point in our lives. You grab a few artifacts, write some kind words, and put it in a box that won’t be opened for another 100 years or so.

Pacelli social studies teacher Nick McGrath discovered a different type of time capsule when he uncovered an old relic from Austin’s past recently. Without even looking for it, McGrath found a championship trophy that was won by Columbus of Austin in the 1927 Minnesota Catholic High School State Basketball Tournament, which was hosted at St. Mary’s. The trophy had resided at Mayer Funeral Home for about 50 years, but McGrath was able to bring it back home to Pacelli High School.

John Mayer, Jr., who is now retired and lives in Naples, Florida, acquired the trophy from his father John Mayer, Sr., who was a sophomore on the team.

McGrath took a deeper dive into the trophy’s history by finding an online newspaper clipping of the Winona Republican-Herald from March 8, 1926, which also featured stories about Babe Ruth and golfers Walter Hagen and Bobby Jones.

Columbus beat Winona Cotter 25-12 and it was their second consecutive title in the fifth ever Catholic high school tournament. The team, which was led by Father McCarthy, went on to play in the National Tournament in Chicago.

While no first names were listed, Columbus players Carroll, Wagner, Helebrant were honored on the All-Tournament team.

If any visitors to Pacelli High School catch themselves looking at an old shiny, silver basketball trophy from nearly 100 years ago, they’ll now know what the story behind the trophy is, thanks to McGrath’s keen eye and his knack for research.