On August 25, 1945, Minnesota’s First All-Star High School Football Game was played at the University of Minnesota Memorial Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Among the high school students selected was Leo Meyer of Little Falls. An all-state player in 1944, Meyer was considered an outstanding star who had been crucial to the Little Falls Flyers undefeated 1944 season.
The First Minnesota High School All-Star Football Game was touted as the state’s first major sports event since the end of World War II. The game was sponsored by the Minneapolis Daily Times with the cooperation of the State High School Coaches Association, the University of Minnesota and other daily newspapers in the state. Proceeds from the event were dedicated to supporting high school athletics and physical education. According to the Minnesota All Star High School Football website, the Minnesota High School All-Star Football Game has been an annual event since 1974. First held in 1945, the game was played again the following year and then from 1952 until 1960. The game is played between two teams of outstanding high school senior football players selected from across the state. The original format was a northern versus a southern team, with the dividing line approximately at Highway 7. Leo Meyer, a “giant tackle” at 212 pounds, was selected to play on the northern team. The northern team won the game 44-7.