Articles written by Kevin Warneke & John Shorey

Kevin Warneke and John Shorey, Flatwater Free Press|Apr 1, 2026

Gene Leahy didn't like what he saw. Rushville's baseball field was one of the finest in Nebraska, thanks to the generosity of two bachelor brother ranchers. But the diamond saw little action. So, Leahy - big brother to Frank, Notre Dame's legendary football coach - convinced the Milwaukee Braves in the mid-1950s to host an annual summer baseball school in this Sandhills town of only 1,200 residents. Teens and young men traveled hundreds of miles to attend. "It was the thrill of my lifetime to...