Personal Note from Stu: With the Summer Games right around the corner, it was suggested that I track down past Minnesota Olympians. It’s always easier to fulfill this request when the one local athlete you know is a Minnesota Olympian.

Name: Brandon Paulson

Claim to Fame, Minnesota: a three-time Class AA wrestling champion at Anoka HS and l998 All-American at the University of Minnesota.

Claim to Fame, Everywhere Else: took home a silver medal in Greco-Roman wrestling at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta (pictured), and has a laundry list of championships and achievements at every level of the sport. Perhaps more importantly, lost the 2007 Runyon’s FFL Super Bowl to me by a score of 70-46 (thanks once again, Aaron Stecker).

Where He Is Now: has been in the news recently for coaching Jake Deitchler, a fellow Anoka alum and the youngest U.S. Olympic wrestler in over 30 years. See the Strib and the New York Times for more details. He leaves for Beijing in a couple weeks.

Glorious Randomness: in an exclusive Stu’s Hunt Down Q&A, I had a chance to ask Brandon about a couple things.

STU: When you’re not working with Jake, are you still in the custom-built home business?
BP: I am still in custom home building business with my father. (Shameless plug) If anybody wants a custom home in the northern suburbs visit us.

STU: Can you name all the different places on the planet where you’ve had meets, trials, etc.? I know you’ve been pretty much everywhere. Will this be your first time in China?
BP: Countries I have been to for wrestling: Colombia, Dominican Republic, France, Italy, Greece, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Czechoslovakia (before the split), Czech Republic, Serbia, Poland, Russia, Uzbekistan, Japan, and went to China last year and coached Jake in the venue where the Olympics are being held. Never been to Canada. My two favorite places are Wladyslawowo (Poland) and Japan (People are great).

STU: Should the Vikings pursue Favre?
BP: Favre is a cheesehead — Tarvaris is the man. I think you should bid $20 for him in the upcoming draft. (NOTES FROM STU: 1. I picked up Favre for $1 last year. I’m awesome. 2. Brandon’s irrational disdain for the Packers almost makes up for him wearing his medal* to the draft every year.)

*He does not do this.

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