Swanson guides KM team to football final

Joel Swanson grew up in Pipestone, Minn. with three brothers.

He said he played all the sports and perhaps liked basketball the most until he was older. He played both offense and defense on the football team. He remembers their coach had the team do a fundraiser to purchase free weights. This was at a time when other schools only had universal weight machines. To this day, he still enjoys working out.

He switched from basketball to become the new heavyweight wrestler on the wrestling team during his junior year. Since he was the new guy, some schools would shuffle their roster weight classes around to match up against him. As the season progressed, he did start winning matches and wondered why the same guys were no longer in his weight class anymore. One thing he remembers for sure is that he didn’t switch mid-season. His dad always told him to “work hard and never quit once you start.”

Joel went to Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall and started on the football team for three years. He built himself up to 270 lbs and played defensive line.

“I was not the fastest or the best at each position, but I studied the game, and therefore, I could play multiple positions,” he said. (Sounds like a coach in progress at that time.)

Even though he had his share of injuries, Joel said playing football kept him focused on why he was going to college. Injuries allowed him to be eligible for a redshirt season, but he felt it was time to move on with his life.