There are few people that have contributed to the sport of wrestling in the way Al Olsen has over the years. Many will call Al one of the nicest people involved in our sport. This successful and congenial individual is the epitome of the combined qualities needed to be selected for the category of "Outstanding American" for the Minnesota Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. This highly successful businessman started Permac Industries Inc., a manufacturing business in 1966. Permac grew to twenty employees and was sold in 1977. That same year Olsen bought and operated a fl y-in fi shing lodge in the Canadian Arctic. In 1979 he started another manufacturing business called Wiltec Industries with twenty-five employees, many of them former wrestlers. Olsen sold the company in 2004 and retired. In what spare time Al has had he strongly supported USA Wrestling, Minnesota USA Wrestling, the Minnesota Gophers Wrestling Team and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. He is on the Board of Directors of the Minnesota Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Al has been a Team Leader or Assistant Team Leader to numerous international wrestling events. He attended the Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia in 2004, Sydney, Australia in 2000, and Beijing, China in 2008. He attended World Championships in New York in 2003; Budapest, Hungary in 2004; and Baku, Azerbajan in 2005. He has also attended many NCAA National Championships, USA Team Trials and was Assistant Team Leader for the USA at the Dan Kolov Tournament in Sofi a, Bulgaria in 2000; Pan American competitions in Maricaibo, Venezuela in 2002; Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic in 2003; San Salvador, El Salvador in 2007. In 2011 he was offi cial Team Leader for the USA Greco Roman, Freestyle and Womenʼs teams for the FILA Junior World Championships in Bucaarest, Romania. Olsen is well known among the legends of wrestling. If you ever attend an Induction Ceremony at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Oklahoma in June you would be impressed with all the legends that know Al. on a fi rst name basis. Al is well liked by many in the World of Amateur Wrestling. Al grew up on Medicine Lake in the suburbs of Minneapolis and attended Wayzata High School. There he wrestled varsity for four years, from 1960 to 1964. He was coached by Lee Fretheim. Al is married to Lynette and they have two children, Pam and Glen. Al claims that Lynette is even more of a wrestling fan than he is. Their daughter Pam is married to Scott Bryden, and they have a son named Ben. Their son Glen is married to Gina, and they have two daughters in Lindsay and Kayla. All are great wrestling fans. Olsenʼs past participation in the sport of wrestling led to his involvement and many contributions over the years. Those contributions do not only include time but financial support as well. Wrestling in Minnesota and the USA would not be as successful without the contributions of people like Al Olsen. The Minnesota Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame proudly honors Al Olsen as our 2014 "Outstanding American."