One of Minnesota’s best and foremost media people covering and promoting the sport of wrestling for over 40 years is Brownton, Minnesota native Jim Bartels. 

This former publisher of The Guillotine, Minnesota’s official wrestling newspaper, helped create greater interest for the sport of wrestling. This was evident from the increased subscription of sales, and the knowledge fans started to have in recognizing the wrestlers, teams and wrestling events around the state. 

Jim always went the extra mile too in adding various columns to speak on relevant and interesting topics, as well as his special 32-page State Tournament edition. Jim and Pat Schmidt partnered together in 1977 to purchase The Guillotine from original owner Paul Kreuger, former St. James High School wrestling coach, who had started the paper in 1971. Jim and his wife, Konnie, became sole owners in 1981. They later sold the paper to Jim Beshey and family. The Besheys have now been longtime owners with Jeff Beshey being the publisher/owner today. 

During Bartels ownership, The Guillotine started many informative columns, including The Ref’s Review, Nutrition Insight, the MWCA President’s column, The Mat Bird’s Seat (written by brother Bruce Bartels), as well as doing new state wrestling rankings, called “The Dirty Dozen,” with honorable mention teams called “Lean and Mean.” Even with all Jim’s work with The Guillotine, Bartels is still probably best known for his work as a radio broadcaster in the “Wrestling World.” He began play-by-play of college wrestling meets as a student at Mankato State University in 1973, after sustaining an injury while competing for the MSU wrestling team. This was followed by a broadcasting career at KNUJ Radio in New Ulm, Minnesota. Jim started play-by-play broadcasts, and reports made from area district and region tournaments. He also got KNUJ Radio to start coverage of the Minnesota State High School Tournament in 1976. That same coverage continues to this day. 

Jim has also served as the public address announcer for the past 25 years for all New Ulm High School wrestling meets. Bartels helped other local radio stations start wrestling coverage. Hutchinson, Glencoe, New Prague and Willmar all have radio stations broadcasting wrestling meets because of Jim’s influence. These stations now, not only do radio broadcasts from the state tournament, but also post results, pictures, videos to their websites and on social media.

Jim’s two brothers Bruce and Don, along with his wife Konnie, daughter Abby and son Adam assist in this coverage. Jim is now considered as perhaps the “Senior Broadcaster” of all radio stations covering the sport of wrestling, with 35 plus stations now offering state tournament coverage. Jim is now longtime General Manager of KNUJ AM-FM Radio in New Ulm. 

Bartels was a good wrestler too, capturing three district championships for Brownton High School and finishing with 59 career victories in an era when that was a high mark in the old “one class” system. Jim wrestled for Hall of Fame Coach Jim Beshey. Unfortunately, Jim encountered injuries in college, cutting his wrestling career short. He had wrestled at Willmar State Junior College (now Ridgewater CC) under legendary Hall of Fame Coach Roy Minter. There he accumulated a 17-5-5 record and received Academic All-American honors. From there he wrestled for legendary Hall of Fame coach Rummy Macias at Mankato State University (now Minnesota State-Mankato). Injuries cut his seasons short at both schools, however, it created his career in broadcasting. 

Jim’s involvement is not limited to only being a wrestler and broadcaster. He has also done some coaching and officiating. As a youth coach in New Ulm, Bartels coached freestyle wrestling for 15-18 year olds and coached a cultural exchange team in Norway in 1980. Bartels was a youth coach for 10 years with the New Ulm Youth Wrestling Club. His son Adam placed in the Minnesota State USA Tournament three different times, and his daughter Abby placed third in State one year. Abby partnered in practice with future two-time Olympian Ali Bernard. 

He was a high school and college official for 17 seasons, beginning when he was an MSU student and concluding in 1991. Jim’s officiating included three years at the Minnesota State High School Tournament, officiating in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. He also officiated the Regional Upper Midwest Junior College tournaments during that time span. In addition, he officiated the NIC and NCC college conference tournaments and the NCAA II national tournaments. 

Beyond wrestling, Bartels has been a regular contributor and donator thru KNUJ Radio to youth wrestling in New Ulm. He has also been an active board member of the Brown United Way for 10 years while being a member of the New Ulm Rotary Club and council member for the Fields of Grace parish. 

Other wrestling contributions and participation have been to the Rolling Thunder Youth Wrestling Club through KNUJ Radio. He was an analyst for the Minnesota State High school Wrestling television telecasts in 1985-86 and was voice of the USA vs Russia wrestling meet held at Williams Arena on the University of Minnesota campus. Jim was the play-by-play announcer for the annual USA Dream Team Wrestling Classic, held at Apple Valley High School in 2000, and served as the head official for two of Minnesota’s largest wrestling tournaments ever held, the Hutch Open and the Owatonna Open, in the 1980s. 

Bartels received the 1998 MWCA “Media of the Year” award and 20 years later his son Adam was presented the same award. Jim and Konnie, who became only the third female honored, were inducted into the MWCA Dave Bartelma Minnesota Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1988. The Bartels family (Jim, Konnie, Adam, Jill and Abby) still share their love for the sport of wrestling and they all have played an instrumental role in the popular rise of wrestling in the state of Minnesota.