Stolski has been in Brainerd since 1975.  He and his wife Sharron have four children and 17 grandchildren.  He’s a legend in Brainerd and known across the state in prep athletics for his work on behalf of the Minnesota Football Coaches Association.  He’s the organization’s executive director and keeps a busy year-round calendar with those duties and coaching the Warriors.

He used to teach high school English and his communications skills have much to do with his success as a leader.  He won’t hesitate to write a note of praise to someone, or send a letter to the parents of his football players.  He often speaks to groups and gave a moving eulogy two years ago at the funeral of Don Swanson, a close friend and former high school football coach at Patrick Henry High School.

Stolski is inspired by former teachers and coaches like Swanson, and the late Tom Mahoney from Fairmont who he describes as his “most influential” mentor during his professional life.   He can’t offer praise quickly enough, too, to his own football assistants who “have been with me forever and are so valuable.”

But the man who first influenced Stolski was his dad, John Stolski, a working class man who labored during the week at a southeast Minneapolis grain elevator and on weekends as a bouncer at a bar.  He taught his son life lessons including the importance of treating people with respect.  “He was the wisest man I ever knew,” Stolski said.

Stolski played park board football in Minneapolis and knew at an early age, even before his football careers at Patrick Henry and Macalester, that he wanted to coach.  He didn’t have the athleticism to go far as a player, but thought he could help others achieve their potential.  “When you choose a life in coaching, you choose to try to make a difference with the people you touch,” Stolski said.

At 72 the commitment to coach is still there.  On Monday he plans to tell his players ─ young enough to be his great grandsons ─ that he has as “much fire in his belly” as he did way back in 1962 while driving up to Kensington.

How will he know when it’s time to retire from coaching?  “I will coach as long as I think we’re still doing good things for kids,” he answered.  “When we’re not doing good by kids, I will walk away.”

Mark Dayton has shown more commitment to leading the political fight for a new Vikings stadium than his most immediate predecessors, Minnesota governors Tim Pawlenty and Jesse Ventura.

Dayton is interested in seeing a Vikings stadium plan approved and apparently doesn’t have a favored site.  His mandate last week directing both the Met Council and the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission to fast-track a review of the Arden Hills stadium proposal is indicative of the urgency with which he regards the issue.

The two agencies are to review various aspects of the Arden Hills site but a reliable stadium source told Sports Headliners that what he’s watching for are the findings regarding road infrastructure and environmental cleanup.

Road costs have been a much publicized potential problem at the site.  Then, too, the proposed site is a former munitions plant that has been vacated for decades.  Would an environmental cleanup be cost prohibitive?

The source said additional costs of “$50 million” each to improve roads and also clean the site would be problematic for the proposed partners in the Arden Hills project, Ramsey County, the state and the Vikings.  All three, the source said, have “capped” their contribution amounts for the proposed $1 billion retractable roof facility.

If the review by the Met Council and MSFC is favorable for Arden Hills, it seems likely Dayton will want to call a special fall legislative session.  But even if the DFL governor is positive about the suburban site, he does have to work with a Republican controlled legislature.

“The governor does want to deal with this,” the source said.

The Arden Hills site can probably count on a wave of momentum this fall with the Vikings playing their NFL schedule, including home games at the Metrodome where the club’s lease expires after the season.  Fans are likely to call legislators and urge support for the site that has open spaces for tailgating, an amenity that stills has appeal almost 30 years after the Vikings vacated Met Stadium.

Meanwhile, Minneapolis supporters continue to work quietly on a Farmers Market plan for the stadium.  But that site doesn’t seem to have the governor’s interest now.