Austin Packer senior Tommy Olmsted gained statewide and worldwide notoriety in the Minnesota State Tournament because of his beard, which gained its length and prominence due to the Packers’ 30-game winning streak. With the season over, now Tommy has shaved his beard for baseball season. See the before and after below:
When Austin High School Senior Tommy Olmsted decided to participate in “No-Shave November” he had no idea of where it would lead. The idea is to see how much facial hair contestants can grow in a month.
But as Tommy, a reserve guard for the Packer basketball team, was discussing it with his teammates, somehow the decision was made that he couldn’t shave until after an Austin loss.
Thus was born “Fear the Beard!” And since Austin is now 28-0, Tommy’s beard has had a lot of time to grow.
James Harden has nothing on Tommy…at least in beard-growing ability.
When the Packers all agreed to shave their heads before the January 17 “Hoops for Hope” game in honor of Samantha Gasner, a teammates mom who is fighting cancer, it made for a contrast that was interesting to say the least. Here Tommy is pictured with Joe Aase just after both had their haircuts:
Tommy has made it clear that when the season is over, the beard will be gone, too.
Now the goal for the Packers is to make sure he doesn’t get to shave until Sunday morning.
Fear the Beard!
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