DETROIT LAKES — The athletic director’s corner office at Detroit Lakes High School is mostly nondescript save for some plaques on the ground that still need to be hung up and the bulletin board over the desk with printed-out schedules for each team. There are two chairs for visitors, but quickly another is needed on this dreary day at the beginning of the week because a visitor has arrived seeking stories of the town’s biggest star, and before long the people who know these tales best are filtering in.



It’s Rob Nielsen’s office, and it’s his computer that holds a treasure trove of photos and videos of Adam Thielen back when he was a scrawny 150-pound kid, a far cry from the Pro Bowl wide receiver for the Vikings he is today. As Nielsen guides a visitor to his office, former football coach Flint Motschenbacher pops in because, hey, he only lives a block away and could use an excuse to get out of the garage and share some laughs. And not long...