August 8, 2009
Duluth News Tribune

Duluth football star found on 1930s Wheaties box

Paul Lundgren of Duluth recently succeeded in his quest to find a Wheaties box featuring Duluth native and football standout Frank “Butch” Larson.

Larson appeared on the back of a Wheaties box in 1935 (General Mills didn’t begin featuring athletes on the front of the box until 1950).

Lundgren initially called General Mills, but they didn’t have a box or even an image of Larson in its archives.

Undeterred, Lundgren continued his search online and stumbled across his sought-after box on eBay. Actually, it’s just the cut-out back of the box, which he paid $53.74 to purchase from someone in Vermont.

Larson, a 1930 Denfeld grad and football phenom, went on to play for the Minnesota Gophers, where he helped lead the team to an undefeated record and a national championship in 1934.