Video Links:
Induction Speech
Hall of Fame Video
1-on-1 with Bruno Pauletto
Bruno Pauletto – Central Michigan (men’s track & field):
Central Michigan’s Bruno Pauletto (1975-78) became one of the most successful student-athletes in program history as he is one of only two Central Michigan students to win a Division I NCAA Individual National Championship. Pauletto continued his success during his international career as a two-time Canadian Olympian in 1980 and 1984 and a successful businessman during his professional career.
Pauletto won an individual national championship in the shot put at the 1978 Indoor National Championships and was national runner-up in the shot put at the 1978 Outdoor National Championships. He was a three-time All-American, finishing fifth in the shot put at the 1977 Outdoor National Championships.
Pauletto was a four-time MAC Champion in outdoor track & field, winning the shot put in 1976, 1977 and 1978, and the discus in 1977. He was named the Outstanding Performer at the 1978 MAC Championships. He held the MAC record in the shot put until 2015 and currently ranks second-best in MAC history. He also holds the Central Michigan indoor (64-1.25) and outdoor (65-3) records in the shot put.
Pauletto competed for Canada at the international level as he took first in the shot put at the 1982 Commonwealth Games and second in the event at the 1978 Commonwealth Games. He also had Top-Five finishes at the 1979 Pan American Games, where he finished third, and the 1977 IAAF World Cup. He competed at the first IAAF World Championships in Athletics in 1983. He won Canadian National Titles in the shot put in 1978, 1980 and 1983, and was selected for Team Canada at the 1980 Olympic Games, however did not compete due to Canada’s boycott of the games, and the 1984 Olympic Games.
Pauletto was the 1978 MAC Scholar Athlete of the Year. Following graduation from Central Michigan in 1978, Pauletto received a graduate assistant scholarship from the University of Tennessee, along with an NCAA Post Graduate Scholarship. He received his Master’s in Exercise Physiology from Tennessee in 1980 and was hired by Tennessee as their first strength coach, where he coached for the next 15 years until 1994 when he retired from coaching to join his company ‘Power Systems’.
Along with his wife, Julie, the couple co-founded the strength trainer company ‘Power Systems’ in 1986. Through their leadership, ‘Power Systems’ became the industry’s largest fitness and sports performance accessory line. He retired in 2015 after serving as CEO of the company for 29 years.
During his time as a coach Pauletto wrote three books and numerous professional articles on strength training and served as the President of the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) from 1991-94. He received the Lifetime Achievement Award (2008), President’s Award (1997) and the College Strength and Conditioning Professional of the Year Award (1986) from the NSCA.
A graduate from Central Michigan in 1978 with a Bachelor of Science in Education, Pauletto is a member of the Central Michigan Athletics Hall of Fame. He currently resides in Knoxville, Tennessee and Sarasota, Florida. The couple have two children, Anthony and Dustin.
