Paul Wyss

Paul Wyss began his ice hockey career with the National League’s Rotweiss Basel in 1942 and stayed with them until 1948, when he had a one-year stint with HC Neuchâtel Young Sprinters. He then joined SC Bern in 1949 and played with them through 1954. During that time, he was also selected to represent Switzerland at the 1952 Oslo Olympics, where his nation placed fifth overall, but, as the Olympics also served as the European Championships, he took home bronze as a member of the third-best European team. He then spent 1954-55 with EHC Basel of the National League B before returning to SC Bern for 1955-56 and then spending a final season with EHC Basel, now promoted to the National League A. During this time, he also competed in the discus throw.

Wyss studied economics during his hockey career at the University of Basel and then the University of Bern, where he earned a doctoral degree. He began working in business before the end of his athletic career and later entered politics as a member of the Free Democratic Party of Switzerland. He served in Switzerland’s National Council from 1977 through 1994 and was also a Colonel in the Swiss Army.