Valley local leaves lasting legacy
Merlin Olsen was one USU’s most famous and distinguished alumni. His impact can be found throughout Cache Valley.
“Have you ever looked at the plaque on his statue? It really lists all the reasons that people should know him,” said professor Ross Peterson.
Peterson got to know Olsen well. He was teaching when Olsen returned to USU to work on his master’s degree in economics. Later, while Peterson was vice president for advancement at USU, Olsen was on the Foundation Board.
Olsen grew up in Logan and attended Logan High School, where he played both basketball and football.
“He was part of one of the best classes at Logan High, amongst nuclear physicists and Mormon apostles,” said Peterson. “He’s the only USU graduate who is in the NFL Hall of Fame, the NCAA Hall of Fame and the NCAA Academic Hall of Fame. He was a Logan guy who chose to stay here for school.”
Though the Aggie football team saw a lot of success in the 1960-61 seasons due in part to Olsen’s efforts, his impact on the valley wasn’t as big at the time.
“Everyone who played with him on the defensive line made it to the NFL,” Peterson said. “The team he played on was ranked junior and senior year. But for the time, it wasn’t really that big of a deal. None of the college games were ever televised out here, so he made his own way.”
Peterson said Olsen’s accomplishments make him one of the most distinguished alumni in school history. He won the Outland Trophy his senior year, awarded to the most outstanding interior defensive lineman in the NCAA.
Olsen was drafted by the Denver Broncos, then part of the AFL, and the Los Angeles Rams of the NFL. Olsen decided to play for the Rams and had an immediate impact, winning the NFL Rookie of the Year Award.
“He was part of the famed ‘Fearsome Foursome’ that played for the LA Rams, and he was a Pro Bowler almost every season,” Peterson said.
The impact Olsen had on Logan was a strong and positive one, according to Peterson.
“Every time he made a play or every time he was introduced, you got ‘Utah State,'” he said. “This was in the ’70s, when football really took off on television.”
Olsen played for the Rams for the duration of his 15-season career and missed just two games. He was named to the NFL Pro Bowl 14 times and All-Pro first or second team nine times. His No. 74 Jersey is retired by the Rams, who now play in St. Louis.
“Being in Los Angeles, he met a lot of people that would eventually help him with his other careers,” Peterson said. “He retires from football then goes on to be an actor, and really the first good TV analyst for football. Through it all he was tremendously loyal to Utah State.”
Olsen’s impact was felt in Cache Valley for his entire career as a player, actor and media personality.
“He was so multi-talented that he succeeded in everything he touched,” Peterson said, “He was a big man with a commanding presence and a great voice – everybody knew him.”
Olsen worked with the Children’s Miracle Network and donated to the Primary Children’s Hospital. He also contributed to USU often.
“One of the most significant things he did very early was give back financially,” Peterson said. “His first gift was the two scholarships named after his parents which are for academics, and then to athletics. He was always a consistent financial contributor.”
Olsen also supported his fellow teammates when he could. Lamar Lundy, another one of the Fearsome Foursome and good friend of Olsen’s, contracted a debilitating neuromuscular disease. Olsen assisted him and his family.
“Merlin totally supported him and his family for the last 20 years of his life,” Peterson said.
His accomplishments cemented him in Logan’s history, and the city and school have paid him respect by using his name.
Merlin Olsen Central Park on 300 East Center Street in Logan was dedicated to Olsen in 1983.
Russ Akina from Logan Parks and Recreation talked about why the City decided to name the Park after Olsen.
“Merlin and his family lived across the street from what was known as Central Park,” Akina said. “Once Merlin became well known at the college and professional level, the park was renamed in his honor. Being a local standout and living close the park, the city decided to rename it after him.”
Merlin Olsen field was so named in 2009 in a ceremony during halftime at a home basketball game. Students chanted “Merlin Olsen” as he entered and “Aggie legend” after the announcement was made.
Olsen passed away in March 2010. A statue of him was erected and unveiled in fall 2010 in front of Romney Stadium. The statue has a plaque a list of achievements and also Olsen’s personal mission statement, a code of conduct he lived by his whole life.
“I went to his funeral and the commissioner of the NFL, (Roger) Goodell, and almost every living member of the NFL Hall of Fame were there, and most of them don’t live close by,” said Peterson.
– derrick.saunders91@aggiemail.usu.edu
Twitter: @d_ricky1