Background
Olsen was born in Logan, Utah and is the youngest of Lynn and Merle Olsen’s nine children.
athletics competitor gridiron football player
Olsen was born in Logan, Utah and is the youngest of Lynn and Merle Olsen’s nine children.
He attended Orem High School in Orem, Utah. Olsen attended Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, where he majored in business management and was a three-year letterman for the football team
Prior to that, Olsen played college football for Brigham Young University. An all-around athlete, Olsen was named All-American in football his senior year and set a state record in discus while competing on the track team He was coached by LaVell Edwards.
His junior year he was named pre-season All-American and first-team all-conference.
In 1975, his senior season, Olsen was again named first-team all-conference. He was recognized for academic excellence by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, which awarded him a postgraduate scholarship.
Olsen was also invited to participate in the Blue-Gray all-star game held in Montgomery, Alabama and the Coaches All-America Game in Lubbock, Texas. In addition to his contributions to the football team, Olsen competed as a discus thrower on the Brigham Young University track team and participated in the National Collegiate Athletic Association championships.
Olsen was selected by the Chiefs in the eighth round of the 1976 NFL draft.
Since 1985, Olsen has worked for Latter- Day Saints (Mormons) Philanthropies as a Donor Liaison. Olsen currently lives in Alpine, Utah. Olsen is a skilled woodworker and has made hundreds of custom canes, including canes made for prominent Utah leaders such as Gordon B. Hinckley and Mike Leavitt.