Utah State, 1962
• 1961 Academic All-America®
Merlin Olsen was inducted into the CoSIDA Academic All-America® Hall of Fame in 1988.
Former athlete and actor, Merlin Olsen began as a Utah State University standout as a three-year letterman at defensive tackle. Truly well rounded in all aspects, Olsen is honored for his accomplishments as a scholar, student athlete, professional athlete, entertainer, businessman, family man and philanthropist.
The Aggies were never known as a powerhouse football program, but during Olsen’s career they finished 10th in the AP and UPI post-season polls, the only time in school history. During his junior year in 1960 he was named an All-American by the Football Writer’s Association and the NEA. He was also named All-Conference in both 1960 and 1961, earning the title of a consensus All-American selection his senior year (making the vast majority of All-America teams), an Outland Trophy winner and MVP of the Hula Bowl. Also during his senior year, Olsen anchored the Aggie defense leading them to give up an average of 50.8 rushing years, 88.6 passing yards, and 139.4 total yards, which led the nation at the time and still stands as the defensive USU school records. During his 1961 senior season his defense also gave up an average of only 7.8 points a game, surpassed in history only by Olsen’s 1960 team at 6.5 points a game. Olsen also played in the East-West Shrine game that same year and was voted into the East-West Shrine game’s Hall of Fame in 2003 for his performance. Fittingly, Olsen is now a member of USU’s All-Century Football Team and Utah’s Top 50 Athletes of the Century, selected by Sports Illustrated. After graduating summa cum laude and Phi Kappa Phi with a cumulative 3.79 and a bachelor’s degree in finance in 1962 and a master’s in economics in 1971 (a degree he earned during the off-season of the NFL), Olsen was well on his way to becoming one of the USU College of Business’s most prominent graduates.
Out of college Olsen was a first-round draft pick for the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams and signed with them in 1962 for $50,000 over 2 years plus a bonus, when the average NFL salary was $12,000 a year. Olsen won Rookie of the Year that same year to tee off his incredible NFL career. For the entirety of his professional sports career from 1962 to 1976 Olsen never missed a game and delivered a performance so memorable, his #74 has since been retired. Described by the NFL as big, fast, agile and smart Olsen anchored the “Fearsome Foursome” defensive line that included Deacon Jones, Roosevelt Grier, and Lamar Lundy. Under Olsen’s leadership the “Fearsome Foursome” put defense in the spotlight and dominated offenses in the 1960s, helping the Rams reach the playoffs in 1967 and 1969. He was voted Outstanding Defensive Lineman from 1967-70 by the Los Angeles Rams Alumni, a two-time Associated Press NFL Defensive player of the week, NFLPA NFC Defensive Lineman of the Year in 1973, a 14-time Pro-Bowl player, named to the NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team, to both the NFL 1960s and 1970s All-Decade Teams, and was awarded the 1974 Bert Bell Award and 1968 Pro-Bowl MVP. In addition to those accolades, in 1982 Olsen was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and in 1999 he was ranked number 25 on The Sporting News’ 100 Greatest Football Players.
Following his pro-football retirement in 1976 Olsen worked as a commentator for NBC working five Super Bowls and eight Rose Bowls. In addition, Olsen has had a prominent acting career, been a national spokesman for FTD and the National Association for the Self-Employed, and is a motivational speaker for around 80 Fortune 500 Companies.
He continued his prolific philanthropic and volunteer projects for numerous charities before passing away March 11, 2010.