Olson spent 24 seasons at Arizona, renewing a fan base in the desert while changing a program that had been to the NCAA Tournament just 3 times in 79 years before he was hired in 1983.
Lute Olson, the Hall of Popularity coach who turned Arizona into a college basketball powerhouse, has actually passed away. He was 85.
Olsons 327 conference success are most in Pac-10/ 12 history and he was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2002.
Born upon a farm outside Mayville, North Dakota, on Sept. 22, 1934, Olson led his high school team to the 1952 state championship and was a three-sport athlete at Augsburg College in Minnesota from 1953 to 1956.
” Its tough to put into words how much Lute Olson suggested to me,” Warriors and previous Olson gamer Steve Kerr tweeted. Being part of the U of A basketball family altered my life forever.I will never forget Coach O, those incredible nights at McKale and all my teammates.
Olson was set to return for the 2008-09 season, but the school announced his retirement after he missed practice and a function in Tucson. His doctor held a news conference five days later, stating Olson had an initially undiagnosed stroke earlier in the year, triggering anxiety and impaired judgment. Olson also was hospitalized in 2019 after suffering a minor stroke.
I am permanently grateful to be a part of the basketball program and community that he impacted so immensely. Coach O will definitely be missed, but constantly remembered by us.”
Olsons household stated he died Thursday evening. The cause of death wasnt offered.
” Coach Olson is the absolute finest, among the greatest coaches ever and one of the best human beings ever,” Georgia Tech coach and previous Arizona gamer Josh Pasnter tweeted. “My feelings of gratitude and gratitude can not be put in words. I enjoy him dearly. My heart harms, but I understand he is now in heaven. May god bless his family. #RIP”
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Olson remained in Tucson and ended up being a regular at the McKale Center throughout his retirement, drawing cheers whenever he appeared on the video board.
” Its rare that a man is a Hall of Famer and still under appreciated,” previous Arizona and NBA gamer Richard Jefferson tweeted. “Ill always feel like you never got the credit you was worthy of as a leader, family guy, grandpa, coach and as a coach. I love you Coach O.”
Olson had a series of health problems late in his coaching profession, resulting in his retirement in 2008.
Arizona revealed minutes before the 2007-08 season opener that Olson would take an indefinite leave of lack. Associate head coach Kevin ONeill coached the Wildcats on an interim basis the remainder of the season.
Olson began his profession as a high school coach in Minnesota and Southern California before becoming the head coach at Long Beach City College, where he won the state junior college title in 1971.
He invested one season at Long Beach State prior to going on to coach nine seasons at Iowa. He led the Hawkeyes to the NCAA Tournament his last 5 seasons, including a journey to the 1980 Final Four.
Olson had a profession record of 780-280 in 34 years as a Division I coach.
” Coach Olson is the outright best, one of the greatest coaches ever and one of the biggest human beings ever,” Georgia Tech coach and previous Arizona player Josh Pasnter tweeted.” Its hard to put into words how much Lute Olson implied to me,” Warriors and previous Olson player Steve Kerr tweeted. Olson was set to return for the 2008-09 season, but the school announced his retirement after he missed out on practice and a function in Tucson. His doctor held a news conference five days later, saying Olson had an initially undiagnosed stroke earlier in the year, causing depression and impaired judgment. Olson likewise was hospitalized in 2019 after suffering a small stroke.
Olson first took the Wildcats to the NCAA Tournament during his 2nd season in Tucson to begin a string of 25 straight looks. The streak would have been the third-longest in NCAA history, but the 1999 and 2008 appearances were later on left by the NCAA for impermissible advantages to players and hiring violations.
The Wildcats won a national championship under Olson in 1997 with a team led by Mike Bibby, Jason Terry and Miles Simon. Olsons Arizona teams reached the Final Four four times and lost the 2001 national title video game to Duke.
Olson won a school-record 589 video games at Arizona, 11 Pac-10 titles and was called the conference coach of the year seven times. He led Arizona to 20 straight 20-win seasons and is among 5 coaches in NCAA history with 29 seasons of at least 20 wins.
