Difference between revisions of "Orrin Olsen"

Revision as of 16:20, 19 January 2022

Orrin Olsen is a former professional football center for the Kansas City Chiefs for 1976. He was selected in the eighth round of the 1976 NFL Draft. His two brothers Merlin Olsen and Phil Olsen were also playing in the NFL at the same time, one of the rare times that three brothers have played at the same time.

Olsen was born on July 7, 1953, in Logan Utah, the youngest of nine children. In high school in Orem, Utah, he was an all-around athlete and was named All-American in football his senior year. He also set a state record in discus.

Olsen was a three-year letterman in football under the coaching of LaVell Edwards at Brigham Young University. His junior year, he was named pre-season All-American and first-team all-conference. BYU won the Western Athletic Conference championship that season and played in the Fiesta Bowl. In 1975, his senior season, Olsen was again named first-team all-conference. He was recognized for academic excellence by the NCAA, 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. Olsen competed as a discus thrower on the BYU track team and participated in the NCAA championships.

Olsen also earned a degree in business management. He worked as a Donor Liaison for Philanthropies of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1985 to 2016.

He was a member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir from 1973–1974. He and his wife, Sandy, have seven children. He is a skilled woodworker and has made hundreds of custom canes, including canes for Gordon B. Hinckley and Mike Leavitt.