RIP Lute Olson
- Thread starter RobHowe
- Start date
Northside Hawk
Well-Known Member
And with that goes a huge piece of my adolescence.
His teams helped us get through many a cold Iowa winter.
Iowa needed to schedule Arizona one last time so that Lute could get a final Carver send-off but it didn't happen.
Lute and Lou Henson in the same summer.
His teams helped us get through many a cold Iowa winter.
Iowa needed to schedule Arizona one last time so that Lute could get a final Carver send-off but it didn't happen.
Lute and Lou Henson in the same summer.
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tweeterhawk
Well-Known Member
So true.
SmokeTownHawk
Well-Known Member
I remember watching him coach on the old ITN (Iowa Television Network). Exciting times for Iowa hoops. Pouring out a 40 for one of the greats.
I
Ian Pike Hammer
Guest
And Hayden Fry b4. I'm heart-broken!
Northside Hawk
Well-Known Member
Thats what we had back then, the ITN. The was no BTN, ESPN was in it's infancy, and NBC might show the hawks twice a year.
But we had the Iowa Television Network. Bill Bolster was the KWWL executive that convinced the Iowa athletic department that airing the games live would NOT cut into live attendance. It would have the opposite effect.
He was correct. When I was fourteen, fifteen I would arrange my paper route collection schedule, which we did back then, around game times.
tweeterhawk
Well-Known Member
Iowa fans by and large loved Lute and his wife Bobbie, and despite its fish bowl atmosphere for UofI coaches, Iowa City held a special place in Lute’s heart. Forgot about two thirds of this from Wikipedia:
In retirement, Olson has visited the University of Iowa on numerous occasions, calling it "a special place" to him, having been inducted into the Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame in 2000.[52][53] Among his visits: on October 26, 2009, Olson and members of the 1980 Final Four team were honored at Iowa's Kinnick Stadium and had a Final Four Weekend Reunion together with their families.[54] On Sept 9, 2015 he visited with players and Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery, attending a football game and holding a brief press conference to talk about his memories.[55] On December 8, 2016 Olson attended the Iowa-Iowa State basketball game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, alongside his former Iowa player Ronnie Lester. Olson and Lester spoke with the press before the game and told stories.[56][57]
Over time, Olson, Lester, Iowa teammates and fans have contributed to help Kenny Arnold, who was the second leading scorer and assist leader for the Hawkeye Final Four squad in 1980. Arnold was first diagnosed with brain cancer in 1985 and his healthcare needs have continued. At one point, Olson arranged for Arnold to be flown to Arizona so he could be examined and treated at the facilities where Olson's wife Bobbi had once undergone cancer treatment. Teammates Ronnie Lester and Mike "Tree" Henry accompanied Arnold. The trip was deemed to beneficial to Arnold's health.[58][58][59]
On April 12, 2018, Olson was honored by the University of Arizona, who erected a statue of him outside the McKale Center on campus. The unveiling was attended my many former Arizona players as well as Olson's family. When the statue was unveiled, Olson remarked, "They got the hair right."[60] Olson spoke and answered questions from fans and media, stating "This means the world to me."[11][61]
At home in Arizona, Olson recently said he tries to go to all home Arizona basketball games, and travels to road games at California and UCLA. He also attends some NBA games to see his former Arizona players Steve Kerr(Golden State Warriors) and Luke Walton(Sacramento Kings) coach their respective NBA teams.[7]
Olson also plays more golf than before, “If I were lucky I might get in 10 rounds of golf a year when I was coaching,” he said. “Now I play all the time.”[12]
In retirement, Olson has visited the University of Iowa on numerous occasions, calling it "a special place" to him, having been inducted into the Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame in 2000.[52][53] Among his visits: on October 26, 2009, Olson and members of the 1980 Final Four team were honored at Iowa's Kinnick Stadium and had a Final Four Weekend Reunion together with their families.[54] On Sept 9, 2015 he visited with players and Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery, attending a football game and holding a brief press conference to talk about his memories.[55] On December 8, 2016 Olson attended the Iowa-Iowa State basketball game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, alongside his former Iowa player Ronnie Lester. Olson and Lester spoke with the press before the game and told stories.[56][57]
Over time, Olson, Lester, Iowa teammates and fans have contributed to help Kenny Arnold, who was the second leading scorer and assist leader for the Hawkeye Final Four squad in 1980. Arnold was first diagnosed with brain cancer in 1985 and his healthcare needs have continued. At one point, Olson arranged for Arnold to be flown to Arizona so he could be examined and treated at the facilities where Olson's wife Bobbi had once undergone cancer treatment. Teammates Ronnie Lester and Mike "Tree" Henry accompanied Arnold. The trip was deemed to beneficial to Arnold's health.[58][58][59]
On April 12, 2018, Olson was honored by the University of Arizona, who erected a statue of him outside the McKale Center on campus. The unveiling was attended my many former Arizona players as well as Olson's family. When the statue was unveiled, Olson remarked, "They got the hair right."[60] Olson spoke and answered questions from fans and media, stating "This means the world to me."[11][61]
At home in Arizona, Olson recently said he tries to go to all home Arizona basketball games, and travels to road games at California and UCLA. He also attends some NBA games to see his former Arizona players Steve Kerr(Golden State Warriors) and Luke Walton(Sacramento Kings) coach their respective NBA teams.[7]
Olson also plays more golf than before, “If I were lucky I might get in 10 rounds of golf a year when I was coaching,” he said. “Now I play all the time.”[12]
Seth53
Well-Known Member
I went to Iowa 78-82.
At that time, the following coaches/AD prowled the Iowa campus:
Lute
Hayden
Gable
Patton (swim coach)
Bump
It was when a BB ticket was *far* more difficult to get than a FB ticket.
The old fieldhouse always sold out for basketball and was routinely 90% full for wrestling matches.
The litany of BB coaches and players I saw in person come through IC is amazing.
Heady days to be sure.
Oh, and BTW, Lute spoke to our High School BB team (Hampton Iowa) at our March of 75 banquet. He was still on the rubber-chicken tour then, promoting Iowa's BB program. (Bill Krause (founder of Kum and Go) was an Iowa grad/Hampton citizen and pulled strings to get Lute to speak).
At that time, the following coaches/AD prowled the Iowa campus:
Lute
Hayden
Gable
Patton (swim coach)
Bump
It was when a BB ticket was *far* more difficult to get than a FB ticket.
The old fieldhouse always sold out for basketball and was routinely 90% full for wrestling matches.
The litany of BB coaches and players I saw in person come through IC is amazing.
Heady days to be sure.
Oh, and BTW, Lute spoke to our High School BB team (Hampton Iowa) at our March of 75 banquet. He was still on the rubber-chicken tour then, promoting Iowa's BB program. (Bill Krause (founder of Kum and Go) was an Iowa grad/Hampton citizen and pulled strings to get Lute to speak).
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hawkeyesgonewild
Well-Known Member
RIP lute I will never forget your 4 corners with Ronnie running the point.You were a classy man God bless the Olson family.
I'm jealous. What a time to have been around campus....
RobHowe
Administrator
REMEMBERING COACH LUTE OLSON
Iowa Head Basketball Coach Fran McCaffery
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of former head coach and Hall of Famer Lute Olson. I will always remember the way he embraced me when I was hired as the Hawkeye coach. Lute expressed many times how proud he was and how much he loved coaching at Iowa. Over the years, Margaret and I became good friends with Lute and his wife Kelly, which is something that I will forever cherish. Lute will be missed by everyone in the Iowa basketball family.”
Assistant Basketball Coach and Former Player Kirk Speraw
“Playing for Coach Olson shaped my vision on how to teach the game of basketball. He gave me my start in coaching and helped me throughout my career. He was an incredible coach, teacher, mentor, and friend. All of us in the Coach O basketball family will greatly miss him.”
Former Player and All-American Ronnie Lester
“Coach Olson will always be remembered with the class and respect he lived by. He did things with class and was always respectful of others. He was not just a coach, but a positive role model, as he was a man of faith (never heard him curse), a husband, and a father. Lute changed the culture of Iowa Basketball by just being who he was. He believed that if you worked harder than the next team, you should have high expectations. He pushed us to believe in ourselves and the results of winning games reinforced that belief. I am very thankful for having played for him, as I learned a lot about basketball and most importantly about doing things the right way. I have much love and respect for Coach Olson.”
Former Player Bob Hansen
“It is with great sadness we learned about Coach Olson’s passing. He battled his health setbacks over the last few years with the same competitive energy and strength as he displayed over his many years on the sidelines. It was an honor to be coached by someone who embraced the qualities of integrity, honesty and hard work; lessons that I carry with me every day. Coach O loved his Hawkeye Family and will be dearly missed by all. Prayers for strength and comfort to his wife Kelly and all of Coach Olson’s family and friends.”
Hall of Fame Coach Lute Olson Passes Away
bit.ly/34HJZHR
IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Lute Olson, who returned men’s basketball at the University of Iowa to national prominence and the Final Four, passed away on Thursday at 85 years of age.
In nine seasons as head coach, Olson’s teams were 168-90 overall, making him the winningest coach in Iowa history at the time. He has since been passed by Tom Davis (school-record 269 victories in 13 seasons) and Fran McCaffery. Olson’s record included a 92-70 record in Big Ten play. His last five teams made the NCAA Tournament, highlighted by a Final Four appearance in 1980. Olson was also instrumental in getting Carver-Hawkeye Arena built. That facility replaced Iowa Field House as the Hawkeyes’ home venue in the middle of the 1982-83 season.
Olson’s last five Hawkeye teams all finished fourth or better in Big Ten play, including a tri-championship with Michigan State and Purdue in 1978-79 and runner-up finishes in 1980-81, 1981-82 and 1982-83.
Olson was named National Coach of the Year by both the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and Sporting News in 1980. He was also named Big Ten Coach of the Year in 1979. Six of his last seven Hawkeye teams won at least 20 games.
Olson left Iowa after an NCAA Sweet 16 season in 1982-83 to take over at Arizona, where he coached that program to 23 consecutive NCAA appearances, four Final Fours and a national championship in 1997. He was Pac-10 Coach of the Year seven times. Twenty-eight of his last 29 teams at Iowa and Arizona reached the NCAA Tournament.
Olson finished with a record of 780-280 as a Division I head coach and coached in the Final Four five times. He was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002 and the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019. Olson is one of 15 coaches to take multiple schools to the Final Four.
Olson worked his way up the coaching tree. He spent 13 seasons as a high school coach at Mahnomen, Minnesota, Two Harbors, Minnesota, Anaheim, California, and Huntington Beach, California. He then took a step up to the junior college ranks at Long Beach City College, where he spent four seasons before getting his first Division I head coaching job at Long Beach State.
He led the 49ers to an undefeated Big West campaign and 24-2 record overall in 1973-74, but could not play in the NCAA Tournament because of violations by the previous coaching staff. Olson left Long Beach State after one season to take the Iowa job, a return to his Midwestern roots. Olson was born in Mayville, North Dakota, and graduated from Augsburg College in Minneapolis.
In 1978-79 Olson’s squad earned a piece of the program’s first Big Ten title since 1969-70 with a 13-5 mark. The Hawkeyes also returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in nine seasons.
A year later, Iowa reached the Final Four for the third time in program history, joining the 1954-55 and 1956-57 teams coached by Bucky O’Connor.
Olson coached 14 NBA Draft picks at Iowa. That included one of Iowa’s greatest players, point guard Ronnie Lester, who was a first-round selection in 1980. Lester was a two-time first-team All-Big Ten honoree.
Kevin Boyle (1980-81) also earned first-team All-Big Ten laurels under Olson.
Olson was the 2017 recipient of the NABC Hillyard Golden Anniversary Award for more than 50 years of outstanding service to men’s college basketball. The Lute Olson Award is now presented to the nation’s top Division I player who has played at least two seasons.
Olson returned to Iowa City in 2015 for a reunion with former players, coaches, and support staff in 2015 and also watched the Hawkeyes practice and compete in a home game in 2016.
Iowa Head Basketball Coach Fran McCaffery
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of former head coach and Hall of Famer Lute Olson. I will always remember the way he embraced me when I was hired as the Hawkeye coach. Lute expressed many times how proud he was and how much he loved coaching at Iowa. Over the years, Margaret and I became good friends with Lute and his wife Kelly, which is something that I will forever cherish. Lute will be missed by everyone in the Iowa basketball family.”
Assistant Basketball Coach and Former Player Kirk Speraw
“Playing for Coach Olson shaped my vision on how to teach the game of basketball. He gave me my start in coaching and helped me throughout my career. He was an incredible coach, teacher, mentor, and friend. All of us in the Coach O basketball family will greatly miss him.”
Former Player and All-American Ronnie Lester
“Coach Olson will always be remembered with the class and respect he lived by. He did things with class and was always respectful of others. He was not just a coach, but a positive role model, as he was a man of faith (never heard him curse), a husband, and a father. Lute changed the culture of Iowa Basketball by just being who he was. He believed that if you worked harder than the next team, you should have high expectations. He pushed us to believe in ourselves and the results of winning games reinforced that belief. I am very thankful for having played for him, as I learned a lot about basketball and most importantly about doing things the right way. I have much love and respect for Coach Olson.”
Former Player Bob Hansen
“It is with great sadness we learned about Coach Olson’s passing. He battled his health setbacks over the last few years with the same competitive energy and strength as he displayed over his many years on the sidelines. It was an honor to be coached by someone who embraced the qualities of integrity, honesty and hard work; lessons that I carry with me every day. Coach O loved his Hawkeye Family and will be dearly missed by all. Prayers for strength and comfort to his wife Kelly and all of Coach Olson’s family and friends.”
Hall of Fame Coach Lute Olson Passes Away
bit.ly/34HJZHR
IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Lute Olson, who returned men’s basketball at the University of Iowa to national prominence and the Final Four, passed away on Thursday at 85 years of age.
In nine seasons as head coach, Olson’s teams were 168-90 overall, making him the winningest coach in Iowa history at the time. He has since been passed by Tom Davis (school-record 269 victories in 13 seasons) and Fran McCaffery. Olson’s record included a 92-70 record in Big Ten play. His last five teams made the NCAA Tournament, highlighted by a Final Four appearance in 1980. Olson was also instrumental in getting Carver-Hawkeye Arena built. That facility replaced Iowa Field House as the Hawkeyes’ home venue in the middle of the 1982-83 season.
Olson’s last five Hawkeye teams all finished fourth or better in Big Ten play, including a tri-championship with Michigan State and Purdue in 1978-79 and runner-up finishes in 1980-81, 1981-82 and 1982-83.
Olson was named National Coach of the Year by both the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and Sporting News in 1980. He was also named Big Ten Coach of the Year in 1979. Six of his last seven Hawkeye teams won at least 20 games.
Olson left Iowa after an NCAA Sweet 16 season in 1982-83 to take over at Arizona, where he coached that program to 23 consecutive NCAA appearances, four Final Fours and a national championship in 1997. He was Pac-10 Coach of the Year seven times. Twenty-eight of his last 29 teams at Iowa and Arizona reached the NCAA Tournament.
Olson finished with a record of 780-280 as a Division I head coach and coached in the Final Four five times. He was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002 and the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019. Olson is one of 15 coaches to take multiple schools to the Final Four.
Olson worked his way up the coaching tree. He spent 13 seasons as a high school coach at Mahnomen, Minnesota, Two Harbors, Minnesota, Anaheim, California, and Huntington Beach, California. He then took a step up to the junior college ranks at Long Beach City College, where he spent four seasons before getting his first Division I head coaching job at Long Beach State.
He led the 49ers to an undefeated Big West campaign and 24-2 record overall in 1973-74, but could not play in the NCAA Tournament because of violations by the previous coaching staff. Olson left Long Beach State after one season to take the Iowa job, a return to his Midwestern roots. Olson was born in Mayville, North Dakota, and graduated from Augsburg College in Minneapolis.
In 1978-79 Olson’s squad earned a piece of the program’s first Big Ten title since 1969-70 with a 13-5 mark. The Hawkeyes also returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in nine seasons.
A year later, Iowa reached the Final Four for the third time in program history, joining the 1954-55 and 1956-57 teams coached by Bucky O’Connor.
Olson coached 14 NBA Draft picks at Iowa. That included one of Iowa’s greatest players, point guard Ronnie Lester, who was a first-round selection in 1980. Lester was a two-time first-team All-Big Ten honoree.
Kevin Boyle (1980-81) also earned first-team All-Big Ten laurels under Olson.
Olson was the 2017 recipient of the NABC Hillyard Golden Anniversary Award for more than 50 years of outstanding service to men’s college basketball. The Lute Olson Award is now presented to the nation’s top Division I player who has played at least two seasons.
Olson returned to Iowa City in 2015 for a reunion with former players, coaches, and support staff in 2015 and also watched the Hawkeyes practice and compete in a home game in 2016.
tweeterhawk
Well-Known Member
Hope you can follow this. Fans leaving flowers, memorabilia at Lute’s statue on the University of Arizona campus.
Northside Hawk
Well-Known Member
Seth53
Well-Known Member
That, and the legal drinking age was 18, wacky-tabacky was tolerated and AIDS was not yet a problem.
Great time to be 19-23 indeed.
Northside Hawk
Well-Known Member
And The Vers were the hottest bar band in the midwest. Bar none!That, and the legal drinking age was 18, wacky-tabacky was tolerated and AIDS was not yet a problem.
Great time to be 19-23 indeed.
I
Ian Pike Hammer
Guest
He made me proud to be an Iowan.
trj
Well-Known Member
Bob Hogue and Sharm Sherman would do the telecasts. Don’t remember who came before those two and I do not remember who came after that. Even though it feels like Mac McCausland was in the mix somewhere. Bob Hogue would use Dick Enberg’s “Oh, my” catchphrase.
I am younger than you and Northside, but it was definitely part of my youth.
