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Many of Arizona’s hoops elite were in Tucson over the weekend to celebrate Lute Olson’s 80th birthday, which is today.
The list included Sean Elliott, Steve Kerr, Damon Stoudamire, Kenny Lofton, Jason Terry, Andre Iguodala, Miles Simon, Richard Jefferson, Channing Frye, Eddie Smith, Luke Walton, A.J. Bramlett, Harvey Mason, Joe Turner and Anthony Cook.
Lute and his late wife, Bobbi Olson, embracing after Arizona won the national title in 1997 (YouTube video capture)
Arizona coach Sean Miller, and one of his top players, Derrick Williams, were also on hand.
Olson’s life began Sept. 22, 1934, in Mayville, N.D., which has a population of about 1,700 now. It must have been a quarter of that back then.
From such humble beginnings, Olson had a massive impact on Arizona basketball and the landscape of college basketball, adding the Wildcats to the list of the traditionally successful programs. Arizona is now mentioned in the same breath as UCLA, North Carolina, Kentucky, Duke, Kansas, etc. Nobody could have predicted that before Olson was hired following Arizona’s 4-24 season in 1982-83.
We celebrate Olson’s 80th birthday with some memorable quotes about him.
“Coach (Lute) Olson’s teams are always fundamentally sound, but equally important is his ability to get outstanding individuals to work into the team concept. … He has both the love and respect of all who know him well and the respect of all those who understand the great sport of basketball.” — John Wooden, as quoted in Olson’s book Lute!: The Seasons of My Life
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LUTE OLSON
Born: Sept. 22, 1934 (age 80), Mayville, N.D>
Playing career
1953–1956 Augsburg College
Coaching career
1956–1957 Mahnomen HS
1957–1961 Two Harbors HS
1962–1963 Western HS (asst.)
1963–1964 Loara HS
1964–1969 Marina HS
1969–1973 Long Beach CC
1973–1974 Long Beach State
1974–1983 Iowa
1983–2008 ArizonaHead coaching record
Overall 781–280 (.736)Accomplishments and honors
Championships
NCAA Division I Tournament Championship (1997)
Regional Championships – Final Four (1980, 1988, 1994, 1997, 2001)
Pac-10 Tournament Championship (1988, 1989, 1990, 2002)
Pac-10 Regular Season Championship (1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005)
Big West Regular Season Championship (1974)
Big Ten Regular Season Championship (1979)Awards
National Coach of the Year (1988, 1990)
Pac-10 Coach of the Year (1986, 1988, 1989, 1993, 1994, 1998, 2003)
Big Ten Coach of the Year (1979, 1981)
CBS-TV Coach of the Year (1989)
Basketball Hall of Fame, inducted in 2002
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“There is great respect and admiration for Coach Olson because of what he did for the men’s basketball program, the athletic department, the university and really the state of Arizona.” — Arizona Athletic Director Greg Byrne as quoted in an Arizona Republic article.
“Yeah, as a matter of fact, the whole team has made one (New Year’s resolution). We’ve resolved to work really hard to help Coach Olson kick this heroin habit of his because it’s really been getting us down lately.” — Steve Kerr in a humorous radio interview with former team manager Todd Walsh after a game.
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“There’s been a love affair between the team and the community since Lute’s been here.” — Former Arizona athletic director Cedric Dempsey, who hired Olson, in an interview with the New York Times.
“A family led by a man who should be in the Hall of Fame and who has taught Luke about life and about basketball. Lute Olson is to Luke what Coach Wooden is to me.” — Legendary UCLA center Bill Walton commenting about Olson’s impact on his son in a Los Angeles Times article in 2002.
Legendary coach John Wooden once said about Lute Olson: “He has both the love and respect of all who know him well and the respect of all those who understand the great sport of basketball.”
“Coach O is a teacher. He could be 90-something, and he’s still going to be teaching … Coach may not even say anything. He’ll just look at you, you know, like ‘What are you doing?’ You know, that look. Even if you don’t look at the bench, you can feel it in the back of your head.” — Former Arizona center Channing Frye in a Los Angeles Times story in 2004 when Olson was still coaching strong at 70.
“I think my freshman year was my best year as far as our relationship because all I did was listen to him. I thought every word he said was wisdom. My sophomore and junior year, I kind of disagreed with him on some things and we’d clash. This year, I’m trying to revert back to my freshman days and just listen to what he says. He knows what he’s doing. He’s a Hall of Fame coach.” — Former Arizona guard Salim Stoudamire, in the same Times article, talking about his turbulent relationship with Olson that was smoothed over by the end of his career.
“I think he was bound to win one. I was going to try and win one for him while I was here.” — Former Arizona guard Mike Bibby commenting in a postgame press conference about winning a national title in 1997 for Olson.
“He’s the one who has launched this program. People here love him, absolutely love him. If Lute Olson started selling pop tomorrow, I don’t care what kind it is, he’d sell it out.” — Prominent Tucson businessman and Arizona booster George Kalil, who owns the Kalil Bottling Co., commenting about Olson in a 1990 Los Angeles Times article.
“Just so you know, one of the reasons that I sit here today is because of the great legacy that you built and the feeling that the world and the nation have about Arizona Basketball stems from you. You being here means the world.” — Miller speaking to Olson in his introductory press conference on April 7, 2009.
ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He also writes articles for Bleacher Report and Lindy’s College Sports.
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