Olsen, Merlin J.
Football
b. Sept. 15, 1940, Logan UT
An All-American tackle at Utah State in 1961, Olsen also won the Outland Trophy as the nation's outstanding collegiate lineman. He was a first-round draft choice of the NFL's Los Angeles Rams, where he became an anchor of one of the best defensive lines of the 1960s, the "Fearsome Foursome."
A Phi Beta Kappa, the 6-foot-5, 270-pound Olsen used intelligence as well as size, strength, and agility to dissect NFL offenses. Los Angeles Coach George Allen once said of him, "We never had a bad game from Merlin. We always got a good game and, more often than not, a great game."
Olsen was a consensus All-Pro choice at left defensive tackle from 1966 through 1970 and in 1973, and he played in a record 14 consecutive Pro Bowls. He retired after the 1976 season and became an excellent commentator on NBC's television broadcasts of NFL football.
He has also had a career as an actor. From 1977 through 1981, he was a frequent guest star as Jonathan Garvey in the TV series, "Little House on the Prairie." He later starred in three series, "Father Murphy," "Fathers and Sons," and "Aaron's Way."