Remembering Merlin Olsen
Mar 11, 2010 My thoughts on...
As a young boy I watched Merlin Olsen and the other three interior linemen for the Los Angeles Rams dominate the line of scrimmage, setting records and sacking quarterbacks with abandon, week after week and year after year.
Later, after his 15 incredible years of playing in the NFL were over, he successfully transformed himself from a ferocious mountain of a football player into the gentle giant that he so aptly portrayed on a pair of hit NBC TV shows, the iconic “Little House on the Prairie” and “Father Murphy”. And then he went on to have an equally successful third career as an analyst for NBC Sports.
By all accounts, Mr. Olsen was as kind and considerate as any human being could be, even back when he was instilling dread and fear in the minds of opposing quarterbacks. It seems that everyone who knew him liked him, and generations of parents looked up to him as the ultimate role model for their kids - and that went for both boys and girls.
Integrity and humility are rare in both professional sports and Hollywood, but this wonderful man exhibited plenty of both throughout his long and varied career. Although he was as tough as nails and larger than life, he was unable to beat his bout with Mesothelioma (cancer of the linings of the lungs). Merlin Olsen passed away earlier today. He was 69.
March 16th, 2010 at 8:24 pm
I am a bit late with my comment here, but just wanted to say that I really liked your comments here Rick. I am not much of a sports fan, but watched many episode of Little House and very much enjoyed Mr. Olsen’s character there. It seems that we do need many more like him for sports heroes as well as actors who mostly all seem very far from his standards!