Pro Football Hall of Famer, "Little House" Actor Merlin Olsen dies at (All about celebrities)

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Pro Football Hall of Famer, "Little House" Actor Merlin Olsen dies at

Posted on: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:04:33 +0000 (UTC)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100311/ap_en_ot/us_obit_olsen

Pro Football Hall of Famer Merlin Olsen dies at 69
By DOUG ALDEN, AP Sports Writer

SALT LAKE CITY =96 Pro Football Hall of Famer and former television
actor Merlin Olsen has died. He was 69.

Utah State, Olsen's alma mater, said he died outside of Los Angeles
early Thursday after battling cancer. He was diagnosed with
mesothelioma, a cancer of the lung lining, last year.

"This was the voice of a man who not only became one of our country's
most decorated athletes, but also one of the most accomplished and
respected people ever to hail from the state of Utah," said Stan
Albrecht, president of Utah State.

Olsen was an All-American at Utah State and a first-round draft pick
of the Los Angles Rams in 1962.

The burley giant from northern Utah joined Deacon Jones, Lamar Lundy
and Rosey Grier on the Rams' storied "Fearsome Foursome" defensive
line known for either stopping or knocking backward whatever offenses
it faced. The Rams set an NFL record for the fewest yards allowed
during a 14-game season in 1968.

Olsen was rookie of the year for the Rams in 1962 and is still the
Rams' all-time leader in career tackles with 915. He was named to 14
consecutive Pro Bowls, a string that started his rookie year.

Olsen was also an established television actor with a role on "Little
House on the Prairie," then starring in his own series, "Father
Murphy," from 1981 to 1983 and the short-lived "Aaron's Way" in 1988.

Olsen was a consensus All-American at Utah State and won the 1961
Outland Trophy as the nation's best interior lineman. The Rams drafted
Olsen third overall in 1962 and he spent the next 15 years with the
team before retiring in 1976.

Utah State honored Olsen in December by naming the football field at
Romney Stadium "Merlin Olsen Field." Because of his illness, Olsen's
alma mater didn't want to wait until football season and made the
announcement during halftime of a basketball game.

Olsen was well enough to attend, but did not speak at the event. He
stood and smiled as he waved to fans during a standing ovation and
chants of "Merlin Olsen!" and "Aggie Legend!"

Utah State is also planning a statue of Olsen at the southeast corner
of the stadium.

The Rams also honored Olsen during a game Dec. 20, with a video
tribute narrated by Dick Enberg, Olsen's longtime broadcast partner.
Olsen did not attend because of his health. His name was already part
of the Ring of Fame inside the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis along
with other franchise standouts.

He was voted NFC defensive lineman of the year in 1973 and the NFL MVP
in 1974, and was voted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1982.

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