Merlin Olsen

Merlin Jay Olsen (September 15, 1940 - March 11, 2010) (DT) was one of the greatest defensive tackles in the history of the professional football, enjoyed an excellent career in the motion picture, television and commercial industry and spent time in the broadcast booth during the 1980s. Merlin played defensive tackle for Utah State University where he was a three-time Academic All-American, led his USU Aggies team to an 18-3-1 record in Olsen’s junior and senior seasons and was named the 1961 Outland Trophy, honoring the best college football interior lineman in the nation. The Los Angeles Rams selected Merlin with the third overall pick of the 1962 NFL Draft. He was immediate teamed with Deacon Jones, Rosey Grier and Lamar Lundy, the Los Angeles Rams defensive line known as the “Fearsome Foursome.” He was named the 1962 NFL Rookie of the Year. Olsen was unfortunate and never won a Super Bowl during his career, but he was one of the most successful and well as one of the most feared defensive tackles in NFL history. Merlin Olsen shares the record of most NFL Pro Bowl appearances (14) that he earned in consecutive seasons from 1962-1975 and in 1968 was named the Pro Bowl Most Valuable Player. He was also named to five consecutive NFL All-Pro First Teams and was honored as the 1974 NFL Bert Bell Award winning for Player of the Year. Merlin finished his playing days after 208 career games and scored six points on one interception return for a touchdown. Olsen became a regular on the television series “Little House on the Prairie”, worked as a color commentator during the 1980s and became recognizable to TV viewers as the soft-spoken and iconic pitchman for FTD Florists for many years. Merlin Olsen was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1982 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1980.