College Basketball Legend Lute Olson Dies At 85
8/28/2020 9:37:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Olson led Long Beach State to a 24-2 overall record as head coach in his lone season in 1973-74.
LONG BEACH, Calif. – College Basketball lost a colossal figure as Lute Olson, member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, the Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame and former Long Beach State Head Coach passed away at 85.
"When you watched Coach Olson on the floor, he coached like a true gentleman. When you got to know him off the court, you realized that was because he WAS a true gentleman," said current Long Beach State Head Coach Dan Monson. "He was a credit to Long Beach State and everyone else that he represented.
"Our profession needs more coaches like him. He will be missed."
Olson spent one year in Long Beach, leading LBSU to a 24-2 overall record and an unbeaten 12-0 mark in conference play to win the PCAA championship while following the legendary Jerry Tarkanian as head coach at Long Beach State. He was named the Western Region Coach of the Year.
Despite the outstanding record, Long Beach State was not selected as one of the six teams to represent the West in the NCAA Tournament, and Olson departed the Beach the next season to spend the first of nine seasons at Iowa before moving to Arizona, where he would establish a legend, advancing to four Final Fours and winning the 1997 NCAA Championship.
Over the course of 35 seasons coaching Division I, Olson left a legacy that is one of the most significant in college basketball. He was an inaugural inductee into the College Basketball Hall of Fame before being re-inducted in 2019, and was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002.
Another former head coach of the Beach, Seth Greenberg, shared his thoughts on Twitter:
Olson retired from coaching in 2008, and remained in Tucson following his retirement.
"When you watched Coach Olson on the floor, he coached like a true gentleman. When you got to know him off the court, you realized that was because he WAS a true gentleman," said current Long Beach State Head Coach Dan Monson. "He was a credit to Long Beach State and everyone else that he represented.
"Our profession needs more coaches like him. He will be missed."
Olson spent one year in Long Beach, leading LBSU to a 24-2 overall record and an unbeaten 12-0 mark in conference play to win the PCAA championship while following the legendary Jerry Tarkanian as head coach at Long Beach State. He was named the Western Region Coach of the Year.
Despite the outstanding record, Long Beach State was not selected as one of the six teams to represent the West in the NCAA Tournament, and Olson departed the Beach the next season to spend the first of nine seasons at Iowa before moving to Arizona, where he would establish a legend, advancing to four Final Fours and winning the 1997 NCAA Championship.
Over the course of 35 seasons coaching Division I, Olson left a legacy that is one of the most significant in college basketball. He was an inaugural inductee into the College Basketball Hall of Fame before being re-inducted in 2019, and was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002.
Another former head coach of the Beach, Seth Greenberg, shared his thoughts on Twitter:
My memories of Coach Olson ?@APlayersProgram? He was much more than a coach he was an incredible person. pic.twitter.com/m7e2RU9cdR
— Seth Greenberg (@SethOnHoops) August 28, 2020
Olson retired from coaching in 2008, and remained in Tucson following his retirement.
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