Lute Olson
Olson in 2017 | |||||||||||||||
| Biographical details | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | September 22, 1934 Mayville, North Dakota, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Died | August 27, 2020 (aged 85) Tucson, Arizona, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Playing career | |||||||||||||||
| 1953–1956 | Augsburg | ||||||||||||||
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |||||||||||||||
| 1956–1957 | Mahnomen HS | ||||||||||||||
| 1957–1961 | Two Harbors HS | ||||||||||||||
| 1962–1963 | Western HS (assistant) | ||||||||||||||
| 1963–1964 | Loara HS | ||||||||||||||
| 1964–1969 | Marina HS | ||||||||||||||
| 1969–1973 | Long Beach CC | ||||||||||||||
| 1973–1974 | Long Beach State | ||||||||||||||
| 1974–1983 | Iowa | ||||||||||||||
| 1983–2007 | Arizona | ||||||||||||||
| Head coaching record | |||||||||||||||
| Overall | 781–280 (college) | ||||||||||||||
| Accomplishments and honors | |||||||||||||||
| Championships | |||||||||||||||
| NCAA Division I tournament (1997) 5 NCAA Division I regional – Final Four (1980, 1988, 1994, 1997, 2001) PCAA regular season (1974) Big Ten regular season (1979) 11 Pac-10 regular season (1986, 1988–1991, 1993, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005) 4 Pac-10 tournament (1988–1990, 2002) | |||||||||||||||
| Awards | |||||||||||||||
| NABC Coach of the Year (1980) Clair Bee Coach of the Year Award (2001) Big Ten Coach of the Year (1979) 7× Pac-10 Coach of the Year (1986, 1988, 1989, 1993, 1994, 1998, 2003) | |||||||||||||||
| Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2002 | |||||||||||||||
| College Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2006 & 2019 | |||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Robert Luther "Lute" Olson (September 22, 1934 – August 27, 2020) was an American basketball coach, who was inducted into both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. He was the head coach of the Arizona Wildcats men's team for 25 years. He was also head coach for the Iowa Hawkeyes for nine years and Long Beach State 49ers for one season. Known for player development and great recruiting, many of his former players have gone on to have impressive careers in the NBA. On October 23, 2008, Olson announced his retirement from coaching. Olson died on August 27, 2020, in Tucson, Arizona. He was 85 years old.