Pick any one of the following adjectives: energetic, enthusiastic, engaging, dynamic, youthful, visionary and positive and you could accurately describe Augustana’s veteran head cross country and track & field coach Paul Olsen. But you better add another descriptive term – successful – when talking about the man who has been in charge of Viking cross country since 1966 and track & field since 1969. That is a total of 76 seasons as the head coach and the list of accomplishments that this remarkable leader of young athletes has compiled is truly astounding.
He is known to all as “Ols” and whether he is teaching a class on African American Literature as a member of the English department faculty or exhorting his mile relay at the end of a meet, it is obvious that he loves what he is doing. His enthusiasm is infectious and his teams have always competed with the same fire and spark shown by the coach.
In cross country the Vikings have appeared in 22 NCAA national meets under Olsen’s tutelage and have finished in the top 10 a total of 10 times. His 1980 team placed second, just four points shy of a national title and his 1979 squad was fourth. Augustana has won just two College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin team championships in cross country (1969 and 1970) and Olsen was the head coach for both of them. The Vikings have been second in the CCIW, a conference that includes perennial national power North Central, 23 times, including the last three years in a row. He has coached 23 All-Americans and two individual national champions (Dave Terronez in 1988 & 1989 and Sandu Rebenciuc in 1991). Viking runners have won seven individual conference titles and five times the team has been awarded academic team honors by the NCAA Division III cross country coaches association. In addition, Olsen has served as the meet director for 17 NCAA Division III Midwest Regional cross country championships and five national meets.
When the cross country season ends, Olsen shifts his attention to track and field and the Vikings’ success in that sport mirrors that of the cross country team. His teams have won 10 CCIW outdoor track & field titles and have finished second 26 times. In addition, Augustana has placed in the top 10 in the NCAA national meet 14 times, including second place finishes in 1975 and 1981. As recently as 1998 his team was sixth in the NCAA Division III indoor national meet. A total of 18 relay teams and 178 individuals have won CCIW championships outdoors and two relays and 10 individuals own indoor championships. He has coached 134 All-Americans in indoor and outdoor track & field and Augustana athletes during Olsen’s tenure have won 20 individual national titles.
Olsen is a man of many talents and interests. As a professor in the English department at Augustana, he ranks as one of the most popular teachers in the entire school. His classes in African American Literature and the Sacred and Profane are consistently filled to capacity. In 1989, Olsen was one of just 120 teachers nationwide to be honored at the American Association for Higher Education convention in Chicago. He was the only Augustana faculty member named to the elite group.
Olsen is a graduate of Luther College in Decorah, Iowa where he was the captain of the track team and a starter for the football team as a defensive back. He holds an M.A. and a Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of Oregon. He resides in Bettendorf, Iowa with his wife Jeanne. The couple has two sons – David, a former United States Navy Seal and Eric, an actor.
