Bill Olson (coach)
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 31, 1913 |
| Died | June 12, 1988 (aged 74) |
| Alma mater | Boston University |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Basketball | |
| 1947–1948 | Ripon |
| 1948–1956 | North Central |
| 1956–1966 | New Hampshire |
| 1966–1978 | Babson |
| Baseball | |
| 1949–1956 | North Central |
| 1969–1973 | Babson |
| Football | |
| 1946 | Dean Academy |
| 1947 | Ripon (assistant) |
| 1948–1955 | North Central |
| Golf | |
| 1973–1982 | Babson |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1946–1947 | Dean Academy |
| 1966 | New Hampshire (assistant AD) |
| 1966–1978 | Babson |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 266–422 (college basketball) 61–111–3 (college baseball) 17–44–2 (college football) |
Ernest William Olson (August 31, 1913 – June 12, 1988) was an American college sports coach who was head coach of the New Hampshire Wildcats men's basketball and athletic director at Babson College.
Biography
Olson was a three-sport athlete at Boston University. He served in the United States Navy during World War II and began his coaching career at Dean Academy.[1] In 1947, he became he head basketball and assistant football coach at Ripon College.[2] In 1948, he moved to North Central College, where he compiled a 17–44–2 record in football, a 64–97 record in men's basketball and 40–63–3 record in baseball.[3][4][5] In 1956, Olson became the head basketball and tennis coach at the University of New Hampshire.[6] Over ten seasons, Olson's basketball teams amassed a 23–92 record.[7] He resigned after the 1965–66 season to become an assistant to athletic director Andy Mooradian.[8]
In 1966, Olson became the head basketball coach and athletic director at Babson College. Under his leadership, Babson doubled the number of intercollegiate sports teams from seven to fourteen and introduced its first three women's varsity teams (basketball, tennis, and volleyball). In 1975, Babson won the NCAA Division III men's soccer tournament.[9] As a coach, Olson compiled a 133–151 record in men's basketball (1966–1978) and 13–20 record in baseball (1969–1973).[10][11] He stepped down as AD in 1978 when he reached the mandatory retirement age of 65, but continued to coach the Babson golf team until 1982.[12][13] He died on June 12, 1988.[14]
Head coaching record
College football
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Central Cardinals (College Conference of Illinois) (1948–1955) | |||||||||
| 1948 | North Central | 1–7 | 1–4 | 8th | |||||
| 1949 | North Central | 3–4–1 | 2–3–1 | 6th | |||||
| 1950 | North Central | 4–4 | 2–3 | 5th | |||||
| 1951 | North Central | 3–5 | 2–3 | T–6th | |||||
| 1952 | North Central | 0–6–1 | 0–5 | 8th | |||||
| 1953 | North Central | 2–6 | 2–4 | 5th | |||||
| 1954 | North Central | 2–6 | 1–4 | 6th | |||||
| 1955 | North Central | 2–6 | 1–4 | 6th | |||||
| North Central: | 17–44–2 | 11–30–1 | |||||||
| Total: | 17–44–2 | ||||||||
References
- ^ Dalton, Ernest (September 27, 1946). "Schoolboy Sidelights: 9 Games Tonight; Gloucester Battles Powerful Classical". The Boston Globe.
- ^ "New Cage Mentor". Youngstown Vindicator. July 18, 1947. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
- ^ "Football Year-By-Year Results". North Central College Cardinals. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
- ^ "Men's Basketball Season-By-Season Results". North Central College Cardinals. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
- ^ North Central College 2009 Baseball Media Guide (PDF). Retrieved September 18, 2025.
- ^ "Coach Accepts New Position". St. Joseph Gazette. August 10, 1956. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
- ^ "Bill Olson". SRCBB. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
- ^ "UNH Appoints Haubrich". The Telegraph. May 3, 1966. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
- ^ Mulkern, John. Our Story (PDF). pp. 187–189. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
- ^ "Men's Basketball Yearly History and Coaching Records". Babson College Athletics. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
- ^ "Baseball Yearly History and Coaching Records". Babson College Athletics. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
- ^ "Hartwell named AD at Babson". The Boston Globe. March 9, 1978.
- ^ "Men's Golf Yearly History". Babson College Athletics. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
- ^ "Death Notices". The Boston Globe. June 14, 1988.
- ^ "NCAA Statistics; Coach; E.W. "Bill" Olson; Football". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved October 21, 2025.