Football News
The Long Road Back
September 24, 2008
How life can change in one simple step.
For Scott Olsen, that one step left him with the possibility, or more likely the probability, of never taking the football field again.
A freak accident left the senior defensive lineman sidelined with the discomforting pain of 10 screws and plates holding together his ankle. Against Hardin-Simmons on Sept. 13, Olsen pulled on his No. 94 jersey for the first time in 20 months. As he traveled the long road back, Olson waged his share of battles with grace and a belief in himself.
For Olsen, his journey began one morning in May of 2007. The day started with Olsen carrying his eight-month-old puppy down the stairs of his home. As he came down the final three steps, Olsen slipped. Falling helplessly, he protected the puppy but was unable to brace himself. The result was a compound fracture of his ankle, leaving him with three broken bones, a dislocation and unable to walk.
After being driven to the emergency room by his close friends and teammates Jeff Denney and Patrick Custer, Olsen was given the news that things were seriously wrong. “When the doc came in, I could see it on his face that [I prognosis] was bad,” Olsen recalled.
When the subject of football came up, it was then that the gravity of the situation hit him. “I remember getting told I shouldn’t worry about football…I should worry about walking.”
With Scott’s mind on football, his parents Connie and Lenard Olsen’s thoughts were focused on another concern: their son’s long-term health. “His surgeon told us that with his ligament damage, he might walk with a limp, not just for a while, but for the rest of his life,” says Connie. “I was hesitant to encourage any thoughts of him playing again.”
The news got even worse when Scott’s doctor, an ex-NFL lineman, told Lenard that Scott would never play football again and the most realistic goal would be to walk normally.
Through it all, Scott wouldn’t listen. Reflecting on those first meetings with doctors while running his hand across a scar that spans from his ankle up through his calf, Olsen said without hesitation, “I always knew from the beginning I would play football again.”
Even with that confidence, there was still a weighty decision to be made. With his senior year just a few months from beginning and needing only a few more credits to graduate, the only way for Olsen to return to playing would be by putting his school on hold for a year with a leave of absence.
Over the next few days, Scott and his parents sat down and talked out a decision. It meant a huge commitment on his part.
For Connie, there was a thought that maybe a comeback was too much. “My mantra was - put football behind you,” Connie explained. “Finish up your degree and get on with your life. You see how that worked out!”
Ultimately, the decision was up to Olsen and the answer was a resounding will to play.
Wildcats head coach Joseph Smith knew he was losing a quality player from the moment he heard of the severity of Olsen’s injury. “It was tough to hear,” recalled Smith. “Scott is a great presence to have out there. He is a leader and that was what we knew we were going to miss more than anything.”
The first three weeks after the injury, Olsen was bedridden and unable to move without severe pain. Connie and Lenard dispersed pain meds to Scott around the clock.
Once out of the cast and off the crutches, Olsen had months of rehabilitation ahead of him, most of which in a swimming pool. “At first I didn't believe Scott would ever play football again,” remembered Lenard. “Then, little by little with each small victory, Scott and I could see playing again was a possibility. He was adamant that if he worked hard, he could get back.”
While the rehab and the time at home were tough on Olsen, it was the trips back to games at Maxwell Field that made it unbearable. “Even when I was out, I still made it to every game that year,” he said. “It was really hard to watch because these were guys I grew up with. And I say that because I grew up a lot in college. At the same time, I watched and was always wishing them the best. It was definitely bittersweet.”
Finally, after months of grinding his way back to playing, Olsen was back in practice this past spring. “He proved that his mobility was good and we were all pleasantly surprised,” says Smith. But more importantly for the third-year head coach, it was about getting back Olsen’s competitive fire. “Scott embodies everything we are about; work ethic and determination. He is a tremendous worker. That is his great strength.”
After going through what he had to in order to overcome his injury, Olsen is more grateful now than ever. “My perspective on things really changed dramatically,” Olsen says with a humble tone. “I didn’t realize how lucky I was to play at a place like Linfield. I feel so fortunate I now have another chance.”
On the field the changes have come with the way Olsen approaches the sport itself. “I’ve become more conscious of the team rather than myself,” he added. “I want everything just a little more now, trying to hold myself to a higher standard.”
Olsen reiterates what his mother stressed. Linfield football has become a part of who he is. “Linfield is excellence and tradition,” Olsen states simply of the legacy of the school’s program. “That is what I will take from this place. Striving for excellence and holding myself to a higher standard. In my time here I’ve grown into a man.”
Smiling, Olsen recalled, “It’s like I told my parents, ‘It’s hard to be a regular person after being a Linfield football player.’”
In the four years at Linfield both his parents have seen their son grow in many ways. “We are so proud of who he has become,” Lenard said. “I really believe that Scott's exposure to his Linfield ‘family’ was the major factor into molding him into the young man he is today.”
As fans watch Scott Olsen in action, he stands as a quiet reminder of all that embodies the Linfield student-athlete. Being part of Linfield football has become a value system for the lineman from St. Helens.
Through lessons learned, Olsen has grown into a man who has the ability to overcome anything with grace. It is an attribute which he can tap into for the rest of his life. And, as his mother Connie reminds us, “He already has.”
- Eric Evenson '11i
For Scott Olsen, that one step left him with the possibility, or more likely the probability, of never taking the football field again.
A freak accident left the senior defensive lineman sidelined with the discomforting pain of 10 screws and plates holding together his ankle. Against Hardin-Simmons on Sept. 13, Olsen pulled on his No. 94 jersey for the first time in 20 months. As he traveled the long road back, Olson waged his share of battles with grace and a belief in himself.
For Olsen, his journey began one morning in May of 2007. The day started with Olsen carrying his eight-month-old puppy down the stairs of his home. As he came down the final three steps, Olsen slipped. Falling helplessly, he protected the puppy but was unable to brace himself. The result was a compound fracture of his ankle, leaving him with three broken bones, a dislocation and unable to walk.
After being driven to the emergency room by his close friends and teammates Jeff Denney and Patrick Custer, Olsen was given the news that things were seriously wrong. “When the doc came in, I could see it on his face that [I prognosis] was bad,” Olsen recalled.
When the subject of football came up, it was then that the gravity of the situation hit him. “I remember getting told I shouldn’t worry about football…I should worry about walking.”
With Scott’s mind on football, his parents Connie and Lenard Olsen’s thoughts were focused on another concern: their son’s long-term health. “His surgeon told us that with his ligament damage, he might walk with a limp, not just for a while, but for the rest of his life,” says Connie. “I was hesitant to encourage any thoughts of him playing again.”
The news got even worse when Scott’s doctor, an ex-NFL lineman, told Lenard that Scott would never play football again and the most realistic goal would be to walk normally. Through it all, Scott wouldn’t listen. Reflecting on those first meetings with doctors while running his hand across a scar that spans from his ankle up through his calf, Olsen said without hesitation, “I always knew from the beginning I would play football again.”
Even with that confidence, there was still a weighty decision to be made. With his senior year just a few months from beginning and needing only a few more credits to graduate, the only way for Olsen to return to playing would be by putting his school on hold for a year with a leave of absence.
Over the next few days, Scott and his parents sat down and talked out a decision. It meant a huge commitment on his part.
For Connie, there was a thought that maybe a comeback was too much. “My mantra was - put football behind you,” Connie explained. “Finish up your degree and get on with your life. You see how that worked out!”
Ultimately, the decision was up to Olsen and the answer was a resounding will to play.
Wildcats head coach Joseph Smith knew he was losing a quality player from the moment he heard of the severity of Olsen’s injury. “It was tough to hear,” recalled Smith. “Scott is a great presence to have out there. He is a leader and that was what we knew we were going to miss more than anything.”
The first three weeks after the injury, Olsen was bedridden and unable to move without severe pain. Connie and Lenard dispersed pain meds to Scott around the clock.
Once out of the cast and off the crutches, Olsen had months of rehabilitation ahead of him, most of which in a swimming pool. “At first I didn't believe Scott would ever play football again,” remembered Lenard. “Then, little by little with each small victory, Scott and I could see playing again was a possibility. He was adamant that if he worked hard, he could get back.”
While the rehab and the time at home were tough on Olsen, it was the trips back to games at Maxwell Field that made it unbearable. “Even when I was out, I still made it to every game that year,” he said. “It was really hard to watch because these were guys I grew up with. And I say that because I grew up a lot in college. At the same time, I watched and was always wishing them the best. It was definitely bittersweet.”
Finally, after months of grinding his way back to playing, Olsen was back in practice this past spring. “He proved that his mobility was good and we were all pleasantly surprised,” says Smith. But more importantly for the third-year head coach, it was about getting back Olsen’s competitive fire. “Scott embodies everything we are about; work ethic and determination. He is a tremendous worker. That is his great strength.”
After going through what he had to in order to overcome his injury, Olsen is more grateful now than ever. “My perspective on things really changed dramatically,” Olsen says with a humble tone. “I didn’t realize how lucky I was to play at a place like Linfield. I feel so fortunate I now have another chance.”On the field the changes have come with the way Olsen approaches the sport itself. “I’ve become more conscious of the team rather than myself,” he added. “I want everything just a little more now, trying to hold myself to a higher standard.”
Olsen reiterates what his mother stressed. Linfield football has become a part of who he is. “Linfield is excellence and tradition,” Olsen states simply of the legacy of the school’s program. “That is what I will take from this place. Striving for excellence and holding myself to a higher standard. In my time here I’ve grown into a man.”
Smiling, Olsen recalled, “It’s like I told my parents, ‘It’s hard to be a regular person after being a Linfield football player.’”
In the four years at Linfield both his parents have seen their son grow in many ways. “We are so proud of who he has become,” Lenard said. “I really believe that Scott's exposure to his Linfield ‘family’ was the major factor into molding him into the young man he is today.”
As fans watch Scott Olsen in action, he stands as a quiet reminder of all that embodies the Linfield student-athlete. Being part of Linfield football has become a value system for the lineman from St. Helens.
Through lessons learned, Olsen has grown into a man who has the ability to overcome anything with grace. It is an attribute which he can tap into for the rest of his life. And, as his mother Connie reminds us, “He already has.”
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Kelly Bird
Director of Sports Information
Linfield College
McMinnville, OR 97128
E-mail: kbird@linfield.edu
Phone: 503-883-2439
Fax: 503-883-2649
