Lute Olson, a legendary University of Arizona basketball coach who led to the Wildcats to the winningest streak in their history, has died at the age of 85, his family says.
KIDS TO YOUNG MEN BEFORE THEYMOVE ON.
A COACH -- A LEGEND-- AND A MENTOR.
LUTE OLSON --HAS DIED.THANK YOU FOR JOINING US -- ONTHIS VERY SAD NIGHT IN TUCSON.I'M PAT PARRIS.
AND I'MVALERIE CAVAZOS WORKINGREMOTELY.
LET'S GET RIGHT TOJASON BARR -- WHO'S OUTSIDEMCKALE CENTER -- REMEMBERINGARIZONA'S LEGENDARY BASKETBALLCOACH -- LUTE OLSON.I'M STANDING OUTSIDE THE LUTEOLSON STATUE.
YOU CAN SEE...FORMER WILDCAT GUARD REGGIEGEARY WAS A CAPTAIN ON THREEDIFFERENT LUTE OLSON TEAMS.LAST YEAR I SAT DOWN WITHGEARY AT MCKALE CENTER.
HE HADJUST RETURNED TO THE PROGRAMAS DIRECTOR OF PLAYERDEVELOPMENT.
I ASKED GEARYLUTE MEANT TO HIM.
SOT :30OC:THE SUCCESS WE HAD JASON TAGSOUT.TRIBUTES ARE ALREADY POURINGIN -- ON CAMPUS -- AND ONLINE-- FROM PEOPLE WHO WERETOUCHED BY LUTE OLSON.
CURRENTHEAD COACH SEAN MILLER HADTHIS TO SAY ABOUT LUTE'SLEGACY -- "SINCE I ARRIVED INTUCSON ALMOST 12 YEARS AGO --I HAVE BEEN ASKED HUNDREDS OFTIMES -- "WHAT MADE COACHOLSON SO SUCCESSFUL?" HAVINGASKED HIS FORMER PLAYERS --COACHES -- AND PEOPLE IN OURCOMMUNITY THE SAME QUESTION --I CAME TO A FINAL CONCLUSION.HE HAD NO WEAKNESSES AS ACOACH.
COACH 'O' WILLCERTAINLY BE MISSED, BUTALWAYS REMEMBERED BY US.
BEARDOWN."JASON TERRY -- A MEMBER OFLUTE'S CHAMPIONSHIP WILDCATTEAM -- TWEETED THIS TRIBUTETONIGHT.
SAYING "WITHOUT YOUTHERE WOULD BE NO ME.
RESTPEACEFULLY."NOW -- LET'S TAKE A MOMENT--TO REMEMBER THE LIFE -- ANDLEGACY -- LEFT BY LUTE OLSON.AND THE IMPACT -- HE HAD HERE-- IN TUCSON.LUTE OLSON WAS THE SOUL OFTUCSON.
REVERED BY THECOMMUNITY REGARDED AS ONE OFCOLLEGE BASKETBALL'S GREATESTCOACHES OF ALL-TIME, OLSONBROUGHT A SENSE OF PRIDE TOARIZONA'S BASKETBALL PROGRAM,AND TO SOUTHERN ARIZONA.
HELED THE WILDCATS TO FOUR FINALFOUR APPEARANCES INCLUDING ANATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP, AND ANAMAZING 23 CONSECUTIVE NCAATOURNAMENT APPEARANCES.
YETTHE LEGENDARY ARIZONA WILDCATBASKETBALL COACH DIDN'T ARRIVEIN TUCSON UNTIL HE WAS CLOSETO FIFTY YEARS OLD.
OLSON WASBORN IN NORTH DAKOTA.
ANDBEGAN HIS CAREER COACHING HIGHSCHOOL TEAMS, FIRST INMINNESOTA.
THEN IN CALIFORNIA.OLSON TAUGHT HIS TEAMS TO WANTMORE - TO REACH FOR A DREAM -AND DRIVE FOR PERFECTION.
HECOMPILED A 24-2 RECORD IN HISONLY SEASON AT LONG BEACHSTATE.
THAT WAS FOLLOWED BYTHE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA, WHEREHE LED THE HAWKEYES TO THE1980 FINAL FOUR.
THREE YEARSLATER, OLSON SURPRISED THECOLLEGE BASKETBALL WORLD,LEAVING THE BIG TEN POWER FORAN ARIZONA WILDCAT PROGRAMCOMING OFF A 4-24 SEASON..OLSON MADE A BOLD STATEMENT,ADIVSING FANS IN APRIL OF 1983THAT THEY SHOULD GET THEIRTICKETS NOW.
JUST TWO YEARSLATER, ARIZONA WAS A WINNER.OLSON TURNED DOWN OTHERCOLLEGE OPPORTUNITES, SAYINGTHAT TUCSON WAS HIS HOME.
HEWOULD ALSO DECLINE OFFERS FROMTHE NBA.
TAKE SOT NAME: LUTEOLSON MARCH, 2016 INTERVIEWINCUE: I LOVE COACHING COLLEGEGUYS OUTCUE: BEFORE THEY MOVEON AT: 13:47 TO: 13:56DURATION:0:09 I LOVE COACHINGCOLLEGE GUYS BECAUSE YOU CANJUST SEE THEM GROW FROM KIDSTO YOUNG MEN BEFORE THEY MOVEON.
HIS FIRST WILDCAT FINALFOUR TEAM CAME IN 1988.
IT WASA BELOVED GROUP MADE UP OF NOTJUST BASKETBALL STARS, BUTTHOSE WHO WOULD BE SUCCESSFULIN OTHER WALKS OF LIFE.
SUCHAS RECORD PRODUCER HARVEYMASON, AND BASEBALL GREATKENNY LOFTON.
AND OF COURSE,STEVE KERR.
ANOTHER FINAL FOURTEAM FOLLOWED IN 1994.
OLSON'STEAMS WERE KNOWN FOR GREATGUARD PLAY.
WITH PLAYERS LIKEKERR, DAMON STOUDAMIRE ANDMIKE BIBBY.
HIS WILDCATS WERENICKNAMED POINT GUARD U.CAREER WIN NUMBER FIVEHUNDRED.... TAKE: NATS FULLINCUE: SIMON THROWS IT UPOUTCUE: AT THE BUZZER.
OH MYGOD!
DURATION:0:03 CAME INDRAMATIC FASHION THANKS TOMILES SIMON'S THREE QUARTERLENGTH SHOT OLSON INSPIRED,MOTIVATED, AND GOT A COMMUNITYDREAMING THAT THE IMPOSSIBLEREALLY COULD COME TRUE.
THENIN 1997, THE ARIZONA WILDCATSDID WHAT NO OTHER TEAM HASEVER ACCOMPLISHED - KNOCKINGOFF THREE NUMBER ONE SEEDS INTHE NCAA TOURNAMENT, DEFEATINGKENTUCKY TO WIN THE NATIONALCHAMPIONSHIP.
TAKE SOT NAME:LUTE OLSON MARCH, 2016INTERVIEW INCUE: WE HAD THEGREAT OUTCUE: A BIG GAMEPLAYER AT: 18:17 TO: 18:37DURATION:0:20 WE HAD THE GREATCOMBINATION OF GUYS.
BIBBY WASA FRESHMAN AND COULD SHOOT THELIGHTS OUT.
MILES WAS APENETRATOR AND MADE THINGSHAPPEN.
JASON TERRY.
HE'S ABIG GAME PLAYER.
OLSON BROUGHTWISDOM, DRIVE, AND LOVE TOEVERYTHING HE DID.
BY LUTE'SSIDE, HIS HIGH SCHOOLSWEETHEART, BOBBI.
THE TWOWERE MARRIED FOR FORTY SEVENYEARS.
SHE WAS KNOWN IN PARTFOR HER HOSPITALITY TO LUTE'SPLAYERS.
TAKE SOT NAME: HARVEYMASON INCUE: FROM THE FIRSTTIME I MET OUTCUE: ON THERECRUITING VISIT AT: 0:36 TO:0:39 DURATION:0:03 FROM THEFIRST TIME I MET HER UP IN HERHOUSE IN VENTANA, SHE COOKEDME PANACAKES.
ON THERECRUITING VISIT.
TAKE SOTINCUE: THIS LADY IS INCREDIBLEOUTCUE: I COULD COME TO HERWITH MY PROBLEMS AT: 0:57 TO:1:00 DURATION:0:03 THIS LADYIS INCREDIBLE.
I COULD COME TOHER WITH MY PROBLEMS. TAKE SOTNAME: HARVEY MASON OUTCUE: ORCROSS ANYBODY AT: 1:07 TO:1:19 DURATION:0:12 SHE WASALWAYS THERE FOR ALL THEPLAYERS.SHE WAS LIKE A LOVINGPARENT THAT WASN'T A PARENT.SHE ALWAYS HAD A SMILE ON HERFACE.
YOU NEVER SAW HER GETANGRY OR CROSS ANYBODY.
BOBBIOLSON WOULD LOSE HER BATTLEWITH OVARIAN CANCER.
LUTEOLSON SAYING OF HER JANUARY1ST, 2001 PASSING, SHE WAS THENUMBER ONE WIFE, NUMBER ONEMOTHER, NUMBER ONEGRANDMOTHER, ALWAYS NUMBERONE.
THE MCKALE CENTER COURTWOULD BE RENAMED THE LUTE ANDBOBBI OLSON COURT AFTER TAKINGTIME TO GRIEVE, OLSON RETURNEDTHE WILDCATS TO THE FINAL FOURLATER THAT SPRING.
THEFOLLOWING YEAR, OLSON WASINDUCTED INTO THE NAISMITHHALL OF FAME.
HIS FINAL SEASONWAS IN 2007.
HAVING COACHEDINTO HIS SEVENTIES.REMARIRIED, OLSON REMAINEDVISIBLE AT GAMES AND STAYEDBUSY WITH HIS CHARITABLE WORK.OLSON WOULD STAY CLOSE TO THEPROGRAM HE TURNED INTO ACOLLEGE BASKETBALL POWER.
HISPROTEGES WOULD BE COACHING,BROADCASTING, EVEN PRODUCINGTAKE SOT NAME: HARVEY MASONAT: 0:17 TO: 0:29DURATION:0:12 EVEN TODAY, I'MSTILL TRYING TO DO THINGS, ANDI'M STILL TRYING TO MAKE HIMPROUD.
IS COACH GOING TOREALIZE THAT I ACCOMPLISHEDTHIS.
IS HE GOING TO SEE THEHARD WORK THAT I PUT INTOTHIS.
THAT COMES FROMRESPECTING HIM SO MUCH ANDLEARNING SO MUCH FROM HIM.THEY WERE INSPIRED BY HISDRIVE AND HIS HEART, WHILE THETUCSON COMMUNITY BENEFITEDFROM HIS GENEROSITY AND IN THEEND, HIS ACCOMPLISHMENTSBECAME THE STORY OF A CHAMPION- AND IN TIME THAT OF A TUCSONLEGEND.
TAKE SOT NAME: HARVEYMASON AT: 2:09 TO: 2:15DURATION:0:06 COACH IS ASPECIAL GUY.
HE'S A RARE TYPEOF GUY.
YOU ARE NOT GOING TOFIND A GUY LIKE THAT ANYWHEREELSE.GOVERNOR DOUG DUCEY -- HAS
UA student hares impact of Lute Olson legacy on his family
Legendary University of Arizona, Lute Olson is fighting for his life, according to multiple reports.
