Benjamin Dempsey Olson (born June 5, 1975) is a former American college and professional football player who was a guard in the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons. He played college football for the University of Washington and earned All-American honors. He was originally drafted by the NFL's Tennessee Oilers in the fifth round of the 1998 NFL Draft and played his entire 10-year career with the Tennessee organization.

Early years

Olson was born in Bremerton, Washington. He attended South Kitsap High School in Port Orchard, Washington, and was a letterman in high school football, wrestling, and track and field for the South Kitsap Wolves. In football, as a senior, he was named as second team All-USA selection by USA Today. In track and field, he placed third at the state championship meet as a junior, and fourth as a senior.

College career

Olson attended the University of Washington, and played for the at Washington Huskies football team from 1994 to 1997. As as junior in 1997, he was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American at guard; as a senior in 1997, he was an first-team All-America selection by the Associated Press and the Walter Camp Foundation.

Professional career

The Tennessee Oilers selected Olson in the fifth round (139th pick overall) of the 1998 NFL Draft,^[1] and he played for the Oilers (later called the Tennessee Titans) from 1998 to 2007. After his rookie season, he started every game in which he played, including a total of 140 of the 152 regular season games in which he appeared.

References