Of all of the interviews I’ve done over 40 years, covering high school football, the Jake Olsen interview may be the most memorable.
Jake, who is completely blind, appeared on our October 3, 2013 radio show to talk about being the long snapper on the Orange Lutheran High School (Orange, California) football team. Jake’s determination was only superseded by his energy and enthusiasm for life when we talked about his dream of one day playing at USC.
That dream is coming a bit closer, according to the LA Times. The newspaper is reporting that Olsen will attend USC on a scholarship through the Swim with Mike program that helps disabled athletes go to college. Olsen will try to make the Trojans as a walk-on.
In the story, USC head coach Steve Sarkisian is quoted as saying this about Olsen — “Someday, he’s going to snap in a game for us. When? I don’t know. But it will happen. … When that day comes, it will be awesome.”
Below you can listen to my 2013 interview with Olsen.
