Harold G. Olsen (May 12, 1895 – October 29, 1953) was a college men's basketball coach. The Rice Lake, Wisconsin native was the head coach of the

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publi ...

from 1922 to 1946. That year, he became the first head coach of the BAA's

Chicago Stags The Chicago Stags were a National Basketball Association team based in Chicago from 1946 to 1950. History 1946–47 season In the BAA's inaugural year, the Chicago Stags were placed in the Western Division, and after 60 games were tied with the ...

, where he coached almost three seasons before being replaced by Philip Brownstein. Olsen also coached at

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Chart ...

(1950–1952). While playing at

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

(1914–1917), Olsen was named two-time All-Big Ten. After graduating from Wisconsin, he began his coaching career at

Bradley University Bradley University is a private university in Peoria, Illinois. Founded in 1897, Bradley University enrolls 5,400 students who are pursuing degrees in more than 100 undergraduate programs and more than 30 graduate programs in five colleges. The ...

and Ripon College. In 1922 Olsen followed George Trautman as head coach of the Ohio State University. In 24 years he guided the Buckeyes to a 259–197 record, as well as five

Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

championships (1925, 1933, 1939, 1944, 1946). In 1939, Olsen spearheaded efforts to create the NCAA postseason national playoffs, now known as the NCAA tournament. Olsen also helped initiate the 10-second rule. In 1959, he was inducted to the

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pre ...

as a contributor.

Head coaching record

College football

College basketball

Professional basketball

, - , style="text-align:left;", CHS , style="text-align:left;", , 61, , 39, , 22, , .639, , style="text-align:center;", 1st in Western, , 11, , 5, , 6, , .455 , style="text-align:center;", Lost in BAA Finals , - , style="text-align:left;", CHS , style="text-align:left;", , 48, , 28, , 20, , .583, , style="text-align:center;", 3rd in Western, , 5, , 2, , 3, , .400 , style="text-align:center;", Lost in BAA Semifinals , - , style="text-align:left;", CHS , style="text-align:left;", , 49, , 28, , 21, , .571, , style="text-align:center;", 3rd in Western, , 2, , 0, , 2, , .000 , style="text-align:center;", Lost in BAA Div. Semifinals , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:left;", Career , , , 158, , 95, , 63, , .601, , , , 18, , 7, , 11, , .389

References

External links