Milton Martin Olander (January 25, 1899 – December 30, 1961) was an American

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

player and coach. Olander was born in 1899 at

Rockford, Illinois Rockford is a city in Winnebago County, Illinois, located in the far northern part of the state. Situated on the banks of the Rock River, Rockford is the county seat of Winnebago County (a small portion of the city is located in Ogle County). ...

. His father, Frank Olander, emigrated from Sweden in 1881 and became a saloon keeper in Rockford. His mother, Selma Olander, emigrated from Sweden in 1888. He had two older brothers, Carl (born May 1895) and Clarence (born April 1897). Olander graduated from Rockford High School, where he played on the football, basketball and track teams and was captain of the football team for two years. He next enrolled at the University of Illinois where he played at the

tackle Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position), a position in American football and Canadian football ** Dump tackle, a forceful move in rugby of picking ...

position for Robert Zuppke's Fighting Illini football teams from 1918 to 1921. The University of Illinois yearbook noted: "'Milt' was the leading factor in the Illini line. His steadiness characterized him as Zup's most heady player. This was his fourth season." Milton Olander 1923

At the time of the 1920 United States Census, Olander was working as a laborer in a warehouse and living in Rockford with his mother, his older brother Clarence, and his younger sister Alice. After graduating from Illinois, Olander served as the head football coach at the Western State Normal School (now known as Western Michigan University) in 1922 and 1923. In his first year as a head coach, he led Western State to a perfect 6–0 record as his team outscored its opponents 160 to 0. In April 1924, Olander signed a contract to return to the University of Illinois as the freshman football coach. He served as an assistant football coach at Illinois through the 1934 season. At the time of the

1930 United States Census The United States census of 1930, conducted by the Census Bureau one month from April 1, 1930, determined the resident population of the United States to be 122,775,046, an increase of 13.7 percent over the 106,021,537 persons enumerated during ...

, Olander was living in Champaign, Illinois with his wife Mary S. Olander, daughter Suzanne Olander, and son Milton M. Olander, Jr. His occupation at that time was listed as an assistant coach for a university. In 1940, Olander was appointed as the head of the Athletic Board of Control at the University of Illinois. Olander lived in

Sylvania, Ohio Sylvania is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States. The population was 19,011 at the 2020 census. Sylvania is a suburb of Toledo, and encompassed by Sylvania Township. Its northern border is the southern border of the state of Michigan. T ...

in his later years. He worked as the director of industrial relations for Owens-Illinois Glass Co. at Toledo, Ohio. In 1953, he was offered a position as an Assistant

Secretary of Labor The United States Secretary of Labor is a member of the Cabinet of the United States, and as the head of the United States Department of Labor, controls the department, and enforces and suggests laws involving unions, the workplace, and all ot ...

in the administration of President

Dwight Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

. Olander died in December 1961 at Toledo at the age of 62. Olander was one of the original members of the parks commission in Sylvania, Ohio. In recognition of his efforts, the city's park system is known as The Olander Park System. The city's largest park, Olander Park, and its lake, Lake Olander, are also named after him.

Head coaching record

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Olander, Milton 1899 births 1961 deaths American football tackles Illinois Fighting Illini football coaches Illinois Fighting Illini football players Western Michigan Broncos football coaches Players of American football from Rockford, Illinois People from Sylvania, Ohio Coaches of American football from Illinois