Clifford Valmore Olander (born April 15, 1955) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

who played three seasons with the San Diego Chargers of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He was drafted by the Chargers in the fifth round of the 1977 NFL Draft. He played college football at

New Mexico State University New Mexico State University (NMSU or NM State) is a public land-grant research university based primarily in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest public institution of higher education in New Mexico and one of the state's ...

. He was also a member of the Edmonton Eskimos of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

(CFL).

Early years and college career

Olander first attended Clear Creek High School in

League City, Texas League City is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, in Galveston County, within the metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 112,129. The city of League City has a small portion north of Clear Creek within Harris C ...

before transferring to

Arvada High School Arvada High School is a public secondary school operated by Jefferson County School District R-1 in Arvada, Colorado, United States. Demographics Arvada High's student body has the following racial demographics: History The first high scho ...

in Arvada, Colorado. Olander was a quarterback and punter for the New Mexico State Aggies. He recorded career passing totals of 1,307 yards and seven touchdowns.

Professional career

Olander was selected by the San Diego Chargers of the NFL with the 128th pick in the 1977 NFL Draft. He played for the Chargers from 1977 to 1979. He made his only start in a 12-7 victory over the defending Super Bowl champion Oakland Raiders on November 20, 1977. Olander was a member of the NFL's New York Giants from 1980 to 1981. He was a member of the Edmonton Eskimos of the CFL from 1982 to 1983, winning the

70th Grey Cup The 70th Grey Cup, also known as the "Rain Bowl", was the 1982 Grey Cup Canadian Football League championship game between the Toronto Argonauts and the Edmonton Eskimos. The Eskimos, who were making their sixth consecutive appearance in the CFL c ...

in 1982. He was released by the Eskimos in June 1983. In January 1984, the

Michigan Panthers The Michigan Panthers were a professional American football team based in the Detroit, Michigan area. The Panthers competed in the United States Football League (USFL) as a member of the Western Conference and Central Division. The team played i ...

of the

United States Football League The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

(USFL) traded Ken Bungarda to the Arizona Wranglers for the rights to Olander. In February 1984, he was released by the Panthers and signed by the Oklahoma Outlaws.

Coaching career

Olander was offensive coordinator of the

Irvin High School Irvin High School is an El Paso Independent School District (EPISD) high school in El Paso, Texas, United States. It opened in September 1959. It is named for Dr. O.C. Irvin, Dr. E.H. Irvin, and Mr. C. M. Irvin. All three of these men were well- ...

Rockets from 1992 to 2005. He became head coach in August 2005 and later resigned in January 2011.

References

External links

Just Sports Stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Olander, Cliff Living people 1955 births American football quarterbacks American football punters Canadian football quarterbacks American players of Canadian football New Mexico State Aggies football players San Diego Chargers players New York Giants players Edmonton Elks players Arizona Wranglers players Michigan Panthers players Oklahoma Outlaws players Players of American football from Hartford, Connecticut Sportspeople from Hartford, Connecticut