Football News Update

It measures about 50 yards long and about 20 yards wide and exists as a testament to a family’s love of football and the University of Minnesota.

On one end are 2-by-4s that had been destined for the trash but became maroon goalposts with small, tattered University of Minnesota banners fluttering on top.

On a sideline at about midfield, a concrete slab that houses a kennel for golden retrievers Champ and Teddy makes running a pass pattern awfully dicey.

The makeshift football field in the back yard of the Olson home in Lake Elmo is an oasis of football memories and a galvanizing force for a family that bleeds maroon and gold.

“The best memories of my life have happened right here,” said Mahtomedi senior offensive tackle Tommy Olson, standing in the grass showing its age after years of trampling. “This is the one place where I could run the ball and bowl people over. This is where I could throw a touchdown pass. This is where I could dream about playing football in the future.”

His future is set.

The 6-foot-4, 295-pound right guard is Minnesota’s top-ranked high school player by Rivals.com. He has his eyes on a Class AAAA state championship before moving on to play for his beloved Gophers and continuing an Olson legacy that began three decades ago.

His brother Eddie, a 6-foot-7 redshirt freshman, makes his first start on the offensive line tonight when the Gophers play at Middle Tennessee State. The boys follow in the footsteps of their father, Ed Sr., who played center from 1978-82 at Minnesota. The elder Olson was a captain his senior year when the Gophers played their first season in the Metrodome in 1982.

“In my heart, I’ve always wanted to play with the Gophers, so the faster I get down there the better,” Tommy said.

“I’ve been lucky to have two great sons,” Ed said. “I didn’t really turn them one way or another toward Minnesota. I suppose secretly and down deep, I wanted them to choose Minnesota, but they wanted it on their own. That makes it so much more special. That passion to play for the Gophers has been present since building that football field in the back yard. That field used to be their Metrodome. Now it is their TCF Bank Stadium.”

It is no surprise, then, that a University of Minnesota “M” is often cut into the Olsons’ field, just for good measure.

A FOOTBALL NOVICE

Mahtomedi native Kelly Egan was 27 when she was introduced to Ed Olson by her sister.

“I just found your future husband,” Kelly Olson said, remembering her sister’s words.

Being raised in a hockey family, football held only mild interest to Egan, but the former Gophers star was quick to tutor her. During the first Gophers football game she attended, which was a date with Olson, he used popcorn kernels to demonstrate how the offensive line works in harmony during plays.

“I knew from our first date that football was going to be a focal point in our lives,” said Kelly, who attended Minnesota-Duluth. “I really enjoyed learning the game. This might sound dorky, but I am a competitive person and football really gets you going.”

They married 22 years ago — when both were 30.

“My wife is football crazy now,” Ed said. “She is pretty much the head coach around here.”

She also gets recruited to run plays on the Olsons’ field, where she has played the line and wide receiver.

“Tommer has knocked me over plenty of times,” she said. “I’m the luckiest mom in the world.”

MAKING MEMORIES, CHASING DREAMS

The Turkey Bowl on Thanksgiving is just one of the many games played on the Olsons’ field. There are also neighborhood pickup games and rivalries that pit Eddie’s buddies against Tommy’s friends. Winter football was always welcomed because tackling was in play.

Behind the goalpost is a berm that Kelly had hoped to make into a flower garden when they moved into the home 10 years ago. Instead, that small hill is worn down after numerous touchdown celebrations, which include excessive dunking on the goalpost’s crossbar, which has made it fall down.

“We used to have a tree there, too,” Tommy said. “We’d dunk on there, too, but the tree fell down.”

The field became a magnet for the community, whether playing or sitting around the fire pit along the far sideline.

“Even when we were hanging out with girls, we’d end up out on the football field,” Tommy said. “It was great. I never had to go anywhere on Friday and Saturday nights.”

Tommy is also thrilled with the idea of lining up alongside his brother, likely as early as next season.

Eddie was unable to share his youthful memories. Gophers coach Tim Brewster doesn’t allow freshmen who haven’t played games to be interviewed.

“I don’t care what it is, (football) is the bond that keeps this family so strong,” Kelly said. “I have grown to love watching them play. What is so rewarding to me without sounding like a geek is that they are easy kids to deal with and to raise. They are so passionate about something, and they worked really hard at it.”

BRIGHT UPSIDE

Tom Lemming, a national recruiting expert with CBS College Sports, sees Tommy playing football on Sundays in the future.

“I think he’s an outstanding ballplayer,” Lemming said. “I think he’ll be in the NFL as a center someday.

“If his brother wasn’t there and he hadn’t committed early to the Gophers, Olson would have been rated much higher by other people. Recruiting is very political. A lot of Internet sites rate kids based on what college coaches tell them instead of doing their own work. Everybody figured (Tommy) would go to Minnesota, but believe me, he’s as good as any other offensive lineman I’ve seen in the country.”

Tommy, a powerful run blocker and pass protector in the open field on sweeps, gave an oral commitment to the Gophers almost two years ago when Brewster was on a home visit with Eddie.

“When you talk about interior guys, there might not be a better guy in the country,” Lemming said. “When you watch him on film, he is very technically sound. He makes few mistakes and is super powerful and dominant. That’s what you look for in a high school kid.”

Olson’s dominance isn’t lost on his teammates.

“He’s unbelievable,” Mahtomedi quarterback Dan Ferrazzo said. “It’s not just how big he is. It is his feet (size 15), his strength and his leadership attitude. When you get in the huddle and you see Tommy in there, you are confident you can move the ball with great success.”

Said offensive lineman Will Westman: “It is awesome playing with Tommy. That is the word for it. He is just so good and is able to teach me so much. I am right next to one of the best.”

Olson’s success has carried over to the classroom as well. He is so excited about playing for the Gophers, he is considering completing his high school courses in January and then graduating. He would have a week off or so before National Signing Day in February, then would be eligible to start spring practice with the Gophers.

“It would be a great honor to start as a freshman with the Gophers,” he said. “I can’t wait.”

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