Hall of Fame

Bob Olson

  • Class
    1977
  • Induction
    2016
  • Sport(s)



Bob Olson had dedicated his career to Northern State University and the city of Aberdeen, South Dakota.  Olson led Aberdeen Central to a third place finish in the 1972 State A basketball tournament before going on to attend NSU in the mid-1970s and play basketball for legendary coach Bob Wachs. Olson earned a bachelor’s degree from NSU in 1977 and served as a graduate assistant under Wachs while earning a master’s degree in 1980.

When Coach Wachs retired in 1985, Olson was selected as NSU’s 19th men’s basketball coach. For the next 14 years, Olson led NSU teams to national prominence at the NAIA and NCAA levels, compiling a 305-129 career record and coaching 27 all-conference players, five NAIA All-Americans, one NCAA First-Team All-American and eight Academic All-Americans. NSU made five NAIA National Tournament appearances, making championship runner-up campaigns in 1994 and 1995. The program’s success was seamless as NSU made the move up from the NAIA ranks to NCAA Division II for the 1995-96 season. The Wolves earned national post-season berths in their first four seasons under the new umbrella, highlighted by a North Central Region Championship and Elite Eight berth in 1997-98.  The Elite Eight appearance was the first by an NSIC institution in men’s basketball.  

Olson’s success with NSU athletics expands far beyond the hardwood. While most known for building a nationally-respected men’s basketball program, Olson has also made his mark within NSU’s athletic department as an administrative assistant to the athletic director, compliance coordinator and assistant football and track coach. Olson also was an instructor in NSU’s Health and Physical Education department since 1983 and worked as an admissions counselor from 1979-81.  In 1999, Olson took over for Jim Kretchman as the school’s athletics director.  For 13 years Olson led the Wolves athletic programs while also serving a term on the NCAA Championships Committee. Olson was recognized as the recipient of the Kretchman Coaching Award by the NSU Foundation at the 2011 Gypsy Day celebration, was inducted into the Aberdeen Central Athletic Hall of Fame in 2013 and the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame in spring of 2016.  

Bob and his wife, Cheri, are the parents of daughter Stephy. Stephy and her husband, Tim Hanigan, have two sons, Colton and Kyler.