Merlin Olsen, 1940-2010
Monday, March 15th, 2010
When Merlin Olsen died of mesothelioma on March 11, his friends and colleagues reminisced about his career as a professional football player and actor. With Deacon Jones, Rosey Grier, and Lamar Lundy, Olsen was one of the “Fearsome Foursome” of the Los Angeles Rams in the 1960s and 1970s, still considered one of the all-tie great defensive lines.
Merlin Olsen’s Pro Football Hall of Fame citation says,
“Merlin Olsen was a coach’s player. Punctual, steady, gifted, a quiet leader, a player you could always count on. He was a standout as a rookie and thereafter stood out in every game he played for the Rams in a 15- year career. Every game. Fifteen years.”
As an actor he was best known for playing Jonathan Garvey in the Little House on the Prairie series. He was a popular commentator for televised sports events and for years appeared in commercials for FTD flowers.
In 2009 Merlin Olsen was diagnosed with mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer most often caused by breathing asbestos fibers. Mesothelioma can take 20 to 50 years to develop, and Olsen believed his exposure dated to his high school and college years, when he worked summer jobs on construction sites.
A suit filed by Merlin Olsen and his wife, Susan, in December 2009 names a number of asbestos companies as well as some of the companies where he worked, including NBC Studios and Twentieth Century Fox. “During the time period Merlin Olsen was exposed to asbestos, the manufacturers of asbestos products did not warn of the lethal hazards of breathing asbestos dust, despite the fact that those asbestos companies knew that breathing small amounts of asbestos dust could be fatal,” the suit says. “The dangers of breathing asbestos were first published in medical literature in the 1890’s. By the late 1950’s, there were hundreds of medical articles highlighting the dangers of being around asbestos dust.”
Sportscaster Dick Enberg said this of his friend and colleague:
“God doesn’t create perfect men, but he came mighty close when he brought us Merlin Olsen… How privileged I was to call his games as an All Pro, Hall of Famer-to-be Los Angeles Ram, and then to work at his side in the broadcast booth for 12 years. He was meticulous and thorough in his preparation, lessons he had learned as an all A student in high school and college. He was perhaps the brightest to ever play his position in the NFL. He was just as generous as a broadcaster as he was tough as a defensive tackle. I was privileged to be his TV colleague and his friend. I seriously doubt that I shall ever meet another that will measure up to his complete character. He was every part of a gentle giant.”
— Barbara O’Brien
