Bio

Email: scolson@mtu.edu

Steve Olson was named the Head Football Coach at Michigan Tech on November 15th, 2016. Olson is the 16^th head coach in program history, which began in 1920. 2022-23 will be coach Olson's sixth year as head coach and 12th overall with the Huskies after serving as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach.

Last fall, Olson led the Huskies to a 6-4 overall record and a third place finish in the GLIAC with a record of 5-2. The Huskies secured the Miner's Cup for the 11th straight season with a 21-14 victory over rival Northern Michigan on Oct. 16 at Superior Dome. Eight players garnered All-Conference recognition and center Hayden Huttula was named AFCA All-America. The Huskies pushed No. 7 ranked Grand Valley State on the road to one possession, but fell 14-9 on Oct. 30. Tech was victorious 21-20 over Saginaw Valley State on Senior Day at Kearly Stadium. Olson enters the 2022-23 season with a record of 19-22 record at the helm (.439).

The 2020 football season was cancelled due to Covid-19 but off-season training and recruiting continued. In Olson's third season as head coach, Michigan Tech wrapped up the 2019 campaign 5-5 and finished fifth in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference standings. The Huskies secured the Miner's Cup for the 10th straight season with a 24-20 victory over NMU on Oct. 12 at Kearly Stadium. Twelve Michigan Tech players earned GLIAC Postseason honors while defensive lineman Nate LaJoie was a D2CCA First Team All-Region and Don Hansen First Team All-American. 

Olson, a native of Ada, Minnesota, Olson was the defensive coordinator for the three seasons and was the linebackers coach when he first arrived in Houghton. Olson's defenses have consistently been at or near the top in the GLIAC in multiple statistical categories.

In 2015, Olson's defense ranked second in the GLIAC in total defense (337.4 yards per game) and rushing defense (121.3 yards per game). They were fourth in the conference in passing defense (216.1 yards per game), and held teams to 26.3 points per game, which was fifth-best in the GLIAC. Defensive back Brett Gervais and linebacker Paul Kuoppala were both named to the All-GLIAC First Team in 2015.

Olson helped Tech rank third in scoring defense (19.6 points per game) and fourth in total defense (345.9 yards per game) in 2014, just one year after the Huskies led the league in pass defense (176.9 yards per game) and ranked second in total defense (363.6 yards per game). Tech finished second in the GLIAC in rushing defense in 2012, allowing just 118 yards per game. He also coached All-GLIAC First Team linebacker Justin Armstrong.

"Coach Olson brings the core values that we look for in coaches at Michigan Tech...integrity, loyalty, passion, teamwork, tradition, and a commitment to academic and athletic excellence," Michigan Tech Athletics Director Suzanne Sanregret said. "Our goal is to develop our student-athletes into future leaders and Steve has the experience and ability to do that. I am confident in Steve as a coach and mentor and his ability to move our football program forward."

"There's no doubt Steve has big shoes to fill, but he's learned from one of the best," Michigan Tech President Dr. Glenn Mroz said in 2016. "The student-athletes have respect for him as a person and his coaching ability. That will go a long way not only on the field, but in helping prospective students and their families see the future that Michigan Tech has to offer them."

Olson has 25 years of collegiate coaching experience, including 12 years at Minnesota-Crookston before joining the Huskies. He served in various capacities on the defensive side of the ball, including defensive coordinator, defensive line coach, and defensive backs coach. He was also the Head Baseball Coach at UM-Crookston for 10 of his 12 years there.

Olson spent seven years at Jamestown College (N.D.) as an assistant football coach and head baseball coach from 1992-99. During his tenure at Jamestown, Olson was part of a No. 1 ranked football program that advanced to the 1998 NAIA National Playoffs.

Olson got his coaching start at Northern State (S.D.) as an assistant football and baseball coach in 1991. Olson was a standout baseball player at Valley City State (N.D.) from 1984-88, earning NAIA All-America Honorable Mention accolades in 1988. Olson was inducted into the VCSU Hall of Fame in 2005.