i just heard Merlin Olsen has died..

[Ramblin` Ram]

anyone got any more news about if its true etc...?

can`t find it anywhere else..(heard it on a forum on Stl.today)

[Ramblin` Ram]

Re: i just heard Merlin Olsen has died..

*taken from USA Today*

Pro Football Hall of Famer Merlin Olsen has died at 69 after a bout with cancer.

Olsen was a Pro Bowler 14 times in a 15-year career.

The Rams announced the sad news on Twitter. Olsen has been fighting mesothelioma.

More to come

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a very sad day for the RamNation...we have just lost one of our greatest ever Rams.


R.I.P Merlin. although you played before my time i have always been greatly proud that a player of your greatness played for my beloved Rams.

[AvengerRam_old]

Re: i just heard Merlin Olsen has died..

R.I.P. Merlin.

A true All-Time great.

[thermobee]

Re: i just heard Merlin Olsen has died..

Merlin Olsen, legendary Los Angeles Rams defensive lineman and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, has died. He was 69.
Olsen was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2009 and had been undergoing chemotherapy.
Olsen, who played for the Rams from 1962-76, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1982. A member of the Rams’ legendary “Fearsome Foursome,” Olsen was selected to 14 consecutive Pro Bowls (tied with Bruce Matthews for the most times in NFL history), was a member of the NFL’s all-decade teams for the 1960s and 1970s, and was named to the NFL’s 75th anniversary all-time team, as chosen by a committee of media and league personnel in 1994.



RIP Merlin

[tomahawk247]

Re: i just heard Merlin Olsen has died..

RIP Merlin

[poejoe8]

Re: i just heard Merlin Olsen has died..

Sad news for all football fans. One of my original all time favorite Ram players and a big reason I became a fan.

R.I.P. my friend.

[RAMarkable]

Re: i just heard Merlin Olsen has died..

This is very sad. Good bye Merlin. You will be missed.

[Fargo Ram Fan]

Re: i just heard Merlin Olsen has died..

Simply one of the greatest....ever. A massive loss. RIP

[Trevor]

Re: i just heard Merlin Olsen has died..

Wish I'd have seen this guy play. I'm young. RIP Merlin Olsen. It saddens me when any ram dies.

[blood85]

Re: i just heard Merlin Olsen has died..

RIP Merlin, one of the greatest Rams ever.

[Azul e Oro]

Re: i just heard Merlin Olsen has died..

Very sad news. Truly a fearsome but heady player and yet , by all accounts, a gentle soul. I'm just grateful that, although I understand he was too ill to attend, The Rams organization honored him recently so that he had to know how much we all revered him.

[RamFan_Til_I_Die]

Re: i just heard Merlin Olsen has died..

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Pro Football Hall of Famer and former television actor Merlin Olsen has died. He was 69.

Utah State University assistant athletic media relations director Zach Fisher says Olsen died Wednesday night at a Los Angeles hospital.

He was diagnosed with mesothelioma last year.

Olsen was an All-American at Utah State and a first-round draft pick of the Los Angles Rams in 1962.

The burley giant from northern Utah joined Deacon Jones, Lamar Lundy and Rosey Grier on the Rams' storied "Fearsome Foursome" defensive line known for either stopping or knocking backward whatever offenses it faced. The Rams set an NFL record for the fewest yards allowed during a 14-game season in 1968.

Olsen was rookie of the year for the Rams in 1962 and is still the Rams' all-time leader in career tackles with 915. He was named to 14 consecutive Pro Bowls, a string that started his rookie year.

Olsen was also an established television actor with a role on "Little House on the Prairie," then starring in his own series, "Father Murphy," from 1981 to 1983 and the short-lived "Aaron's Way" in 1988.

Olsen was a consensus All-American at Utah State and won the 1961 Outland Trophy as the nation's best interior lineman. The Rams drafted Olsen third overall in 1962 and he spent the next 15 years with the team before retiring in 1976.

Utah State honored Olsen in December by naming the football field at Romney Stadium "Merlin Olsen Field." Because of his illness, Olsen's alma mater didn't want to wait until football season and made the announcement during halftime of a basketball game.

Olsen was well enough to attend, but did not speak at the event. He stood and smiled as he waved to fans during a standing ovation and chants of "Merlin Olsen!" and "Aggie Legend!"

Utah State is also planning a statue of Olsen at the southeast corner of the stadium.

The Rams also honored Olsen during a game Dec. 20, with a video tribute narrated by Dick Enberg, Olsen's longtime broadcast partner. Olsen did not attend because of his health. His name was already part of the Ring of Fame inside the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis along with other franchise standouts.

He was voted NFC defensive lineman of the year in 1973 and the NFL MVP in 1974, and was voted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1982.

[Ramkokopelli]

Re: i just heard Merlin Olsen has died..

Merlin was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2009; underwent three rounds of chemotherapy. In Jan 2010 he filed suit against NBC Studios, NBC Universal and 20th Century Fox for exposing him to asbestos. Besides being a great football player, he was a truly kind, caring, polite, humble person. Thoughts and prayers to his family, friends and teammates.

[DistantRam]

Re: i just heard Merlin Olsen has died..

Terrible news.

Rest in peace, Merlin.

[ramsanddodgers]

Re: i just heard Merlin Olsen has died..

A sad day for Rams fans, but at the same time a smile is on our faces as we recall in our mind's eye what he was able to do on the gridiron.

We'll also fondly remember Jonathon Garvey and Father Murphy. >8)