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Greg Olsen (American football)
Encyclopedia
Gregory Olsen is an American football
tight end
for the Carolina Panthers
of the National Football League
. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears
in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at the University of Miami
.
and attended Wayne Hills High School
, where he played football under his father Chris Olsen, Sr. As a high school senior he was one of three finalists for the Gatorade Player of the Year award along with former Miami Hurricane teammate Kyle Wright
. He was a USA Today
First-Team All-American as a senior in 2002. He finished his career with 73 receptions
for 1,474 yards, and a school-record 27 touchdowns. He played in the 2003 U.S. Army All-American Bowl
. He also played basketball
on the varsity level for three years.
but transferred as a freshman to the University of Miami
in 2003. In 2003, Olsen was on the Hurricanes' scout team before suffering a shoulder injury and was redshirted. He became the starter of the Miami Hurricanes
in his sophomore season in 2005 after Kevin Everett
was drafted in the third round by the Buffalo Bills
. In his career he totaled 87 receptions for 1215 yards and six touchdowns.
's rap group, the 7th Floor Crew, under the pseudonym
G-Reg. Many media sources ridiculed Olsen for his involvement in the group, which earned national notoriety for their sexually explicit and vulgar lyrics. Olsen addressed the media about the issue almost a week after the draft. He apologized for his actions and stated he had moved on.
selected Olsen as the 31st overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft
. He signed a five-year contract with the team on July 3, which made him the first of the draft's top sixty-four picks to come to terms with their team. Olsen sustained a knee injury during the Bears' final preseason game in 2007,
and consequently, he missed the team's first two games while recovering. He made his NFL debut on September 23, 2007 against the Dallas Cowboys
, catching two passes for twenty-eight yards.
Olsen caught his first touchdown two weeks later during a Week 5 match-up against the Green Bay Packers
. Olsen finished the season with 39 receptions for 391 yards and two touchdowns.
Olsen saw his playing time increase during his second season. He started 7 of 16 games, making 54 receptions for 574 yards and five touchdowns. He led the team in receiving touchdowns, while finishing second in receptions and receiving yards. Olsen was selected as a second alternate for the 2009 Pro Bowl
. Chicago's Comcast SportsNet named Olsen the Bears Player of the Year.
In 2009, Olsen quickly developed a rapport with Jay Cutler
, whom the Bears had acquired from the Denver Broncos
. Olsen and Cutler connected for 60 receptions, for 612 yards, and eight touchdowns. He led the Bears in receptions and touchdowns, while finishing behind Devin Hester
for most receiving yards. Before the 2010 season the Bears fired Ron Turner
and hired Mike Martz
as offensive coordinator. His numbers dropped compared to his 2008 and 2009 seasons, as he recorded 41 receptions for 404 yards, and 5 touchdowns. However, Olsen helped the Bears win their first 2011 playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks
, catching three passes for 113 yards and one touchdown.
for a 2012 third round draft pick.
for the University of Virginia
in Charlottesville, Virginia
. His brother also tried out for a spot on the Bears' roster, during their rookie mini-camp in May 2007, but was not offered a contract. Greg and his wife welcomed a baby boy in early June 2011.
Olsen founded Receptions For Research: The Greg Olsen Foundation in 2009, which helps fund cancer research. Greg’s Mom is a 10 year cancer survivor and the inspiration for his foundation. One of his fundraising events includes Kicks for a Cure Kickball Tournament, the world’s largest charity kickball tournament. The large scale event is held annually each summer in Chicago’s Grant Park and hosts over 1,000 people. Kickball teams compete and have fun in an effort to raise money for cancer research.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
tight end
Tight end
The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
for the Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft
2007 NFL Draft
The 2007 National Football League Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 28 and April 29, 2007. The draft was televised for the 28th consecutive year on ESPN and ESPN2. The NFL Network also broadcast coverage of the event, its second year doing so...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at the University of Miami
Miami Hurricanes football
The Miami Hurricanes football program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference of the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the University of Miami. The program began in 1926 and has won five AP national championships...
.
Early years
Olsen grew up in Wayne, New JerseyWayne, New Jersey
Wayne is a Township in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States, located less than from midtown Manhattan. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township had a total population of 54,069....
and attended Wayne Hills High School
Wayne Hills High School
Wayne Hills High School is a comprehensive community public high school, in Wayne, in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States, operating as one of the two high schools that are part of the Wayne Public Schools...
, where he played football under his father Chris Olsen, Sr. As a high school senior he was one of three finalists for the Gatorade Player of the Year award along with former Miami Hurricane teammate Kyle Wright
Kyle Wright
Kyle Wright is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2008...
. He was a USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
First-Team All-American as a senior in 2002. He finished his career with 73 receptions
Reception (American football)
In American football, a reception is part of a play in which a forward pass from behind the line of scrimmage is received by a player in bounds, who, after the catch, proceeds to either score a touchdown or be downed. Yards gained from the receiving play are credited to the player as receiving...
for 1,474 yards, and a school-record 27 touchdowns. He played in the 2003 U.S. Army All-American Bowl
U.S. Army All-American Bowl
The U.S. Army All-American Bowl is a high school football all-star game held in early January in San Antonio, Texas. Currently played in the Alamodome, the game brings 90 of the nation's top high school football players in an East versus West matchup. In addition to the Bowl game, there is the U.S...
. He also played basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
on the varsity level for three years.
College career
Olsen originally enrolled at the University of Notre DameUniversity of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
but transferred as a freshman to the University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
in 2003. In 2003, Olsen was on the Hurricanes' scout team before suffering a shoulder injury and was redshirted. He became the starter of the Miami Hurricanes
Miami Hurricanes
The Miami Hurricanes, of Coral Gables, Florida, are the varsity sports teams of the University of Miami. They compete in the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference . The university fields 15 athletic teams for 17 varsity sports...
in his sophomore season in 2005 after Kevin Everett
Kevin Everett
Kevin Everett, is a former American football tight end who played for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Bills in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
was drafted in the third round by the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. In his career he totaled 87 receptions for 1215 yards and six touchdowns.
7th Floor Crew involvement
Olsen was one of the players that participated in the University of MiamiUniversity of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
's rap group, the 7th Floor Crew, under the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
G-Reg. Many media sources ridiculed Olsen for his involvement in the group, which earned national notoriety for their sexually explicit and vulgar lyrics. Olsen addressed the media about the issue almost a week after the draft. He apologized for his actions and stated he had moved on.
Professional career
Chicago Bears
The Chicago BearsChicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
selected Olsen as the 31st overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft
2007 NFL Draft
The 2007 National Football League Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 28 and April 29, 2007. The draft was televised for the 28th consecutive year on ESPN and ESPN2. The NFL Network also broadcast coverage of the event, its second year doing so...
. He signed a five-year contract with the team on July 3, which made him the first of the draft's top sixty-four picks to come to terms with their team. Olsen sustained a knee injury during the Bears' final preseason game in 2007,
and consequently, he missed the team's first two games while recovering. He made his NFL debut on September 23, 2007 against the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
, catching two passes for twenty-eight yards.
Olsen caught his first touchdown two weeks later during a Week 5 match-up against the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
. Olsen finished the season with 39 receptions for 391 yards and two touchdowns.
Olsen saw his playing time increase during his second season. He started 7 of 16 games, making 54 receptions for 574 yards and five touchdowns. He led the team in receiving touchdowns, while finishing second in receptions and receiving yards. Olsen was selected as a second alternate for the 2009 Pro Bowl
2009 Pro Bowl
The 2009 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl was the NFL's all-star game for the 2008 season. It was played at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii on February 8, 2009. This was the last time that a Pro Bowl game was held after the NFL Super Bowl game...
. Chicago's Comcast SportsNet named Olsen the Bears Player of the Year.
In 2009, Olsen quickly developed a rapport with Jay Cutler
Jay Cutler (American football)
Jay Christopher Cutler is a quarterback for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. He played football at Vanderbilt University. Cutler began his professional football career with the Denver Broncos, who selected him as the 11th overall pick of the 2006 NFL Draft...
, whom the Bears had acquired from the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Olsen and Cutler connected for 60 receptions, for 612 yards, and eight touchdowns. He led the Bears in receptions and touchdowns, while finishing behind Devin Hester
Devin Hester
Devin Hester is an American football wide receiver and return specialist for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League . He played college football at the University of Miami, where he became the first person in the university’s recent history to play in all three phases of American football...
for most receiving yards. Before the 2010 season the Bears fired Ron Turner
Ron Turner
Ron Turner may refer to:*Ronald Turner , Canadian politician*Ronald L. Turner, chairman and chief executive officer of Ceridian Corporation*Ronald William Turner , English World War I flying ace...
and hired Mike Martz
Mike Martz
Michael Martz is a former NFL head coach and currently the offensive coordinator for the National Football League's Chicago Bears....
as offensive coordinator. His numbers dropped compared to his 2008 and 2009 seasons, as he recorded 41 receptions for 404 yards, and 5 touchdowns. However, Olsen helped the Bears win their first 2011 playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
, catching three passes for 113 yards and one touchdown.
Carolina Panthers
On July 28, 2011, Olsen was traded to the Carolina PanthersCarolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
for a 2012 third round draft pick.
Personal life
Olsen's older brother, Chris Jr., played quarterbackQuarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
for the University of Virginia
Virginia Cavaliers football
Virginia Cavaliers football is a college football program that competes in the NCAA Division I-FBS and the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
in Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville is an independent city geographically surrounded by but separate from Albemarle County in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the queen consort of King George III of the United Kingdom.The official population estimate for...
. His brother also tried out for a spot on the Bears' roster, during their rookie mini-camp in May 2007, but was not offered a contract. Greg and his wife welcomed a baby boy in early June 2011.
Olsen founded Receptions For Research: The Greg Olsen Foundation in 2009, which helps fund cancer research. Greg’s Mom is a 10 year cancer survivor and the inspiration for his foundation. One of his fundraising events includes Kicks for a Cure Kickball Tournament, the world’s largest charity kickball tournament. The large scale event is held annually each summer in Chicago’s Grant Park and hosts over 1,000 people. Kickball teams compete and have fun in an effort to raise money for cancer research.