Hall of Fame
Ollie Olson spent nearly a quarter-century at West Liberty as a versatile and successful teacher and coach. In recognition of his achievements, Olson was selected as one of the WVIAC's All-Time Coaches when that list was released in 1974.
From 1953 to 1977, Olson coached football, basketball, cross country and track on the hilltop, often managing multiple sports at the same time. He won nearly 60 percent of his games in nine seasons as the Hilltoppers' basketball coach. Olson coached the hardwood sport from 1953-54 to 1956-57 and from 1959-60 to 1963-64 after a brief hiatus while serving as the school's head football coach.
Olson's basketball teams posted winning records in eight of his nine seasons, winning the 1961 WVIAC regular-season championship and claiming WVIAC Tournament crowns in 1952, 1957 and 1960. Olson was also the founding coach of West Liberty's cross country program and was credited with the resurgence of the Hilltopper track program after taking the reins in the late 1950s. His cross country teams won back-to-back WVIAC titles in 1960 and 1961 while his track teams donned conference crowns in 1961 and 1962.
