Merlin Olsen

Merlin Olsen

Olsen on Little House on the Prairie
No. 74
Position:	Defensive tackle
Personal information
Born:	September 15, 1940 Logan, Utah, U.S.
Died:	March 11, 2010(2010-03-11) (aged 69) Duarte, California, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:	270 lb (122 kg)
Career information
High school:	Logan
College:	Utah State (1959–1961)
NFL draft:	1962 / Round: 1 / Pick: 3
AFL draft:	1962 / Round: 1 / Pick: 2
Career history
Los Angeles Rams (1962–1976)
Career highlights and awards
5× First-team All-Pro (1966–1970) 3× Second-team All-Pro (1963–1965) 14× Pro Bowl (1962–1975) NFL 1960s All-Decade Team NFL 1970s All-Decade Team NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team Bert Bell Award (1974) St. Louis Football Ring of Fame Los Angeles Rams No. 74 retired Outland Trophy (1961) Consensus All-American (1961) First-team All-American (1960)
Career NFL statistics
Games: 208 Interceptions: 1
Player stats at PFR
Pro Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame

Merlin Jay Olsen (/ˈoʊlsən/; September 15, 1940 – March 11, 2010)^[1] was an American football player, announcer, and actor. For his entire 15-year professional football career he was a defensive tackle with the Los Angeles Rams in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected to play in the Pro Bowl 14 times — every year but his last. The only other football players to have matched or exceeded that number are the former offensive lineman Bruce Matthews, the former tight end Tony Gonzalez, the former quarterback Peyton Manning, and former quarterback Tom Brady, who is the only NFL player to have played more times in the Pro Bowl, with 15 selections.

In 1961, Olsen received the Outland Trophy, awarded to as the best lineman of the year in college football. He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame. As an actor, he portrayed farmer Jonathan Garvey on Little House on the Prairie. After leaving that series, he starred in his own NBC drama, Father Murphy.