Dante Olson

Photo by: Owen Main

Class:
Redshirt Senior
Height:
6-3
Weight:
240
Position:
LB
Hometown:
Medford, Ore.
High School:
Cascade Christian HS

Individual Football Honors and Records:
2019 Season (senior – as of 4/15/20):

Buck Buchanan Award Winner (FCS Defensive Player of the Year)
FCS ADA Defensive Player of the Year
Walter Camp All-American
AFCA First-Team All-American
STATS FCS First-Team All-American
FCS ADA All-American
Associated Press First-Team All-American
HERO Sports First-Team All-American
Big Sky Conference Defensive Player of the Year
First-Team All-Big Sky Defense
Phil Steele Magazine Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year
Phil Steele Magazine First-Team All-Big Sky Defense
Montana's Steve Carlson Award for Team MVP
Montana Defensive Team MVP
Golden Helmet Award Winner (Team’s Hardest Hitter)
179 total tackles in 2019 (76 solo):
- The most total tackles in FCS football for a second-straight season.
  - Also the most tackles in all levels of college football (FBS, FCS, D-II, D-III) as of 12/20/19
- A new Big Sky Conference record for most single-season tackles
- Broke the Montana school record he set as a junior (151)
Became Montana's all-time leading tackler with 397 career stops, breaking Vince Huntsberger's 2001 record of 393.
Posted double-digit tackle totals in 10 of Montana’s 14 games
Had a season-high 18 tackles in two games, Posted game-high 14 tackles (10 solo) against Oregon Ducks
National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete & William V. Campbell Trophy Finalist
CoSIDA Academic All-American
CoSIDA Academic All-District
Allstate AFCA Good Works Team Member
Butkus Award Preseason Watch List (Only FCS Player on the list)
Phil Steele Magazine Preseason All-America First Team
Phil Steele Magazine Preseason All-Big Sky First Team
Big Sky Conference Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
STATS FCS Preseason All-American
Athlon Sports Preseason All-American
HERO Sports Preseason All-American
College Football America Yearbook Preseason Starting Lineup
NFF Hampshire Honor Society

2018 Season (junior):

Set Montana school record for single season tackles (151- Previous 130, K. Van Ackeren, 2015)
NCAA Statistical Champion for Tackles Per Game (13.7 – the most in FCS or FBS football)
Top-three finalist for the STATS FCS Buck Buchanan Award (Defensive Player of the Year)
Phil Steele 2018 FCS Defensive Player of the Year
Phil Steele Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year
Phil Steele First-Team All-American
Athlon Sports All-American
STATS FCS First-Team All-American
Walter Camp Foundation All-American
Associated Press First-Team All-American
American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) First-Team All-American
HERO Sports First-Team All-American
First-Team All-Big Sky Defense
Steve Carlson Team MVP
Grizzly Team Defensive MVP
2018 GoGriz.com Person of the Year
Three-time ROOT Sports Big Sky Player of the Week
Two-time College Sports Madness Big Sky Player of the Week
STATS FCS National Defensive Player of the Week (9/8)
Academic All-Big Sky

MORE: Against UNI (9/1), Olson led the Grizzly defense with 13 total tackles ... Also recorded an interception which he returned 26 yards, a sack for a loss of 9 yards, one PBU and one QB hurry ... Was named the ROOT Sports Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week after the UNI game ... Against Drake (9/8), Olson recorded 16 tackles, 2 sacks (career high), 3.5 TFL’s (career high), one forced fumble and one PBU ... Olson recorded 11 tackles, 1.5 TFLs, half a sack, one QB hit, and an interception that he returned 25 yards in a well-rounded performance vs. Western Illinois (9/15) ... Against Sacramento State (9/22) recorded 15 tackles, 1 sack, 1 PBU, and a QB hit ... Against Cal Poly (9/29) Olson earned Big Sky Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors for the 3rd time in 5 weeks putting up 24 total tackles (career high and 2nd best single-game tackling performance in UM history) ... Against Portland State (10/6) put up 19 tackles, half a sack, 2 TFL’s and 2 forced fumbles ... Olson put up 8 tackles and one half of a TFL in a matchup against North Dakota (10/13) ... Olson added to his impressive season totals with a 13 tackle and one sack performance vs. #6 UC Davis (10/27) ... Leading his team in tackling, Olson contributed to his team’s road victory over Idaho (11/10) with 10 tackles and a QB hit on the day ... Olson completed his break-out season with an 18 tackle performance against rival Montana State (11/17)

2017 Season (sophomore):

Second Team All-Big Sky on Special Teams
UM’s Hauck Family Special Teams Player of the Year
Academic All-Big Sky

MORE: Recorded 38 tackles, 16 of them solo … Had 2 TFLs and one sack against Idaho State for a loss of seven yards … Blocked a kick against Northern Colorado … Logged QB hurries against Savannah State and Eastern Washington … Played in all 11 games for UM … Once again awarded the William (Robi) Robertson Memorial Athletic Scholarship at the annual Lindsay Awards Banquet

2016 Season (freshman):

UM’s Hauck Family Special Teams Player of the Year
Academic All-Big Sky

MORE: Olson played in 11 games as a redshirt freshman at linebacker … Recorded 29 tackles, seven of them solo … Had two tackles for loss for six yards, also recorded a sack … Had back to back games with seven tackles against Miss. Valley State and Sacramento State … Recorded both tackles for loss and also his only sack in the Miss. Valley State game... Awarded the William (Robi) Robertson Memorial Athletic Scholarship at the annual Lindsay Awards Banquet.

2015 Season (redshirt):

UM’s Defensive Scout Team Player of the Year

HIGH SCHOOL:Olson was a four-year letterman in football at Cascade Christian HS, where his team won four conference championships (10-3 in 2011; 13-1 in 2012; 12-2 in 2013, and 8-3 in 2014) in a row... Three-year team captain and defensive player of the year.... Also led his team in tackles for three seasons...Voted defensive MVP of his conference and the state two times... His senior year he had 135 tackles, 5 sacks, and 4 forced fumbles; rushed for 583 yards and 8 TDs... named to the state's All-Star Football Game... A three-time all-state selection at linebacker and tight end (as a senior) ... His prep coach was Jon Gettman.... Also lettered in basketball and tennis.

Scholastic Honors and Accomplishments:
• 2019 National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete & William V. Campbell Trophy Finalist
• 2019 STATS FCS Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete Award Finalist
• 2019 CoSIDA Academic All-American
• 2019 CoSIDA Academic All-District
• 2018 FCS Athletic Director’s Association Academic All-Star
• Four-time selection to Montana’s President’s Honor Roll for 4.0 GPA (Spring 2016, Spring 2017, Fall 2018, Spring 2019)
• Four-time selection to Dean’s List: Fall 2015, Fall 2016, Fall 2017, Spring 2018,
• Three-time Academic All-Big Sky (2016, ’17, & ’18)
• Two-time recipient of Montana’s William (Robi) Robertson Memorial Athletic Scholarship

PERSONAL:Olson carries a 3.91 GPA .... A Management major with minor in Entertainment Management … His parents are Linda and Jeff Olson of Medford … His dad Jeff is a Hall of Fame head football coach at Southern Oregon University … Serves as a pen-pal mentor to a class of underprivileged kids in Northern California

Community Service
Campus Activities / Leadership / Citizenship: