Allan Olson – Builder
Pick a sport and Allan Olson has been involved in it.
Born on December 8, 1935, in Prince Albert, Allan grew up competing in numerous sports and that carried over to his adult years where he coached and instructed in most of the same disciplines.
Allan was the top athlete at the city’s Public School Sports Day in 1947-48 and after playing his entire minor hockey in the city he later toiled with the Anavets hockey club. Allan was also a competitive curler during this time as he grew up in a curling family. His mother Marg was provincial ladies’ champion in 1951 and 1955 and they often curled together in bonspiels.
It was as a coach and as an instructor that Allan made his mark, however. From 1963 to 1975, Allan was either the coach or manager of a city and provincial champion in softball. For three straight years beginning in 1963, Allan guided a Squirt girls’ team to the city and provincial titles and then the next three years saw his Pee Wee girls club claim the city and provincial championships. In 1969, Allan’s squad won the Bantam title and was runner-up in the provincial playdowns before moving up to Midget for the next two years where again they were both city and provincial champions. In 1972, the Allan Olson coached Junior team won both the city and zone titles and also completed at the Saskatchewan Summer Games in Moose Jaw.
That was the end of the line for that particular club and the Opti-Mrs. squad was later honored with a spot in the Prince Albert Sports Hall of Fame’s team category for their amazing run of success. Allan then reverted back to the Pee Wee Division for three years where he was a manager and assistant coach on three more city championship teams.
In hockey, Allan led both the Bantam and Midget teams from Parkland Community Club to city titles as he guided both squads at one time. Allan was the coach of the Midget team from 1970-72 and the Bantam team in 1971.
Allan has also umpired women’s softball in the city and instructed curling at the Prince Albert Golf and Curling Club. His competitive curling career has seen him play in the C.N.R. Big 60 curling club as well as the senior men’s league at P.A.G.C.C.
Allan has received two outstanding service awards from Softball Canada and it is with great pride that the Prince Albert Sports Hall of Fame includes his name on its honor roll in the builder division.
Inducted into the Prince Albert Sports Hall of Fame in 2000.