Lance Olson To Receive Distinguished Alumnus Award
3/13/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 13, 2003
Former Michigan State men's basketball player Lance Olson (1956-59) will receive the Distinguished Alumnus Award to be handed out at the 2003 Basketball Bust on Monday, March 17, at 7:00 p.m., at Lansing's Holiday Inn South. Prior to the bust, Olson will travel with the Michigan State Spartans to the Big Ten Tournament in Chicago. A native of Green Bay, Wis., Olson was a member of the Spartan basketball team from 1956-60. A team captain and a member of a Big Ten Championship team, he went on to accomplish great things in the medical profession following his time at Michigan State, making him truly deserving of the award.
Olson arrived in East Lansing in 1956 after a successful prep career in Green Bay, where he excelled in basketball, track and football. Although NCAA rules prohibited freshmen from playing in games, Olson was a valuable member of the scout team on the 1956-57 Spartan squad that won the Big Ten Championship and advanced to the Final Four. Olson was a starter on the 1958-59 team that won a Big Ten Championship and finished one game away from the Final Four. As a senior, Olson served as team co-captain and averaged 18.5 points per game, earning second-team All-Big Ten honors.
After receiving his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, Olson briefly played professional basketball and coached the 1961-62 Spartan freshman team. He then decided to enter the field of medicine, earning a master's degree and Ph.D. in physiology from Michigan State. In 1969, he was a member of the first class of the MSU College of Human Medicine. He then earned a fellowship to Harvard Medical School, and soon became one of the premiere eye surgeons in the nation.
Although his career has taken him away from East Lansing, Olson continues to be an avid supporter of Michigan State University, including being an active member of the Ralph Young Fund and a donor to the MSU College of Human Medicine.
Past recipients of the award include Rickey Ayala (1997), Julius McCoy (1998), Robin Roberts (1999), Horace Walker (2000), John Green (2001) and Gus Ganakas (2002).
