The funny thing is, Otto Olson never considered himself an outstanding athlete, though his many vanquished foes from over the years would surely beg to differ.
“Honestly, I was not a great athlete,” he insisted. “I wasn’t naturally coordinated or fast or any of those kinds of things. But in wrestling you can get away with not being a great athlete just by working hard, by being tenacious, and by being aggressive. Wrestling is good for someone who’s willing to do that.”
And so it was for Olson, a 1996 graduate of Everett High School who was a three-time state champion and then went on to become a three-time All-American at the University of Michigan. He is, without question, one of the most successful wrestlers ever from Snohomish County, and he might well have a place right at the top.
On Wednesday night, Olson’s remarkable career and those of other county sports stars — six athletes, two coaches, two sports contributors and one team — will be celebrated as they are inducted into the Snohomish County Sports Hall of Fame. The inductions will occur at a gala banquet ceremony in the Edward D. Hansen Conference Center at Everett’s XFINITY Arena.
This is the fifth class of Hall of Fame inductees and it is, said committee chair Frank Foster, “another outstanding class. You talk to anyone who knows these inductees and the first thing everyone says is that they’re wonderful people and that they should be in (the Hall of Fame).”
For Olson, the induction “is something I’m very proud of. It’s an honor to be part of something that will always be there. And it’s nice to see that all the hard work (over the years) paid off.”
Today the 37-year-old Olson is a physical education teacher at Explorer Middle School in the Mukilteo School District, and he also operates a successful disc jockey business. He can look back on a wrestling career of great achievements, but one unfortunately marked by knee injuries that left him short of a coveted goal — an NCAA championship.
Had he remained injury free, “I definitely could’ve been a national champ,” said Olson, who finished second at nationals as a sophomore. But throughout his career “I never cut any corners. I always wanted to do extra. I never wanted to have any regrets. I didn’t want to look back later and say, ‘Wow, I wish I’d done this.’”
Other athletes being inducted Wednesday are Jeff Pahukoa of Marysville, a University of Washington and NFL football player; Theresa Wagner Romagnolo of Edmonds, a University of Washington and professional soccer player who is currently the head women’s coach at the University of Notre Dame; Bret Summers of Marysville, a standout amateur and professional boxer; Matt Surina of Everett, a PBA and PBA Senior tour bowler; and Richard “Rusty” Wailes of Edmonds, a two-time Olympic rower.
The coaches in this year’s class are Margaret “Maggie” King, a multi-sports coach at Mountlake Terrace High School and an early advocate for sports opportunities for girls; and Joe Richer, a longtime coach at Everett High School.
The contributors are Bob and Margaret Bavasi, who brought minor-league baseball to Everett in 1984 with the Everett Giants, today the Everett AquaSox.
The team being inducted is the 1952 Everett High School football team, coached by Jim Ennis, that went undefeated while outscoring its opponents 248-45 and defeated Franklin of Seattle in a Thanksgiving Day game.
Wailes, King and Richer are deceased.
Tonight’s banquet begins at 5 p.m. with a 90-minute social hour, which includes a silent auction and a tour of the permanent Hall of Display in XFINITY Arena. Dinner begins at 6:30 p.m., with the program starting at around 7:15 p.m.
Mike Rohrbach, a co-captain on the 1978 University of Washington Rose Bowl football team, will be the keynote speaker.
Also being recognized are The Herald’s Man and Woman of the Year in Sports for 2013 — University of Washington volleyball player Kylin Munoz of Monroe and U.S. national champion curler Brady Clark of Lynnwood. There will also be announcements of the Snohomish County Male and Female Collegiate Athlete of the Year, with nominees from Edmonds CC, Everett CC and Trinity Lutheran College.
This is the fifth year for the Hall of Fame banquet, “and I’m just amazed at how fast these five years have passed,” Foster said. “When I was daydreaming about this event (prior to its inception), little would I have realized the significance it would have not only with the inductees, but with their friends and families and with county residents. It’s just taken on a life of its own.”
Foster is backed by a committee that helps evaluate nominees and make the Hall of Fame selections. “It’s just an incredible group of people,” he said. “They’re the ones who have made it the success that it’s become.”
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