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Hall of Famer, ‘Little House’ star Olsen dies
MSNBC ^ | Mar 11, 2010

Posted on 03/11/2010 9:28:43 AM PST by rdl6989

SALT LAKE CITY - Pro Football Hall of Famer and former television actor Merlin Olsen has died. He was 69.

Utah State University assistant athletic media relations director Zach Fisher says Olsen died Wednesday night at a Los Angeles hospital.

He was diagnosed with mesothelioma last year. Story continues below ↓advertisement | your ad here

Olsen was an All-American at Utah State and a first-round draft pick of the Los Angles Rams in 1962.

(Excerpt) Read more at nbcsports.msnbc.com ...


TOPICS: Front Page News
KEYWORDS: christian; lds; merlin; merlinolsen; mormon; olsen; repost
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To: AngelesCrestHighway

“Granted....But I don’t tell to many people their momma wears army boots.....”

Heh heh...good point...


61 posted on 03/11/2010 10:34:40 AM PST by jessduntno ("For the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine)
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To: Dr. Zzyzx

That was on my mind, too.


62 posted on 03/11/2010 10:34:46 AM PST by ConservativeMind (Hypocrisy: "Animal rightists" who eat meat & pen up pets while accusing hog farmers of cruelty.)
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To: Catsrus

Do you remember the spin off of Little House? IIRC it was Olsen, and a bunch of kids and a schoolteacher. What the heck was the name of that show?


63 posted on 03/11/2010 10:38:54 AM PST by madamemayhem (defeat isn't getting knocked down, it's not getting back up)
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To: stormer
I think it was appropriate to give weight to both of his major careers. Olsen was also an actor that many of us remember. I personally didn't even know he was a football player, because I am not a big football fan. I do, however, remember him from “Little House on the Prairie”. Not everyone is an armchair quarterback!
64 posted on 03/11/2010 10:42:13 AM PST by Flamenco Lady
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To: mad_as_he$$

Asbestos was in just about everything back in the day. Vehicle brake lining, ceiling material, flooring, etc. Tuesday, during reflooring at our American Legion post, asbestos was purportedly found. Boy is that going to cost us.

RIP Merlin. Thanks for all the good memories.


65 posted on 03/11/2010 10:48:12 AM PST by oneamericanvoice (Support freedom! Support the troops! Surrender is not an option!)
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To: AngelesCrestHighway

A good guy from the last generation! Bye Merlin! RIP!


66 posted on 03/11/2010 11:21:41 AM PST by rcrngroup
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To: Catsrus
First of all, I don't get my moral lessons from the television. Second, I come from a family that put down roots in south central Nebraska in the 1870s - I'm pretty familiar with the trials of the frontier, I've been learning about them all of my life.
67 posted on 03/11/2010 11:22:04 AM PST by stormer
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To: stormer

I didn’t say you get your moral lessons from tv. I merely meant the program was high in moral content. The show took place in Minnesota.


68 posted on 03/11/2010 11:24:22 AM PST by Catsrus
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To: Flamenco Lady
You are quite right. He quit playing football so long ago, even many modern fans are not aware of his background. He was truly one of the finest defensive players of all time. By the time his acting career took off, TV was about the last thing I was interested in. I guess I'm just an old fart.
69 posted on 03/11/2010 11:27:04 AM PST by stormer
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To: Dr. Zzyzx

“I don’t think back at the time he was exposed to asbestos anyone was aware of the dangers.”

People were aware of the danger at least by the early 80’s. He was working on NBC sets at that time.


70 posted on 03/11/2010 11:33:57 AM PST by Rebelbase
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To: mad_as_he$$

I was wondering the same thing; when he was exposed to asbestos. My brother actually died from this disease but he was very much exposed to it the 1950s so that was not surprising. I would think just a casual exposure would be unlikely to cause this disease. Sad news.


71 posted on 03/11/2010 12:32:41 PM PST by RichardW
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To: Perdogg

RIP Merlin Olsen....One of the truly good guys!!!
Great player on the field.
Smooth and informative in front of a mic and a camera.
Probably the most liked person on any set or commercial shoot!!!

His longtime partner on NBC, Dick Enberg must be devestated by the news. He is supposed to call the Pac-10 Championship game for CBS on Saturday night. If he does, I hope CBS gives him the opportunity to remember his friend even if means showing pics of them in NBC stuff.....


72 posted on 03/11/2010 12:35:15 PM PST by cleveland gop (THERE'S NO NEED TO FEAR, MARCH MADNESS IS FINALLY HERE!!!!!)
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To: rdl6989

Wow. Sad.

RIP, Mr. Olsen

I attended USU ‘63-’64, a few years after Merlin graduated. One Saturday a few of my friends and I went to a Church gym on campus to shoot a few hoops. Merlin was already there by himself doing the same and invited us to join him. I was dazzled, as this was when he was at his peak of fame with the Ram’s Fearsome Foursome. He was really a nice guy and unpretentious. You’d never have known he was a famous NFL star.


73 posted on 03/11/2010 12:58:28 PM PST by Zman516 (muslims, marxists, communists ---> satan's useful idiot corps <-- or, "corpse" as Zero puts it..)
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To: Badabing Badablonde
Asbestos is not the sole cause of Mesothelioma.

I'm not in any way an expert, but I want the truth to be told. On one side, you have folks claiming asbestos is horrible and causes cancer, on the other side, millions of folks who were exposed to asbestos in myriad forms did not develop cancer.

I've also heard there are a few different forms of asbestos, and that only one variant has the little hook-like fiber that your lungs have a hard time clearing.

It's to the point where I don't trust either side - especially their lawyers.

74 posted on 03/11/2010 2:20:54 PM PST by IYAS9YAS (The townhalls were going great until the oPods showed up.)
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To: RichardW

I agree.


75 posted on 03/11/2010 2:52:58 PM PST by mad_as_he$$
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To: madamemayhem

“Father Murphy”, which ran from 1981-83. He didn’t play the same character in the show, however, as he did on “Little House.”


76 posted on 03/11/2010 6:11:00 PM PST by fieldmarshaldj (~"This is what happens when you find a stranger in the Amber Lamps !"~~)
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To: Rebelbase

Did anyone else on the set get diagnosed with mesothelioma?


77 posted on 03/11/2010 7:34:01 PM PST by Badabing Badablonde (New to the internet? CLICK HERE)
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