Robert Luther "Lute" Olson was an American basketball coach, who was inducted into both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. He was the head coach of the Arizona Wildcats men's team for 25 years. He was also head coach for the Iowa Hawkeyes for nine years and Long Beach State 49ers for one season. Known for player development and great recruiting, many of his former players have gone on to have impressive careers in the NBA. On October 23, 2008, Olson announced his retirement from coaching. Olson died on August 27, 2020, in Tucson, Arizona. He was 85 years old.
Olson in 2017
Olson, circa 1987
Arizona Wildcats men's basketball
The Arizona Wildcats men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. They compete in the Pac-12 Conference of NCAA Division I and is coached by Tommy Lloyd. On August 4, 2023, Arizona announced it would join the Big 12 Conference beginning in the 2024–25 academic year, after spending 50 years in the Pac-10/12 conference.
Fred Enke in 1960.
Lute Olson in 2017. Olson had an overall record of 589–187 at Arizona, the 2nd most wins by a coach in Pac-10/12 history
All-American Sean Elliott won several national college basketball awards and set the school's scoring record while helping lead the Wildcats to the Final Four in 1988.
Sean Miller at Arizona
