Phillip V. and Connie Smith Olsen will serve as grand marshals of Utah State University's Homecoming Parade Oct. 27.
The Olsens, of Irvine, Calif., are 1970 graduates of USU.Phil Olsen was a football All-American, athlete of the year and team captain at USU. He spent nine years in the National Football League playing for the New England Patriots, Los Angeles Rams, Denver Broncos and Buffalo Bills. While in the NFL, he had interests in commercial industrial real estate and has remained in that field since retiring from football.
He is currently president of Double O Enterprises, Inc., managing partner of Olsen Properties, and is vice president of Master's Hannover Group Inc. He is also a football analyst on the Utah State Sports Radio Network.
Connie Olsen has been active with the Orange County, Calif., chapter of Childhelp USA for many years. She has served as president and is now on the national board of directors.
She organized the Merlin Olsen Celebrity Golf Classic to benefit Childhelp. Along with Phil she developed the National Football League Players Association Awards Dinner to honor players for involvement with charities and service organizations. She has helped generate two group homes for severely abused children. She also works with the Orange County Child Abuse Council.