Arizona Wildcats Talk: Lute Olson

Wednesday marked five years ago of the passing of Arizona basketball coaching legend Lute Olson, who passed away at the age of 85. Not only did Olson help turn the Wildcats’ program into a national power, he became a beloved member of the community of Tucson.

Olson didn’t just turn Arizona basketball into a national brand. He had a track record of sustained success dating back to his first winning season in his second-year at the helm going 21-10 during the 1984-85 season.

Three years later, Olson and the Wildcats made the first Final Four in program history during the 1987-88 season going an incredible 35-3 and dominating the competition. After that, the rest is history as the program established itself as a national power.

Olson had a massive impact on the program and the community of Tucson. We decided to take a look back at the three greatest games in his UA coaching career.

1. Arizona vs. Kentucky (1997)

• In 1997, Arizona went on an unprecedented run to the National Title game making the program’s first title game appearance. It was a true David versus Goliath showdown featuring a Blue Blood program against an up-and-coming team of the 90’s.

• The Wildcats featured a guard-oriented roster with Mike Bibby, Miles Simon, and Jason Terry to go along with Michael Dickerson, Bennett Davison and AJ Barmlett. Arizona was going up against Kentucky, looking to win back-to-back titles and was led by head coach Rick Pitino.

• After a back-and-forth battle, Arizona and Olson captured their first and only National Title in a classic 84-79 (OT) win over Kentucky. The Wildcats were led in scoring by Simon, who dropped 30 points while going 8 of 18 from the field and 14 of 17 from the free-throw line.

2. Arizona vs. North Carolina (1988)

• Early in the Olson era, Arizona was trying to establish itself as a program that had arrived and was ready for the national spotlight. Just five years after taking the job, he was able to put together what many consider the greatest Wildcat team of all-time that featured a lineup of Steve Kerr, Craig McMillan, Tom Tolbert, Anthony Cook and the program’s all-time leading scorer Sean Elliott (2,555).

• The Wildcats rolled to the Elite Eight, winning games over Cornell, Seton Hall and Iowa by an average of 29.7 points. Awaiting UA was Blue Blood North Carolina (27-7) with coaching legend Dean Smith leading the Tar Heels.

• After a close first half, Arizona erupted for 44 points in the second half, led by Elliott with his 24 points and Tolbert adding 21 of his own. The Wildcats would go on to win 70-52, punching the program’s first ticket to the Final Four and marking the start of UA becoming a national brand.

• The lasting memory from that game came at the final buzzer when Olson’s beloved wife Bobbi Olson came running down from the stands to give her husband a hug. The two built the program together as a family atmosphere became a staple in the Tucson community.

3. Arizona vs.North Carolina (1997)

• I know we have already talked about the National Title run of the 1996-97 season. However, part of the run was a showdown in the Final Four against 1-seed North Carolina and the Wildcats were coming off close wins over 1-seed Kansas (85-82) and 10-seed Providence (96-92 OT) to get the Tar Heels.

• The game against North Carolina featured stars Vince Carter and Antawn Jamison with Smith in his last season as head coach before making the decision to retire.

• It was another close game for the Wildcats where they were able to walk away with a 66-58 victory to punch the program first trip to the National Title game.

• By the end of the tournament, Arizona not only won the National Title, they became the only school to knock off three No. 1 seeds in NCAA Tournament history making it one of the most historic runs in college basketball history.

There have been many more memorable games and moments throughout Olson’s storied 25-year career at Arizona. However, these three marked the growth of the program and how he was able to turn the Wildcats into a national power.

Tucson will forever miss coach Olson, but the memories he left behind for fans will always be remembered and the impact he had on players, the university and the city of Tucson will hold a special place in everyone’s hearts.