Wisconsin Football Coaches Association

Mike was born in La Crosse, Wisconsin on September 5, 1969, to Gene and Jann Olson.  He graduated from Pepin High School in 1987 where he played football, basketball, baseball and ran track.  In high school he got the coaching bug by coaching little league baseball with his father.  Olson earned multiple All-Conference awards, received the WIAA Scholar Athlete Award in 1987 and played in the 1987 Shrine Bowl coached by Hall of Fame Coach, Paul Engen.

Mike continued to play football at the University of Wisconsin, River Falls under HOF coaches Mike Farley, Ted Thompson, John O’Grady and Kevin Bullis.  Olson was a four-year starter, team captain, WIAC Scholar Athlete, First Team Cosida Academic All-American in 1991 and is third overall for career tackles.

Upon graduation from UW-River Falls, Olson began his teaching and coaching career at Blooming Prairie, Minnesota.  He taught math and was head football coach at Blooming Prairie High School for five years.  After earning an MS in math education from Minnesota State-Mankato, he moved back to Pepin, Wisconsin in 1997.

For the next three years, Mike was the offensive coordinator which culminated in Pepin making play-offs for the first time in school history.  In 2000, he became the head coach and Pepin would win its first football conference championship in 2003.  Starting in 2002, Pepin made the play-offs 15 consecutive years.  In 2009, Pepin and Alma joined in sports and the Pepin-Alma Eagles Football have a record of 129-45.  Overall, Mike’s teams are currently 187-119, were state runners-up twice, won nine conference championships and qualified for playoffs 21 of his 25 years. 

Mike was head coach of the 2024 North Team where he got to coach his son one last time and saw the North win 31-13.  He was named Region Coach of the Year four different times and Packers Coach of the Week in 2014.  He has been a Conference and Region Rep.

Coach Olson has been blessed with players that have an incredible work ethic and that believe in the system, great community support and a phenomenal coaching staff that has been together for a long time.

He is thankful for his amazing family, his parents, siblings and his wife Sherie and two children, Addison and Evan.  Both were on the sideline for the state final appearances and many great football memories were made with them throughout the years.