SHAWN OLSON
Shawn Olson is one of the greatest players to ever wear a Rams uniform, the graduate of Surrey’s Holy Cross High School played for the then Surrey Rams from 1992 to 1995 and won three BC Championships and a Western Canadian Championship. In four seasons as the Rams starting quarterback Olson threw for 5758 yards and 62 touchdowns and was honoured by the BCFC as as one of their greatest players of All Time during the Conference’s 50th Anniversary year in 1997.
Shawn enrolled at UBC in 1996 and played five seasons with the Thunderbirds, during those five years he was a three-time Canada West All-Star and quarterbacked the TBirds to a Vanier Cup Victory over the Ottawa Gee Gees in 1997.
During his playing career at the Point Grey campus, UBC had a record of 30-17-1 and made four Hardy Cup appearances, Olson finished with a career 9,953 yards passing (second all-time in UBC history), 1,276 yards rushing and 65 total touchdowns (55 passing and 10 rushing) to rank among the school’s most prolific offensive players of all-time.
After graduating from UBC Olson joined the coaching staff at the University of Calgary and after one season with the Dino’s he moved to Austria, where he enjoyed a stellar playing career in the AFL (Europe) professional league with the Vienna Vikings.
Olson was a playing-coach from 2002-2005 and quarterbacked the Vikings to three straight Euro Bowls, 2003, 2004 and 2005. He became the Vikings full time offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2006 and helped lead the Austrian club to a pair of Euro Bowls (2006, 2007) and two AFL Division I titles (2006 and 2007).
Shawn then returned to Canada to become the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Simon Fraser University Clan, helping to take a program that was winless in 2007 to the Hardy Cup Championship game in 2008.
Olson became Head Coach of the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds in 2010 and one year later lead the CIS team to it’s first playoff win in 12 years and a berth in the Hardy Cup Championship game. He was named the 2011 CIS Canada West Football Coach of the Year for his efforts and is credited for building the core of the TBirds 2015 Vanier Cup Championship team and Coaching Staff.
Shawn is the Director of Advisor Recruiting with Freedom 55 Financial and resides in South Surrey with his wonderful wife Julie and their young family, eight year old basketball star Tristan and four year old princess Eve.