Merlin Olsen - wikipedia Merlin Olsen Merlin Olsen No. 74 Position : Defensive tackle Born : September 15, 1940 Logan, Utah Died : March 11, 2010 ( 2010 - 03 - 11 ) ( aged 69 ) Duarte, California Height : 6 ft 5 in ( 1.96 m ) Weight : 270 lb ( 122 kg ) Career information High school : Logan ( Logan, Utah ) College : Utah State NFL Draft : 1962 / Round : 1 / Pick : 3 AFL draft : 1962 / Round : 1 / Pick : 2 Career history Los Angeles Rams ( 1962 -- 1976 ) Career highlights and awards 14 × Pro Bowl ( 1962 -- 1975 ) 6 × First - team All - Pro ( 1964, 1966 -- 1970 ) 3 × Second - team All - Pro ( 1965, 1973, 1974 ) Bert Bell Award ( 1974 ) NFL Rookie of the Year ( 1962 ) NFL 75th Anniversary All - Time Team NFL 1970s All - Decade Team NFL 1960s All - Decade Team Los Angeles Rams No. 74 retired Outland Trophy ( 1961 ) 2 × First - team All - American ( 1960, 1961 ) Career NFL statistics Games : 208 Interceptions : 1 Player stats at NFL.com Player stats at PFR Pro Football Hall of Fame College Football Hall of Fame Merlin Jay Olsen ( / ˈoʊlsən / ; September 15, 1940 -- March 11, 2010 ) was an American football player, announcer, and actor. He played his entire 15 - year professional football career in National Football League ( NFL ) as a defensive tackle with the Los Angeles Rams. He was selected to the Pro Bowl a record 14 straight times, missing selection only in the last year of his career. This record of 14 seasons selected to play in the Pro Bowl, consecutive or otherwise, is current and shared with former offensive lineman Bruce Matthews, former tight end Tony Gonzalez, and former quarterback Peyton Manning. A recipient of the 1961 Outland Trophy as the best lineman in college football, Olsen is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame. As an actor, he portrayed farmer Jonathan Garvey on Little House on the Prairie. After leaving that series, he starred in his own NBC drama, Father Murphy. Contents 1 Early life 2 College 2.1 Awards and honors 3 Professional football career 4 Post-athletic career 4.1 Broadcaster 4.2 Actor 4.3 Pitchman 4.4 Awards 5 Personal life 6 Illness and death 7 Filmography 7.1 Film 7.2 Television 8 See also 9 References 10 External links Early Life Born to Merle Barrus and Lynn Jay Olsen in Logan, Utah, the second of nine siblings and the first - born son, Olsen had three brothers and five sisters : Colleen, Clark, Lorraine, Gwen, Phil, Winona, Ramona, and Orrin. College Olsen attended Utah State University where he became a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity, and was a three - year letterman in football as a defensive tackle. He graduated from the College of Business and Social Sciences at USU with a bachelor 's degree in Finance in 1962 and a master 's degree in Economics in 1971. He later received an honorary doctorate degree in business from the Huntsman School. In football, as a senior, he was a consensus All - American selection ( making the vast majority of All - America teams ) and was the winner of the Outland Trophy. After Olsen 's junior year of 1960 he was also named All - American by the Football Writers Association of America and Newspaper Enterprise Association. He was also All - Conference in both 1960 and 1961. Olsen and Utah State were in the 1960 Sun Bowl, losing to New Mexico State, 20 -- 13. Led by Olsen, the Aggie defense held the New Mexico State Aggies to just 44 rushing yards on 32 carries. The Aggie defense Olsen anchored as a senior gave up an average of 50.8 rushing yards ( which led the nation ), 88.6 passing yards, and 139.4 total yards which all still stand as school records for defense. The 1961 Aggie defense gave up an average 7.8 points a game, which is second in team history behind Olsen 's 1960 team, which allowed 6.5 points per game. Additionally, the Aggie defense held four opponents to less than 100 total yards. One, the University of Idaho, was held to a school - record 23 total yards, with the Aggies winning 69 -- 0. The Aggies, not known as a national power football program, finished 10th in both the AP and UPI post-season polls, the only time that has occurred in school history. The Aggies had a combined 18 -- 3 -- 1 record during Olsen 's junior and senior seasons under coach John Ralston and were conference champions those two seasons as well. Awards and honors Olsen played in the East - West Shrine Game in 1961 and in 2003 was voted to the game 's Hall of Fame. He also played in the Hula Bowl after his senior season and was voted MVP of the game. Olsen is a member of the State of Utah 's Sports Hall of Fame, the Utah State University Sports Hall of Fame and USU 's All - Century Football Team. In 2000, he was selected by Sports Illustrated as one of the State of Utah 's Top 50 Athletes of the Century. He was voted to the All - Academic All - America Hall of Fame in 1988. In 1969, he was voted to the Newspaper Enterprise Association All - Time All - America team with collegiate greats such as Bronko Nagurski, Red Grange, Jim Thorpe, and O.J. Simpson, among others. In 2008, Olsen was named to the 75th Anniversary All - Sun Bowl Team to commemorate the Sun Bowl Association 's Diamond Anniversary. Utah State University announced the intention to name its football field after Olsen during a ceremony in Logan during halftime of the USU - St. Mary 's basketball game on December 5, 2009. HOF Sculptor Blair Buswell created a bronze sculpture that sits at the entrance to Merlin Olsen Field at Romney Stadium. Olsen also was a three - time academic All - American at Utah State and graduated summa cum laude in 1962 with a degree in finance. Professional football career Coming out of college, Olsen had offers from both the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League and the Denver Broncos of the rival American Football League. He chose the security of the NFL and signed with the Rams. Olsen 's first contract was for around $50,000 for two years, plus a signing bonus. It was 1962, and the average football player salary at the time was around $12,000 a year. He was the first USU Aggie to be drafted in the 1st round of the NFL draft. Olsen played professionally ( from 1962 to 1976 ) for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League. A leading defensive star of his era, he missed only two games in his 15 - season NFL career. He was named the NFL 's Rookie of the Year in 1962 and was First - team All - Pro in 1964, and 1966 through 1970. He was voted Second - team All - Pro in 1965, 1973 and 1974. Olsen almost ended up on offense, but was later moved to the defensive line after a few experiments in practice. Soon he became part of one of the best front fours in NFL history. Deacon Jones, Rosey Grier, and Lamar Lundy joined Olsen on the defensive line in 1963 that was nicknamed `` The Fearsome Foursome ''. He was named the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Week for week 12 in 1965. Olsen scored his first touchdown in that game. Throughout the 1960s, this quartet terrorized opposing offenses. Olsen 's play helped the Rams to the playoffs in 1967 and 1969. He was voted the club 's Outstanding Defensive Lineman from 1967 -- 70 by the Los Angeles Rams Alumni. In week 14, 1967, Olsen and the rest of the Fearsome Foursome were named the AP NFL Defensive Players of the Week for their performance against the Baltimore Colts. In the 1970s, Olsen continued his dominant play at defensive tackle and his eleven sacks in 1972 were second on the team. After week 8 in 1972, Olsen was named the Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Week for the third time in his career. The Rams won the NFC West crown in 1973 through 1976 thanks in part to the play of Olsen. They ranked first in the NFL in run defense in 1973 and 1974 and finished second in sacking opposing passers both years. In 1973 Olsen was voted the NFLPA NFC Defensive Lineman of the Year and the next season, 1974, he was the recipient of Bert Bell Award as the NFL MVP as voted by the Maxwell Club. Olsen accepted the award `` on behalf of all who toil in the NFL trenches ''. Three of the Olsen brothers, Merlin, Phil, and Orrin, played in the NFL, with Merlin and Phil playing together for the Rams from 1971 -- 74. A nephew, Hans, son of his brother, Clark, also played professional football. In 1975 and 1976, the Rams defense finished second in the NFL against the run while ranking in the top five in sacking opposing quarterbacks and compiling a 22 - 5 - 1 record over those two seasons. Olsen 's last game was the NFC Championship game in 1976 at Bloomington, Minnesota. The Vikings took advantage on a freak play early in the game. A blocked field goal returned 90 yards for a touchdown shocked the Rams in the first quarter. The defense was later victimized by a couple of big plays by the Vikings. The Rams came up short, losing 24 -- 13, bringing the storied career of the Rams finest defensive tackle to an end. Olsen made the Pro Bowl a record 14 times, only missing it in his final year. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1982 in his first year of eligibility ; he selected his college position coach Tony Knap as his presenter. In 1999, Olsen was ranked 25th on The Sporting News ' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players. Post-athletic career Olsen enjoyed continued success after the NFL as a broadcaster, actor, and businessman. Broadcaster Olsen served as a television color commentator, teaming mostly with Dick Enberg on NBC 's coverage of the AFC during the late 1970s and almost all of the 1980s. He and Enberg also teamed for four Super Bowls ( XV, XVII, XX and XXIII ), as well as nine Rose Bowls from 1980 to 1988. Olsen also worked Super Bowl XIII in 1979 with Curt Gowdy and John Brodie ( Enberg was then serving as pre-game / halftime / post-game host ). In 1989, Olsen was replaced by Bill Walsh as NBC 's lead NFL color commentator. For the 1989 season, Olsen worked with Charlie Jones on NBC 's broadcasts. In 1990 and 1991, he moved to CBS Sports doing NFL games with Dick Stockton. Actor Olsen developed a successful career as an actor. He appears as Sergeant Fitzsimmons in the Dean Martin motion picture, Something Big in 1971. In 1970, he appeared once on Petticoat Junction, in the episode : `` With This Ring ''. He played mountaineer Merlin Fergus. When Little House on the Prairie actor Victor French left to star in his own comedy Carter Country in 1977, Olsen was tapped to play Michael Landon 's new sidekick Jonathan Garvey for several years. One memorable quote from his character 's son, Andy Garvey, `` My pa does n't know anything about football ! '' came when Andy 's friends suggested that Jonathan coach their football team. A couple of years later, Landon cast Olsen as the eponymous Father Murphy, which lasted for two seasons. In the Highway to Heaven episode 2.12 ( `` The Good Doctor '' ), the main character, Alex, tells Mark Gordon ( Victor French ) that `` All I could see was the flowers and the beard. I thought you were Merlin Olsen. '' This is an inside joke since all three actors, Merlin Olsen, Michael Landon, and Victor French were in the TV series Little House On the Prairie earlier in their careers. Olsen 's last acting work was in the short - lived 1988 TV series Aaron 's Way, in which he played the lead role. He was also in the John Wayne movie The Undefeated as Little George along with teammate Roman Gabriel. Pitchman Olsen was also the commercial spokesman for FTD Florists for many years. A part - time resident of the Coachella Valley, Olsen was the longtime radio and television spokesman for Palm Desert - based El Paseo Bank. Olsen also appeared in many Sigma Chi fraternity promotional campaigns ; Merlin, along with his brother Phil, was a Life Loyal Sig, Significant Sig ( given to members for distinguishing acts outside the fraternity ) and a member of the Order of Constantine ( given for service to the Fraternity ). Olsen donated one of his cleats, which were bronzed, to be used during the annual football rivalry between two Las Vegas high schools, Eldorado High School and Chaparral High School, which both opened in 1973. Each year, Olsen presented the `` trophy '' in the ceremony at the rivalry game. Olsen often co-hosted the Children 's Miracle Network telethons, a humanitarian organization founded in 1983 by Marie Osmond and John Schneider. Awards He was named the Walter Camp Man of the Year in 1982 and Athlete of the Century for the state of Utah. During halftime of a basketball game between Utah State, Olsen 's alma mater, and Saint Mary 's on December 5, 2009, Utah State University announced that the playing surface inside Romney Stadium, home stadium for the university 's football program, would be named Merlin Olsen Field in Olsen 's honor. Because of Olsen 's illness, Utah State decided not to wait until the 2010 football season to hold the ceremony ; he was able to attend the game, but did not speak. A sculpture of Olsen was unveiled in a plaza south of the stadium during an official dedication ceremony in Fall 2010. Olsen was voted to the California Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2010, along with Bill Walton, Dwight Stones, and Jim Otto, among others. Personal Life Olsen married fellow USU student Susan Wakley on March 30, 1962, and they had three children : Kelly, Jill, and Nathan, and four grandchildren. He was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter - day Saints. Olsen also served as Grand Marshal of the 1983 Rose Parade. Illness and death He was diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma in 2009, and underwent three courses of chemotherapy. In December 2009 he filed a lawsuit against 25 defendants including NBC Studios, NBC Universal, and 20th Century Fox, Georgia Pacific, Sherwin - Williams, and Lennox Corp. for allegedly exposing him to the asbestos which he claimed had caused his cancer. Olsen died on March 11, 2010 at City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte, California, at the age of 69. Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1969 The Undefeated Little George 1971 One More Train to Rob Eli Jones Something Big Sgt. Fitzsimmons Mitchell Benton Television Year Title Role Notes 1970 Petticoat Junction Merlin Fergus Episode : `` With This Ring '' 1973 Kung Fu Perlee Skowrin Episode : `` Nine Lives '' Dr. Simon Locke The Cat Episode : `` The Killer '' 1977 - 1981 Little House on the Prairie Jonathan Garvey 51 episodes 1978 A Fire in the Sky Stan Webster Television film 1980 The Golden Moment : An Olympic Love Story Todd Simms Television film 1981 Walking Tall Webb McClain Episode : `` Hitman '' 1981 - 1983 Father Murphy John Michael Murphy 34 episodes 1982 The Juggler of Notre Dame Jonas Television film 1984 Time Bomb Jake Calahan Television film 1986 Fathers and Sons Buddy Landau Four episodes 1988 Aaron 's Way Aaron Miller 14 episodes, ( final television appearance ) See also List of NFL on NBC commentator pairings References Jump up ^ Florio, Miked ( March 11, 2010 ). `` Reports : Merlin Olsen dies at 69 ''. NBC Sports. Retrieved March 11, 2010. ^ Jump up to : Honorary Degree Recipients Utah State University. Jump up ^ `` Merlin Olsen College ''. Lowongankerja2010x.com. Retrieved 12 March 2010. ^ Jump up to : Utah State University Media Guide Jump up ^ `` Utah State Championships ''. College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on 2010 - 02 - 16. Retrieved 2010 - 03 - 13. Jump up ^ The East West Shrine Game Hall of Fame Archived July 21, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ Hula Bowl History Archived July 14, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ NEA All - Time All - America Team -- Beckly Post-Herald, August 24, 1969 Jump up ^ `` Utah State 's Merlin Olsen Named To 75th Anniversary All - Sun Bowl Team '' ( Press release ). Utah State University. July 3, 2008. Jump up ^ `` Utah State University Will Honor Merlin Olsen on Saturday, Dec. 5 At Aggie Basketball Game '' ( Press release ). Utah State University. 2009 - 11 - 16. Retrieved 2010 - 03 - 11. ^ Jump up to : 2008 St. Louis Rams Media Guide Jump up ^ profootballhof.com - Merlin Olsen - enshrinement speech - 1982 - accessed 2012 - 03 - 25 Jump up ^ `` NFL News, Scores, Schedule & Standings - Pro Football ''. Sporting News. Jump up ^ `` BREAKING NEWS : The Fearsome Foursome now two : NFL Legend Merlin Olsen Dead at 69 ''. The Enterprise Report. March 11, 2010. Jump up ^ `` History of # 1 analyst demotions ''. Classic Sports TV and Media. 18 February 2013. Retrieved 13 April 2013. Jump up ^ `` The Desert Sun - Palm Springs and Coachella Valley news ''. Desert Sun. ^ Jump up to : `` Olsen, Hall of Famer and member of ' Fearsome Foursome ' dies ''. NFL News. Associated Press. 2010 - 03 - 11. Retrieved 2010 - 03 - 11. Jump up ^ Harrison, Shawn ( December 6, 2009 ). `` Field named after Olsen : Utah State honors Aggie legend in halftime ceremony ''. The Herald Journal. Logan, Utah. Retrieved July 14, 2018. Jump up ^ `` 2010 Inductees ''. California Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved July 14, 2018. Jump up ^ Eborn, Jared ( 6 December 2009 ). `` Utah State football names field after Merlin Olsen ''. Deseret News. Salt Lake City. Jump up ^ `` Merlin Olsen suing NBC ''. TV Squad. 2009 - 12 - 31. Retrieved 2010 - 03 - 11. Jump up ^ `` Mesothelioma Takes Life of Merlin Olsen ''. 2010 - 03 - 12. Retrieved 2010 - 03 - 12. Jump up ^ Thursby, Keith ( 2010 - 03 - 12 ). `` Merlin Olsen dies at 69 ; Hall of Fame football star later became actor ''. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010 - 03 - 12. Jump up ^ Goldstein, Richard ( 11 March 2010 ). `` Merlin Olsen, 69, Football Star, Commentator and Actor, Dies ''. The New York Times. External links Merlin Olsen at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Merlin Olsen at the College Football Hall of Fame Career statistics and player information from Pro-Football - Reference Merlin Olsen on IMDb Merlin Olsen -- awards and honors Outland Trophy winners 1946 : Connor 1947 : Steffy 1948 : Fischer 1949 : Bagdon 1950 : Gain 1951 : Weatherall 1952 : Modzelewski 1953 : J. Roberts 1954 : Brooks 1955 : C. Jones 1956 : Parker 1957 : Karras 1958 : Z. Smith 1959 : McGee 1960 : T. Brown 1961 : Olsen 1962 : Bell 1963 : Appleton 1964 : DeLong 1965 : Nobis 1966 : Phillips 1967 : Yary 1968 : Stanfill 1969 : Reid 1970 : Stillwagon 1971 : Jacobson 1972 : Glover 1973 : Hicks 1974 : White 1975 : Selmon 1976 : Browner 1977 : Shearer 1978 : G. Roberts 1979 : Ritcher 1980 : May 1981 : Rimington 1982 : Rimington 1983 : Steinkuhler 1984 : B. Smith 1985 : Ruth 1986 : Buck 1987 : Hennings 1988 : Rocker 1989 : Elewonibi 1990 : Maryland 1991 : Emtman 1992 : Shields 1993 : Waldrop 1994 : Wiegert 1995 : Ogden 1996 : Pace 1997 : Taylor 1998 : Farris 1999 : Samuels 2000 : Henderson 2001 : McKinnie 2002 : Long 2003 : Gallery 2004 : J. Brown 2005 : Eslinger 2006 : Thomas 2007 : Dorsey 2008 : A. Smith 2009 : Suh 2010 : Carimi 2011 : B. Jones 2012 : Joeckel 2013 : Donald 2014 : Scherff 2015 : Garnett 2016 : Robinson 2017 : Oliver 1961 College Football All - America Team consensus selections Backfield QB Sandy Stephens HB Ernie Davis HB Jimmy Saxton FB Bob Ferguson Line E Gary Collins E Bill Miller T Billy Neighbors T Merlin Olsen G Joe Romig G Roy Winston C Alex Kroll 1962 NFL draft first - round selections Ernie Davis Roman Gabriel Merlin Olsen Gary Collins Bob Ferguson Fate Echols Ronnie Bull Lance Alworth Wendell Harris John Hadl Leroy Jackson Irv Goode Jerry Hillebrand Earl Gros Cleveland / St. Louis / Los Angeles Rams first - round draft picks Drake Davis Hall Cordill Mucha Wilson Holovak Butkovich Hirsch Sitko Wedemeyer Thomason Pasquariello West McFadin Carey Moomaw Barker Beatty Morris Marconi Horton Arnett Shofner Michaels Phillips Bass Dickson Cannon McKeever Gabriel Olsen Baker Guthrie Munson Williams Mack L. Smith Seymour Klein Reynolds Robertson Youngblood Cappelletti Fanning Harrah France McLain Brudzinski Peacock Andrews K. Hill Johnson Owens Redden Dickerson Gray Schad Green Cox Hawkins Gary Brostek Lyght Gilbert Bettis Gandy Carter Phillips Kennison Pace Wistrom Holt Canidate Lewis Archuleta Pickett Thomas Kennedy Jackson Barron T. Hill Carriker Long J. Smith Bradford Quinn Brockers Austin Ogletree Robinson Donald Gurley Goff Los Angeles Rams 1962 NFL Draft selections Roman Gabriel Merlin Olsen Joe Carollo John Meyers John Cornett Art Perkins Jim Smith Ben Wilson Sherwyn Thorson Jim Bakken Dick Farris Ike Lassiter Jim Norris Bert Wilder Marv Marinovich Bob Fearnside Gary Henson Walter Nikirk Ron Skufca Dave Steadman Charlie Furlow Gerard Barto Foster Anderson Draft years 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1984 1985 1986 1988 1989 1990 1991 1995 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Denver Broncos first - round draft picks LeClerc Gaiters Olsen Alexander Brown Shay Little Anderson Montgomery Odoms Armstrong Gradishar Wright Glassic Schindler Latimer Clark Smith Willhite Hinton Sewell Nattiel Gregory Atwater Croel Maddox Da. Williams Mobley Pryce Nash Wilson O'Neal Middlebrooks Lelie Foster D.J. Williams Cutler Moss Clady Moreno Ayers Thomas Tebow Miller S. Williams Roby Ray Lynch Bolles Chubb Bert Bell Award winners 1959 : Unitas 1960 : Van Brocklin 1961 : Hornung 1962 : Robustelli 1963 : J. Brown 1964 : Unitas 1965 : Retzlaff 1966 : Meredith 1967 : Unitas 1968 : Kelly 1969 : Gabriel 1970 : Blanda 1971 : Staubach 1972 : L. Brown 1973 : Simpson 1974 : Olsen 1975 : Tarkenton 1976 : Stabler 1977 : Griese 1978 : Bradshaw 1979 : Campbell 1980 : Jaworski 1981 : Anderson 1982 : Theismann 1983 : Riggins 1984 : Marino 1985 : Payton 1986 : Taylor 1987 : Rice 1988 : Cunningham 1989 : Montana 1990 : Cunningham 1991 : Sanders 1992 : Young 1993 : Smith 1994 : Young 1995 : Favre 1996 : Favre 1997 : Sanders 1998 : Cunningham 1999 : Warner 2000 : Gannon 2001 : Faulk 2002 : Gannon 2003 : Manning 2004 : Manning 2005 : Alexander 2006 : Tomlinson 2007 : Brady 2008 : Peterson 2009 : Brees 2010 : Vick 2011 : Rodgers 2012 : Peterson 2013 : Manning 2014 : Watt 2015 : Newton 2016 : Ryan 2017 : Wentz NFL 's 1960s All - Decade Team Sonny Jurgensen Bart Starr Johnny Unitas John David Crow Paul Hornung Leroy Kelly Gale Sayers Jim Brown Jim Taylor John Mackey Del Shofner Charley Taylor Gary Collins Boyd Dowler Bob Brown Forrest Gregg Ralph Neely Gene Hickerson Jerry Kramer Howard Mudd Jim Ringo Doug Atkins Willie Davis Deacon Jones Alex Karras Bob Lilly Merlin Olsen Dick Butkus Larry Morris Ray Nitschke Tommy Nobis Dave Robinson Herb Adderley Lem Barney Bobby Boyd Ed Meador Larry Wilson Willie Wood Jim Bakken Don Chandler NFL 's 1970s All - Decade Team Terry Bradshaw Ken Stabler Roger Staubach Earl Campbell Franco Harris Walter Payton O.J. Simpson Harold Carmichael Drew Pearson Lynn Swann Paul Warfield Dave Casper Charlie Sanders Dan Dierdorf Art Shell Rayfield Wright Ron Yary Joe DeLamielleure John Hannah Larry Little Gene Upshaw Jim Langer Mike Webster Carl Eller L.C. Greenwood Harvey Martin Jack Youngblood Joe Greene Bob Lilly Merlin Olsen Alan Page Bobby Bell Robert Brazile Dick Butkus Jack Ham Ted Hendricks Jack Lambert Willie Brown Jimmy Johnson Roger Wehrli Louis Wright Dick Anderson Cliff Harris Ken Houston Rick Upchurch Larry Wilson Garo Yepremian Jim Bakken Ray Guy National Football League 75th Anniversary All - Time Team Sammy Baugh Otto Graham Joe Montana Johnny Unitas Jim Brown Marion Motley Bronko Nagurski Walter Payton Gale Sayers O.J. Simpson Steve Van Buren Lance Alworth Raymond Berry Don Hutson Jerry Rice Mike Ditka Kellen Winslow Roosevelt Brown Forrest Gregg Anthony Muñoz John Hannah Jim Parker Gene Upshaw Mel Hein Mike Webster Deacon Jones Gino Marchetti Reggie White Joe Greene Bob Lilly Merlin Olsen Dick Butkus Jack Ham Ted Hendricks Jack Lambert Willie Lanier Ray Nitschke Lawrence Taylor Mel Blount Mike Haynes Dick Lane Rod Woodson Ken Houston Ronnie Lott Larry Wilson Ray Guy Jan Stenerud Billy Johnson Los Angeles Rams retired numbers 7 Bob Waterfield 28 Marshall Faulk 29 Eric Dickerson 74 Merlin Olsen 75 Deacon Jones 78 Jackie Slater 80 Isaac Bruce 85 Jack Youngblood St. Louis Football Ring of Fame Waterfield Wilson Van Brocklin Dickerson Wehrli Hirsch Fears Mack Dierdorf Olsen Jones Slater Smith Snow Youngblood Vermeil Rosenbloom Reeves Frontiere Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 1982 Doug Atkins Sam Huff George Musso Merlin Olsen Members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Quarterbacks Pre-modern era Baugh Clark Conzelman Driscoll Friedman Herber Luckman A. Parker Modern era Aikman Blanda Bradshaw L. Dawson Elway Favre Fouts Graham Griese Jurgensen J. Kelly Layne Marino Montana Moon Namath Stabler Starr Staubach Tarkenton Tittle Unitas Van Brocklin Warner Waterfield Young Running backs Pre-modern era Battles Canadeo Dudley Grange Guyon Hinkle Lambeau Leemans McAfee McNally Nagurski Nevers Pollard Strong Thorpe Van Buren Modern era M. Allen Bettis J. Brown Campbell Csonka T. Davis Dickerson Dorsett Faulk Gifford Harris Hornung J.H. Johnson L. Kelly F. Little Martin Matson McElhenny Moore Motley Payton Perry Riggins B. Sanders Sayers Simpson E. Smith Jim Taylor T. Thomas Tomlinson Trippi Walker Wide receivers / ends Pre-modern era Badgro Chamberlin Flaherty Halas Hewitt Hutson Millner Modern era Alworth Berry Biletnikoff T. Brown Carter Fears Harrison Hayes Hirsch Irvin Joiner Largent Lavelli Lofton Maynard McDonald Mitchell Monk Moss Owens Pihos Reed Rice Stallworth Swann C. Taylor Warfield Tight ends Casper Ditka Mackey Newsome C. Sanders Sharpe J. Smith Winslow Offensive linemen L. Allen B. Brown R. Brown Creekmur D. Dawson DeLamielleure Dierdorf Gatski Gregg Grimm Hannah Hickerson S. Jones W. Jones Kramer Langer L. Little Mack Matthews McCormack McDaniel Mix Munchak Muñoz Ogden Otto Pace J. Parker Ringo Roaf Shaw Shell Shields Slater St. Clair Stanfel Stephenson Tingelhoff Upshaw Webster Wright Yary Zimmerman Pre-modern era two - way players Edwards Fortmann Healey Hein Henry Hubbard Kiesling Kinard Lyman Michalske Musso Owen Stydahar Trafton Turner Wojciechowicz Defensive linemen Atkins Bethea Buchanan Culp W. Davis Dean Dent Doleman Donovan Eller Ford J. Greene Haley Hampton Humphrey D. Jones Jordan Kennedy Lilly Long Marchetti Nomellini Olsen Page Randle Robustelli Sapp Selmon B. Smith Stautner Strahan Ja. Taylor Weinmeister Ra. White Re. White Willis Youngblood Linebackers Bednarik Bo. Bell Brazile Brooks Buoniconti Butkus Carson Connor George K. Greene Ham Hanburger Hendricks Huff Jackson Lambert Lanier Lewis Nitschke Richter Robinson Schmidt Seau Singletary L. Taylor D. Thomas Tippett Urlacher Wilcox Defensive backs Adderley Barney Blount W. Brown Butler Christiansen Dawkins Easley Green Haynes Houston J. Johnson Krause Lane Lary LeBeau Lott Renfro D. Sanders E. Thomas Tunnell Wehrli Williams L. Wilson Wood Woodson Placekickers and punters Andersen Groza Guy Stenerud Coaches G. Allen P. Brown Chamberlin Conzelman Dungy Ewbank Flaherty Gibbs Gillman Grant Halas Lambeau Landry Levy Lombardi Madden Neale Noll Owen Parcells Shula Stram Walsh Contributors Beathard Be. Bell Bidwill Carr A. Davis DeBartolo Finks Halas Hunt J. Jones Lambeau T. Mara W. Mara Marshall Polian Ray Reeves A. Rooney D. Rooney Rozelle Sabol Schramm R. Wilson Wolf Walter Camp Man of the Year Award winners 1967 : Fish 1968 : Blair 1969 : Rozelle 1970 : Kipke 1971 : Blanchard 1972 : Frank 1973 : Daugherty 1974 : Gaither 1975 : Dawkins 1976 : Krause 1977 : Dunlap 1978 : Little 1979 : Kemp 1980 : Sayers 1981 : Graham 1982 : Olsen 1983 : Staubach 1984 : Shula 1985 : Bleier 1986 : Davis 1987 : Jackson 1988 : Robustelli 1989 : Brown 1990 : Buoniconti 1991 : Blount 1992 : Griese 1993 : Moon 1994 : Anderson 1995 : Williams 1996 : Swann 1997 : Hill 1998 : Holtz 1999 : Brandt 2000 : Long 2001 : Singletary 2002 : Kelly 2003 : Newsome 2004 : Muñoz 2005 : Stephenson 2006 : Utley 2007 : Butkus 2008 : Andersen 2009 : Elway 2010 : Shields 2011 : Carson 2012 : Edwards 2013 : Millen 2014 : Bettis 2015 : Andruzzi & Biletnikoff 2016 : Dunn 2017 : Johnson BNF : cb14212546f ( data ) ISNI : 0000 0000 7761 3033 LCCN : n83184955 VIAF : 107601136 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Merlin_Olsen&oldid=850206927 '' Categories : 1940 births 2010 deaths 20th - century American male actors American football defensive tackles American male television actors American actor - athletes College football announcers Canadian Football League announcers Los Angeles Rams players National Football League announcers Utah State Aggies football players All - American college football players College Football Hall of Fame inductees National Conference Pro Bowl players Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees Western Conference Pro Bowl players People from Los Angeles County, California Sportspeople from Logan, Utah Players of American football from Utah Male actors from Utah American Latter Day Saints Deaths from cancer in California Deaths from mesothelioma Hidden categories : All articles with dead external links Articles with dead external links from June 2016 Webarchive template wayback links NFL player missing current team parameter Infobox NFL biography articles missing alt text and caption All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from October 2014 Articles with unsourced statements from August 2014 Articles with unsourced statements from March 2010 Wikipedia articles with BNF identifiers Wikipedia articles with ISNI identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Français Italiano Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Polski Suomi Svenska Edit links This page was last edited on 14 July 2018, at 11 : 53 ( UTC ). 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Question: who plays jonathan on little house on the prairie
Answer: Merlin Jay Olsen