Weldy Olson

Weldy Olson was the youngest of nine brothers, all of whom played and loved the game of hockey. But it was the youngster who had the most successful career. He played in 2 Olympics and was a regular on the United States national team in the late 1950s.

Born in 1932 in Marquette, Michigan, Weldy went on to a famous career at Michigan State. He played every game for the Spartans between 1951 and 1955 and set school scoring records with 125 points in the process. He was also the team's co-captain and MVP.

Upon graduation Olson joined the United States national team in time to represent his country at the 1956 Olympics in Cortina, D'Ampezzo, Italy. With 5 goals in 7 games, Olson helped secure a silver medal for the Americans.

Olson would spend the next three seasons with the US National team. The Americans finished out of the medals in the 1958 and 1959 World Championships.

Weldy served as team captain for the '59 Worlds team and was determined to return to the Olympics in 1960. Those games were played in the United States at Squaw Valley, California. With 2 goals in 7 contests Olson was able to help USA win Olympic gold on home ice! The victory is now remembered as The Forgotten Miracle.

Olson retired shortly after those Olympics. He went on to be a long time amateur referee, coach and administrator. He helped to build and manage rinks in Michigan and published a hockey magazine.