Former USC long snapper Jake Olson is one of the most inspirational stories in college football history. Born with a rare cancer of the retina, he lost sight in his left eye before his first birthday and lost sight his right eye at the age of 12.
That did not stop him from living out his dream!
Now 26 years old, Olson continues to inspire others to overcome adversity as a motivational speaker and through charitable ventures all over the world. It has been an incredible journey that has changed the lives of so many.
Jake Olson is also an incredible golfer!
Yes, you read that correctly. Jake Olson is a 12 handicap and often dominates visually able opponents who join him out on the course.
The U.S. Blind Golf Association splits competitors into three categories:
- B-1, no vision
- B-2, little usable vision
- B-3, better usable vision
Olson has already won the B-1 division. It is his goal to become the first golfer in his class to win the championship event outright, regardless of the visual impairment of his competitors.
Olson most recently stepped up to the tee with the World Long Drive as a competitor in the MB Celebrity Shootout on Sunday. The exhibition event raised $25,000 for pediatric cancer research and featured celebrities such as actors Ross Butler and Galen Gerig, skateboarder Sean Malto, former MLB player Shawn Green and former NBAer Norm Nixon.
It was Olson who stole the show with a 283-yard bomb on his sixth of six attempts!
He striped it right down the middle.
Goose bumps.
— Mirjam Swanson (@MirjamSwanson) March 18, 2024
Jake Olson — the blind long snapper who inspired us all when he got on the field for USC in 2017 — is a long driver too.
Caught up with him Sunday:
🔗 https://t.co/g1fm3NAeSU pic.twitter.com/aN4IGk6Fo3
Olson told Mirjam Swanson of the Orange County Register that it felt great off of the tee. The crowd reaction made it clear that he crushed it, and gave him chills!
I could tell by the crowd it was a good one. And it’s good, man. Any time you can fire up a crowd like that, it gives you goose bumps.
— Jake Olson
Although Olson did not actually win the event, he won the event. If he can translate his distance to the USBGA championship, his goal is well within reach!