Hall of Fame
Todd Olson, a Cavalier, N.D. native, amassed a host of honors as a Comet basketball player. His basketball IQ served him well when he moved to the coaching side of the game, first as assistant coach for boys basketball at Red River High School while he was teaching mathematics at Central High School in Grand Forks, N.D.; then as an assistant girls basketball coach at Central, and ultimately as the head boys basketball coach at Central, where his Knights won the Class A boys basketball championship in 1996. He was named the Class A Boys Basketball Coach of the Year in 1995; the N.D. AP Male Sports High School Coach of the Year in 1996; and the Lions All-Star Coach, also in 1996. He was the East Region Coach of the year in 1995, 1996, and 2004, when his teams were EDC champions. Olson left the basketball sidelines to become the athletic director for the Grand Forks Public Schools in 2005, leaving in 2012 to become the Director of Student Activities for the Fargo Public Schools in 2012. However, coaching, teaching and leading are intertwined, and Olson is dedicated to promoting coaches education through his leadership in several state, regional, and national organizations. He was the East Region AD of the Year in 2007 and 2010 and the Class A AD of the Year in 2010. At the state level he was been the president of the North Dakota High School Coaches Association, the North Dakota Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association, and the North Dakota High School Activities Association board of directors. Nationally he is president of the NIAAA board of directors, where he is also on certifications and coach education committees. Most recently, he had the prestigious honor of being selected as the National Athletic Director of the Year by the National High School Athletic Coaches Association. Todd graduated from Mayville State in 1991 with a bachelor of science in mathematics education. He earned a master’s degree in educational leadership from the University of North Dakota in 1998.
Â
