He played college football for the Washington Huskies, earning consensus All-American honors in 1996.
In football, as a senior, he was named as second-team All-USA selection by USA Today.
In track and field, he was third at the state championship meet as a junior and fourth as a senior.
As a senior in 1997, he was a first-team All-America selection by the Associated Press and the Walter Camp Foundation.
The Tennessee Oilers selected Olson in the fifth round (139th pick overall) of the 1998 NFL Draft.