Spotlight: Jake Olson

Despite being blind, Jake Olson recently completed his fourth season as the University of Southern California (USC) football team's long snapper. His left eye was surgically removed when he was ten months old due to retinoblastoma. Olson had cancer in his right eye eight times before it was removed at age 12 in 2009. Before that surgery, his wish was to see the USC football team in person one more time. He watched their team practice after receiving an invitation from the head coach Pete Carroll, now the Seattle Seahawks head coach.

Even though he lost his sight, Olson wanted to play football, so he focused on becoming a long snapper for his high school's team. Two years later after joining USC's football team, he played in his first college game and helped the kicker score an extra point. Olson's teammates helped him by clapping so he'd know the distance of the snap and tapping his leg when it was time for him to snap the football. Olson, a motivational speaker and author of two books, received the 2018 Walter Camp Football Foundation's Award of Perseverance on November 21. Three days later, he took the USC football field for the last time, accompanied by his father and guide dog Quebec. For more details on this story, go to http://www.ksro.com/2018/11/30/blind-usc-senior-walks-the-football-field-for-the-last-time-as-a-trojan/.

Jake Olson

(image via CBS Sports)