Former University of Arizona basketball coach Lute Olson is in good condition after suffering a minor stroke over the weekend, his physician said.
The 84-year-old Olson was admitted to Banner University Medical Center-Tucson on Saturday. David Labiner, chairman of the UA department of neurology, said Olson βis expected to make a full recovery but will likely need some rehabilitation therapy after his discharge from the hospital.β
The hospital offered no further details.
A member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Olson is the winningest coach in UA basketball history. He led the Wildcats to the 1997 NCAA championship in basketball, the crowning moment to date in UA athletics history, and his teams also played in three other Final Fours (1988, 1994 and 2001).
Over 24 seasons at Arizona between 1983 and 2007, Olson went 589-187 and won 11 Pac-10 championships before retiring amid health concerns in October 2008.
Olson announced in October 2007 he was taking an indefinite leave of absence for what he called a βmedical condition that is not life-threatening,β and wound up missing the entire season.
Olson returned to coaching in April 2008 but retired permanently six months later. In the days following his retirement, Olsonβs personal physician, Steven Knope, said the coach had suffered a small stroke in the previous year, one that likely resulted in depression and changes in judgment. That stroke occurred in Olsonβs frontal lobe, Knope said, an area that controls executive function and serves as a center for personality.
The stroke βresulted in some severe depression, as well as some changes in judgment that, in retrospect, probably didnβt appear for several months,β Knope said then.
At the time, Olsonβs doctors said he had also been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, or abnormal heart rhythm, likely as a result of the stroke. Olson has for years dealt with a familiar tremor, which causes involuntary shaking and a trembling voice.
Olson has remained a Tucson mainstay in retirement, traveling around the country as an ambassador for the UA Foundation, lending his name to a fantasy camp involving his former players while also appearing in local advertising.
The McKale Center court is named for Olson and his first wife, Bobbi, and the UA last April unveiled a life-sized statue of the coach outside the Jim Click Hall of Champions on the north side of the arena.
βI think itβs a great tribute to the players who went through this program, because I didnβt make one basket,β Olson said before the ceremony.
Since retiring, Olson also has been a regular sight at UA home games along with his wife, Kelly, until this season.
He was honored at a UA womenβs game in December and attended his first menβs game this season on Feb. 7, sitting in Tucson attorney Burt Kinerkβs seats across from the UA bench while the Wildcats hosted first-place Washington.
A statement from the UAβs athletic department Monday read: βCoach Olson is not only an icon of our menβs basketball program and all of college basketball, but he is also an embodiment of greatness to Arizona Athletics, the University of Arizona and the Tucson community. Our thoughts are with Coach Olson, his family and loved ones during this time.β
Photos: Arizona coaching legend Lute Olson immortalized with statue
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Former University of Arizona basketball coach Lute Olson stands with his wife Kelly shortly after the unveiling of the statue of Olson at the Eddie Lynch Pavilion at McKale Center, Thursday, April 12, 2018, Tucson, Ariz.
Lute Olson statue
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Six-year old Kapri Ladd strikes a pose mimicking the statue of former University of Arizona basketball coach Lute Olson after its unveiling at the Eddie Lynch Pavilion at McKale Center, Thursday, April 12, 2018, Tucson, Ariz.
Lute Olson statue
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The crowd gathers round to get photos and close look at the new statue of former University of Arizona head coach Lute Olson shortly after its unveiling at the Eddie Lynch Pavilion at McKale Center, Thursday, April 12, 2018, Tucson, Ariz.
Lute Olson statue
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Former head coach Lute Olson and his wife Kelly get their first look at the new statue of him at its unveiling at the Eddie Lynch Pavilion at McKale Center, Thursday, April 12, 2018, Tucson, Ariz.
Lute Olson statue
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Greg Olson, the son of former University of Arizona head coach Lute Olson poses with the statue of his father shortly after its unveiling at the Eddie Lynch Pavilion at McKale Center, Thursday, April 12, 2018, Tucson, Ariz.
Lute Olson statue
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Former University of Arizona basketball coach Lute Olson waves to the crowd while making his entrance a statue in his honor at the Eddie Lynch Pavilion at McKale Center, Thursday, April 12, 2018, Tucson, Ariz.
Lute Olson statue
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The statue of former University of Arizona basketball coach Lute Olson unveiled during a cermony at the Eddie Lynch Pavilion at McKale Center, Thursday, April 12, 2018, Tucson, Ariz.
Lute Olson statue
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Former University of Arizona head coach Lute Olson answers a few questions near the school's NCAA 1997 Championship trophy following a ceremony his statue at the Eddie Lynch Pavilion at McKale Center, Thursday, April 12, 2018, Tucson, Ariz.
Lute Olson statue
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The new statue of former University of Arizona head coach Lute Olson stands at the Eddie Lynch Pavilion at McKale Center with a photo of Miles Simon during the team's 1997 championship run, Thursday, April 12, 2018, Tucson, Ariz.
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Former University of Arizona head coach Lute Olson gets a hug from one of his earliest Wildcat players Pete Williams during the unveiling of the statue of Olson at the Eddie Lynch Pavilion at McKale Center, Thursday, April 12, 2018, Tucson, Ariz.
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Former Wildcat David Bagga poses with the newly unveiled statue of coach Lute Olson following a ceremony at the Eddie Lynch Pavilion at McKale Center, Thursday, April 12, 2018, Tucson, Ariz.
