Here is a question I've always had but never asked. (I've been afraid they'd hunt me down and take away my diploma).

Who is C.E. Olsen? The A&M website states:

"The stadium was dedicated on March 21, 1978, and is named in honor of Mr. Pat Olsen, a 1923 graduate of Texas A&M. Upon graduation from A&M, Olsen became a member of the famed New York Yankees, playing with immortals Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig."

But Olsen is not in the Basebaall Encyclopedia. Nor can he be found at www.baseball-reference.com. (Check out all the Olsen's (or even Olson's) and you won't find him).

Was he on the Yankees roster in the 1920's but never even played a single game?

I was reminded of this when Baseball Weekly recently mentioned Olsen Field's greatness and quoted the athletic department's propaganda about Olsen playing with Ruth and Gehrig.

Thanks

gimme your diploma.

yes, he was on the Yanks roster for a year or two (I believe) but never appeared in an official game. its not all that uncommon and it certainly wasnt back then. we have several players that only played 1 year and many of them only played in a handful of games. guys like Mike Balenti, Bernie Henderson, Joel Hunt, Bill Sodd and other. if i recall, Sodd only had one official at-bat. still better than i ever did.

Pat Olsen was a pitcher back in the days when starters were epxected to pitch on three days rest and finished what they started. If you weren't in the four man rotation, you wouldn't see much action, and some guys in the pen saw no action. He was on the roster for a year or two, but decided he'd better get on with his real career rather than continue riding the bench.

He went to every single world series game for some HUGE long stretch of time....like 30 or 40 years....If you ever get a chance to watch the 1991 G7 on ESPN Classic (I'm pretty sure it was G7...it was definately during the '91 WS) they actually show him and tell you about it

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Check out "Texas A&M & Baseball In No Particular Order"
at tamu-and-baseball.com

He was a hell of a nice man too.

Two Aggies threw out the first 2 pitches of the 1984(?) World Series. Pat Olsen threw out the ceremonial first pitch, and then Mark Thurmond took the mound for the San Diego Padres. I believe this is correct - didn't the series open in San Diego?

Also, I met Pat Olsen when I was a small boy. He used to tend the flowers outside Olsen Field over by the camping pavilion. I believe that garden was planted in memory of his wife, and he spent a lot of time there.

Also, when I was a student, Mr. Olsen had a few cameo roles in commercials for The Kettle, I think. They would show him eating some huge sundae at the end of the commercial. Even then, I don't think most people knew who he was. I can't remember what year he died, but he was in his 90's.

The earlier poster is correct. He went to something like 300 consecutive world series games. Money was no object with him. I believe that Tom Chandler made the initial call to see if Mr. Olsen was interested in helping build a new stadium, since the Ags had been playing for years at Kyle Field (I believe where the tennis complex and Steed lab are located). Olsen said "How much do you need?" I think he basically gave the whole amount - something like $15 million in 1978!

He was a giant of a man!

Sorry if I got a few dates or facts wrong...

Had a literal museum of sports memorabilia in his garage.

I think his cameo appearances in commercials were for the Red Bandana there in Bryan, but I could be wrong too.

I remember those Kettle ads.

Oh and he patented a few oil field items in the 20's and was a millionaire back in the 30's.

Who is C.E. Olsen?

He was one of the nicest gentlemen I ever had the pleasure of meeting. He used to frequent a business I managed in the 80's. He would come in driving an old car (El Camino I think) we would then take care of business and proceed to talk about baseball and whatever was on his mind. He could really tell some stories.

I think he made his fortune designing oilfield tools and then eventually selling the patents. You would never ever know he had money based on his apperance or how he acted.

He always had mini souviner bats with his name on them to give away, all you had to do was ask. His love for baseball and Aggie baseball was un-matched. I bet he holds the record for the most consecutive World Series games attended.

Bottom line if he never played baseball or made it rich or had his name on the Field, he still was a man with a big heart and an even bigger smile for you.

Very nice gentleman, I had the honor of meeting him and having lunch a couple of times with him over at Cain back in the late 80's.

Very humble and a hell of a nice man.

My understanding is that Olsen give approximately half the cost to build the new ballpark (which, I believe, was $2 million). Without his gift, we still would have built a new ballpark (the Kyle Field 3rd deck expansion forced the issue) but it would not have been nearly as nice. Given the rate of inflation, I'd say it was similar to Bum Bright's gift to build the south endzone facility.

Thanks, twk. I don't knwo where I pulled that # from. It's all Monopoly money to me once you get past about $100K.

My wife's grandfather was Class of 14. He went to Cornell after graduation and got his Masters in ME- then came to A&M to head up that department. Pat Olsen was one of his first students.

Papppa started a company by Hughes Tool Company in Houston and did a lot of work with H Hughes Sr. Pat came into the company a number of years later and teh comapany became Gearwrench. Pappa was the designer, tool & die maker, etc, while Pat was the sales guy. They made a ton of money together.

After I met my wife at A&M in 74, we hung out a lot with her gradfather and PAt. It was great to hear wonderful stories of early A&M life in the early 1900's (the fish lived in tents) and of course baseball. Pat's was a baseball and Aggie museum. I would have loved to get any or all of his memorbelia.

Am I mistaken or wasn't A&M involved in litigation with Pat's family after his death? I believe he wanted to leave a large portion of his estate to A&M and they were arguing coercion or something.

TXAGBQ, am I right about that?

quote:

---

He used to tend the flowers outside Olsen Field over by the camping pavilion. I believe that garden was planted in memory of his wife, and he spent a lot of time there

---

quote:

---

He was one of the nicest gentlemen I ever had the pleasure of meeting

---

quote:

---

He always had mini souviner bats with his name on them to give away, all you had to do was ask

---

Is anyone else thinking of the scene in "Field of Dreams" where Ray and Terrance Mann are in Minnesota looking for Dr Graham only to find that he had passed. The old lady at the newspaper read them the story she wrote about his great life and love for baseball. Thanks to all the posters for the great stories of Mr.Olsen. Talk about your Olsen magic!

I remember after a game that got rained out a friend and I was walking back to campus and this town car pulls up with an old mad in the back. He rolled down his window and asked if I needed a ride.

It was Pat Olson. He apparently needed a driver to get around. He said that he could not believe that kids now a days can't bunt.

He had only one minuture bat left to sign and give out...my friend got the bat as he was sitting next to Pat.

i remember i used to see him at the aggie games back in the late 80's. and a friend of mine who knew him well filled me in on his history. that was the end of an era.

TXAGBQ76,

My great-grandfather was class of 14, too. His last name was Davison.

Walton,

I've thought many times that Moonlight Graham and Pat Olsen were the same person. Funny you should mention that.

It's been so long since I've seen that movie. Wasn't Doc Graham a real player? I remember looking for his name in my baseball registry, but I don't remember what I found.

Thanks to everyone for responding. I figured it was something like that!

Moonlight Graham is in the Baseball Encyclopedia, Total Baseball, etc. Thumbing through 10 years ago, I remember finding about 6 players like Graham.

It's too bad they don't list the players like Olsen who made it to the show for BP.

Though it sounds like Olsen probably made more money than many of those '27 Yankees.

Mr. Olsen was one of the most gracious and nicest people around. I had just gotten out of the Army after 14 years when Desert Storm began. I was back a TAMU and was feeling pretty lousy that almost everyone I knew as over there and I was safe over here. One day just after it all began I met Mr. Olsen and we began to talk. He urged me to come to baseball practice. He swore that sitting in the stands on a sunny afternoon and watching bp was good for the soul. I spent quite a few afternoons that way, listening to his stories and soaking up the sun and healing my soul. I will never forget him and the bat he gave me is in a cherished spot on my shelf.
Deej

Pat Olsen married one of the daughters of W. A. Duncan. ( Duncan Dinning Hall). He played a few years in the Yankee system and pitched against Ruth and others in spring training. He made enough money to start a tool company in Houston. He was well known throughout the oil business and Major League Baseball.

PER UNITATEM VIS

[This message has been edited by Whistle Jock (edited 3/16/2005 11:00a).]

quote:

---

He urged me to come to baseball practice. He swore that sitting in the stands on a sunny afternoon and watching bp was good for the soul

---

yes it is!

that's the kind of old ag i'd like to be.

I was fortunate to sit with, and listen to, many a story told by Pat Olsen.

If I remember correctly, Olsen left A&M without his undergrad degree to play for the Yankees. He spoke very highly of the Iron Horse. He only played for 1-2 years before he came back to A&M and on to a very lucrative career as an oilfield tool designer. We worker with and for Hughes and finished out his designing career with over 230 tool patents.

Olsen made his fortune selling the rights to patents. He was a fine man and a good Ag.

if anyone has a signed bat for sale email me if you will give me a decent college kid price... that would be cool to have.


bthotuatverizon.net

I seem to recall hearing that Pat Olsen was Lou Gehrig's roomate when they were on the road.

From a small obit I found on the net from back in 2000:

quote:

---

Olsen graduated from Texas A&M in 1923 with a degree in mechanical engineering and was a three-year letterman as a pitcher on the Aggie baseball team (1921-23). He was also a member of the Ross Volunteers in the Corps of Cadets. Upon graduation, Olsen was signed to a professional baseball contract by the Des Moines farm club. The New York Yankees purchased his contract in August of 1923 and he was told to join the club at spring training in 1924. His teammates included Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth. He quit the team after four years and with Joe Peterson founded a manufacturing company.

---

John 3:16

"Thirty years ago kids talked about their duties and responsibilities ... today they talk about their rights and privileges."

This thread caused me to remember an article from the College Station Press in 1992. It was all about Pat Olsen, and his stories about Babe Ruth. The article came out then because Olsen had been to a screening of The Babe (John Goodman). My copy of the article is laminated, and took almost 2 full newspaper pages.

Anyway, in 1992, Olsen's wife was still living, but I think she was an invalid for quite some time.

This article is really good. It also has a team photo for the 1924(?) Yankees, with Olsen, Gehrig, Ruth, Pipp, Huggins, and many others. At the time the article was written, Olsen was the only surviving player from the team photo.

If there were some way to post the article, I would. It would be diffcult to scan in, but I might be able to send a copy to anybody who'd be willing to send me a few bucks. Sorry I can't post it for everyone to see - I don't even know if the College Station Press is still around, but maybe they could post it online if somebody contacted them.

BTW, Olsen also talks about Babe's "called shot" that wasn't. The man was a walking baseball encyclopedia - saw Larsen's perfect game, Fisk's HR, Jackson's 3HR game, all the great World Series games of the 50's, 60's, 70's...

94chem -

I'm interested. Let me know how to obtain the info. from you. It sounds very interesting.

Sure thing. You also might want to contact the Eagle, or if you're on campus, the archives might help you out. I looked it up, & apparently the Eagle bought the Press in 1990, & the Press is still published. I'll let you know the date of the article if I remember to look it up at home.

Do you like night baseball at Olsen Field? Thank Mr. Olsen. He paid for the lights!!!

Also, are any of you lucky like me and have one of the miniature bats he used to give away. Mine is displayed in my bookcase in my office. He would carry hundred around in the back seat of his car and just give them away.

Thanks guys for the great stories you have about Pat Olsen. You guys really know your stuff. My Dad's sister married Pat's brother. I never got to know Mr. Olsen but Dad said he was a special man who acted like he didn't have a dime.
Gearwrench is now located in Clifton.