{"@context":"http://iiif.io/api/presentation/3/context.json","id":"https://saaacam.aviaryplatform.com/iiif/b27pn9017j/manifest","type":"Manifest","label":{"en":["Rance Olison Interview"]},"logo":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/571/original/full-color_2x.png?1735841768","metadata":[{"label":{"en":["Publisher"]},"value":{"en":["The African American Network TV (TAAN TV)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Description"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eCoach Rance Olison speaks about his journey from Arkansas to Texas as a football player and coach, his experiences in multiple football leagues with numerous coaches and players, teaching history, and how he shares the life wisdom of his mother with his “babies”, his students. \u003c/p\u003e (summary)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Rights Statement"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eAll materials are for noncommercial educational or research uses only. Please contact SAAACAM for any questions regarding usage rights.\u003c/p\u003e"]}},{"label":{"en":["Date"]},"value":{"en":["2017-12-26 (created)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Type"]},"value":{"en":["Interview"]}},{"label":{"en":["Format"]},"value":{"en":["MP4"]}},{"label":{"en":["Source"]},"value":{"en":["The African American Network (TAAN) TV"]}},{"label":{"en":["Keyword"]},"value":{"en":["NFL","NFLPA","NFL Former Players","El Dorado, Arkansas","San Diego State University","Hensley Sapenter","Sam Houston High School","TAKS Test"]}},{"label":{"en":["Language"]},"value":{"en":["English (primary)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Access Ss"]},"value":{"en":["access_restricted"]}}],"summary":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eCoach Rance Olison speaks about his journey from Arkansas to Texas as a football player and coach, his experiences in multiple football leagues with numerous coaches and players, teaching history, and how he shares the life wisdom of his mother with his “babies”, his students. \u003c/p\u003e"]},"requiredStatement":{"label":{"en":["Attribution"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eAll materials are for noncommercial educational or research uses only. 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Welcome to TAAN [The African American Network] TV. This is 300 Voices in 300 Days. Today I have a great interview set up for you. We're going to have some time to talk to Rance Olison. Rance was the former president of the NFL [National Football League] Players Association, the chapter here, and so we want to jump into this. Rance, good morning. How are you?\r\n\r\n\r\nRance Olison  0:22  \r\nGood morning. I'm fine, and thanks for having me.\r\n\r\n\r\nChristopher Herring  0:24  \r\nWell, this is great because the NFL presence has been very large in the state of Texas. And so let's talk about you. And where did you grow up, first of all?\r\n\r\n\r\nRance Olison  0:36  \r\nOkay, I'm originally from El Dorado, Arkansas, and I attended and graduated from San Diego State University on a scholarship with them, Don Coryell and Ernie Zampese. Graduating in 1975. And I always pat myself on the back, on the shoulder. Out of 25 seniors on the football team at San Diego State at that time, I was only the one that walked across the stage with a diploma. And that's one of my main accomplishments that I'm still proud of today. \r\n\r\n\r\nChristopher Herring  1:09  \r\nThat is awesome. So you were in the NFL at some point, right? But tell me about the positions that you played coming up as a athlete.\r\n\r\n\r\nRance Olison  1:22  \r\nOh, coming up in high school, I was always the littlest guy in the neighborhood. Nobody never gave me an opportunity to succeed any kind of way. And I was always slow until I worked on my speed by putting kids– I lived right across the street from the elementary school I attended– and by putting kids in front of me 35 or 40 yards, and I would just tell ‘em to take off and I would always try to go and catch ‘em. And I played high school, running back and flanker. We integrated in 1969 from the Black school to a Caucasian school in El Dorado, Arkansas. And then when we got to the Caucasian school, El Dorado high school, we played– I played flanker and some running back and that was basically it. And when I went on to college, everything changed from the running and the catching to playing defensive back, to hitting people. And I'm being a littlest guy, always, on the football field, hitting those big guys. And I’ll tell you what– it was a great joy just to go to a school called San Diego State from a little small country town of El Dorado, Arkansas– what– about 19,000 people in there. And as I stated earlier, no one never gave me an opportunity to say that I could make it. I was always hearing something negative.\r\n\r\n\r\nChristopher Herring  2:42  \r\nSo let me ask you, you know, the recruiting process back in those days, you know, to take you from high school to bring you to college. What was that like then? And is it still comparable to what the young men go through today when they're being recruited to college?\r\n\r\n\r\nRance Olison  2:58  \r\nI don't think so because my route is just like a– like a roadmap. Because when I left high school, I went to the University of Arkansas at Monticello for a semester, and that didn't work out for me. So I got on that Continental Trailway bus and I had a sister that lived in LA [Los Angeles, California], and I went to LA to visit her one summer and while I was out there, I got enrolled in Compton Junior College. And when I got enrolled in Compton Junior College, I played there for one year and our head coach, Joe Wade, he had an opportunity to go to the University of Oregon, and being an offensive line coach. So he asked me– I was the outstanding– [coughs] excuse me– freshman on defense that year, and another kid was the outstanding running back on offense– And he asked both of us to go to the University of Oregon with him. And we got our grades and everything together and we were on the University of Oregon. And I was there with Dan Fouts, Russ Francis, all those guys back in the– back in the 70s and 80s with those guys that I'm standing-- well at University of Oregon before I am transferred out to San Diego State because that wasn't a good fit for me either. And transferring to San Diego State, as soon as I arrived there, everything started falling into place with me, with Ernie Zampese being our defensive back coach, and he has– had, at the time, and put a lot of former players into the NFL. And the reason how I got there was from a former wide receiver that I played with over in Compton. \r\n\r\n\r\nChristopher Herring 4:36\r\nOkay.\r\n\r\n\r\nRance Olison 4:36\r\nMm-hm, Tim Boyer. And he spoke up for me, and after the coach called and said, “Well, Rance is getting ready to leave University of Oregon, so he needs a school.” And coach called me and–\r\n\r\n\r\nChristopher Herring  4:47  \r\nHe said, “He– you're really good and we really need that type of talent to play with.” \r\n\r\n\r\nRance Olison  4:51  \r\nAbsolutely, yeah. I was in Arkansas, I had left and I was just frust– I was frustrated. And I left, and I went home, and I stayed home, rode the bus, the Trailway. That's all I could afford at the time. I rode the bus from Thursday night until Sunday evening to Arkansas, from Oregon to Arkansas, and had $5 in my pocket. And when I got home, I was broke. My mom never had a car, so I always travel with a footlocker. So I put that footlocker on my shoulder, and walked down the railroad tracks until I got home. \r\n\r\n\r\nChristopher Herring  5:30  \r\nI was gonna ask you, you know, your– the family. Tell– tell us how the family impacted you.\r\nRance Olison 5:37\r\nWell the fam–\r\n\r\n\r\nChristopher 5:38\r\nBecause I know you had to have a strong mind in order to do what you accomplish. But how did your family build that confidence in you? \r\n\r\n\r\nRance Olison  5:43  \r\nAbsolutely. My mom, she was the breadwinner. She wore the pants and the dress. I never had a dad, but I thank him for helping get me here. But Mom and four sisters– I grew up in a house of five women. And I couldn't wait until the day like came so I can get out of there. But Mom would always say– she was a maid– would always say– with a third grade education, and she went back as we got older and got her GED [General Education Development diploma]-- But she would always say, “If you don't want to do what I'm doing, go to school.” And everywhere I went, every time I opened a book when it got tough, I just remember what she said, “You don't want to do what I'm doing.” Because I didn't think football would take me to where I am now and take me through college to gain an education. I just didn't didn't have that thought because growing up in Arkansas, we only had two channels, and that was Channel 10 and Channel 8. And I could see the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday whenever they were playing, or Sunday, and the New Orleans Saints. And I used to just love the Chiefs with Otis Taylor and Buck Buchanan and all those guys. And I used to tell the guys– and we– when we played sandlot football, “Man, I'm gon’ be in– in Kansas City one day.” And they say, “Yeah, you too– you too slow, your hair too nappy, you ain't going nowhere, boy. You too short.” But I just kept working and working and working out and running, because I was slow. And they used to just call me and, “There go ‘Too Slow’ Rance!” And all of a sudden some of the guys came back and said, “Well who was that running like that out there?” They said, “That’s Rance.” But anyway, that's where– that’s what it started for me back in the day and working hard as I could work to be successful. And the only way that I felt that I was gonna be successful was Mom told me, when I left to go to California, San Diego State, “Don't come back here saying you just played football. You get you something out of it while they’re paying for your education.” And I did, and as I stated I was the only one that graduated in 1975 football player from San Diego State.\r\n\r\n\r\nChristopher Herring  7:49  \r\nSo then you graduated from college, what happened next? Because this is probably like where it was a game changer for you.\r\n\r\n\r\nRance Olison  7:55  \r\nYes, so after I graduated from college, I worked out for the Hawaiians. I didn't get drafted or anything I would just, evidently just too small.\r\n\r\n\r\nChristopher Herring 8:03\r\nThe Hawaiians? \r\n\r\n\r\nRance Olison 8:04\r\nThe Hawaiians in the World Football League. And when I went with them in 1975, that was their second year in existence. And as soon as I got with them, working with Sonny Sixkiller that used to play with the University of Seattle, and some other guy, Willie Williams that played with the Giants, and Calvin Hill. We were all together in Hawaii, with the Hawaiians. And as soon as things started picking up, it folded. So I had to–\r\n\r\n\r\nChristopher Herring  8:32\r\nThe Le– the League folded.\r\n\r\n\r\nRance Olison  8:36  \r\nLe– The League folded. \r\n\r\n\r\nChristopher Herring  8:35\r\nSo then you were unemployed.\r\n\r\n\r\nRance Olison  8:36\r\nI was unemployed. So I said, “Well let me try it again.” And– [coughs] excuse me– with this footlocker and my cell, know that I had gra– gained from graduation, we started out again. And the 49ers called me because one of the–\r\n\r\n\r\nChristopher Herring  8:51\r\n–San Francisco 49ers.\r\n\r\n\r\nRance Olison  8:52\r\n–Yes, sir, San Francisco 49ers called me. And one of the scouts were– was from San Diego State at the time I was playing in San Diego State and he had ga– gotten a job up there. And he asked me if I wanted to come up and play with him, he could get me a contract. I was, “Well, hey, I’ll give it a shot! Let’s– let's do it.” And we did, and I hung around a little bit for them. And then that worked out to a certain extent for me, and was one of the fastest guys running in the 20. But here again, for that particular time, I was just still too small according to what the guys were saying. And I said, “Well, man, I’m– but you can't measure my heart. You can measure my– my weight and my height, but give me a chance.” And that lasted for a little while. And next thing you know, footlocker was being packed again. And I ended up with Marv Levy over in Kansas City. And I hung around there for a little while. And–\r\n\r\n\r\nChristopher Herring  9:50\r\nOh, you say hung around there, so–\r\n\r\n\r\nRance Olison  9:52\r\nI say hung around. I didn't stay long, maybe about six, seven months with them and played in a couple of games. And here again, everybody was bigger than me. \r\n\r\n\r\nChristopher Herring  10:02\r\nAnd you were– you were playing defensive back at that time?\r\nRance Olison  10:04\r\nDefensive back. Yes, sir. I was playing corner all the way through from Hawaii through San Francisco up into Kansas City, still playing corner. And as– it was– I thought I was getting it done pretty good, but apparently not. With the height and the size I was– at that time I was five  seven, which probably still five seven and a hundred and, what, 75 pounds trying to play corner with, I mean, big guys back in those days. And with the equipment and everything we had it’s very uncomparable, I guess you can say, to what the kids are going through today.\r\n\r\n\r\nChristopher Herring  10:39  \r\nI was thinking about Earl Campbell, in my mind that, you know, you had these big backs.\r\n\r\n\r\nRance Olison  10:45  \r\nOh, Lord, and we got a chance to play Houston, but thank God he didn't– he didn't play that game. But the guy that played on defense, Vernon Perry, he's the president of the former NFL players chapter in Jackson, and him and I became very good friends since we have these different conferences we go through and to. And I spoke to Earl a couple of weeks ago, and we had a meeting in Austin last week and tried to get him out but his health and everything is permitting him to get out to certain events.\r\n\r\n\r\nChristopher Herring  11:16  \r\nSo after you got to the chiefs, because you– you did play in multiple leagues, and so forth. So what happened after the Chiefs?\r\n\r\n\r\nRance Olison  11:26  \r\nAfter the Chiefs, I ended up going to Winnipeg, Canada, \r\n\r\n\r\nChristopher Herring  11:30\r\nOkay, Canadian Football League. \r\n\r\n\r\nRance Olison 11:31\r\nThe Canadian Football League. and that was an experience. 12 men on the field and you could just have an out-echoing and saying, [imitating echo] “Out out out out out out out,” all year long and all day long. But that was a pretty good experience. I got a chance to play with some young men that ended up in NFL. Eugene Goodlow, Dieter Brock, played with those guys up there for a little while. And all of a sudden, I– my footlocker was packed again. And I ended up going, finishing up in– from ‘75, 1975 to 1982 with the Michigan Panthers of the USFL [United States Football League]. And I was there with them. Anthony Carter, Bobby Hebert, and the list goes on and on. And after those days were over, I said– them knees started messing with me a little bit, I said, “Well, now it's time to start using that education.” And when I go out and speak to kids, I say “The NFL is great. NBA [National Basketball Association] is great, and MLB [Major League Baseball] is great. But guess what is greater, is an education.” \r\n\r\n\r\nChristopher Herring  12:35\r\nAn education.\r\nRance Olison  12:36\r\nAn education, yes, sir, will last a heck of a lot longer than the NFL. And I call the NFL and I state, when I speak to the babies, that the NFL means not for long, but education means forever.\r\n\r\n\r\nChristopher Herring  12:49  \r\nNow that is powerful. \r\n\r\n\r\nRance Olison  12:50\r\nYes, sir. \r\n\r\n\r\nChristopher Herring  12:52\r\nSo you became the president of the NFL Players Association chapter in this area. Tell us about that organization, and what have you been doing when you were president of that work?\r\n\r\n\r\nRance Olison  13:04  \r\nI'm still President of the NFLPA. We call it the former players because we're– none of us are playing now. And as the former players NFL Association San Antonio, Austin because we have guys all around. 92 guys in this area played professional football at some point. \r\n\r\n\r\nChristopher Herring 13:23\r\nWow. That many?\r\n\r\n\r\nRance Olison  13:25\r\n92.\r\n\r\n\r\nChristopher Herring  13:25  \r\nWho are some of the people who are in your organization that San Antonio might recognize?\r\n\r\n\r\nRance Olison  13:29  \r\nOkay, Priest Holmes, he's the Vice President. As we stated, I'm the President. Clyde Glosson, he's in the organization. Guy by the name of Mike Freeman that played in three Super Bowls, I think, with John Elway over in Denver. Willie Mitchell, I just spoke with Willie. We just had a charity dinner and dance and silent auction a couple of weeks ago, and Willy attended the affair and said he would never miss it again. And that's what we do. We have–\r\n\r\n\r\nChristopher Herring  14:01  \r\nWillie– Willie Mitchell's been very busy in San Antonio. \r\n\r\n\r\nRance Olison 14:06\r\nYes, sir. very, very busy. \r\n\r\n\r\nChristopher Herring 14:07\r\nVery busy helping with the drug fight back programs. So that’s– that's commendable. And then a friend of mine, Lenny Walls, I think you said is also a part of the association. He's doing some big things, too. So it seems like you guys keep each other encouraged. \r\n\r\n\r\nRance Olison  14:22  \r\nAnd that's what it's all about. Because we do scholarships. I do scholarships, along with Priest, through the NFLPA. We give out each year to a boy or girl, a $2,500 scholarship each and Priest in turn turns around and matches that through his charitable organization, the Priest Holmes Foundation. And we were able this year, we do it every year. Been doing it for four years now. And I've been the President d– going on my second term now, I've been President two years already, this is my third year and I have one more after this. And we give scholarships, as I stated, and we gave away 26 this year, we gave away seven here in San Antonio and I always go back home to El Dorado, Arkansas. If I can't give at home, where can I give at? And I go back to El Dorado Arkansas, every Easter weekend and my high school football coach who deceased– was deceased, passed on 20 years ago, and we go back and do a fundraiser, a golf tournament, a basketball tournament and a banquet to raise monies to help send a less fortunate kid to school in his memory. And we've been doing it for 20 years, as I stated. And this year, past Easter, I– I looked at the recipient list and we had 18 babies– I call the kids “babies”-- on the list. And I asked the young lady who helps us with the finances, “Do we have enough money, since this is 20 years for coach, to bless all 18?” They said, “Yeah, we do.” I said, “Let’s bless all 18.” And we blessed 18 babies in Arkansas, El Dorado, Arkansas, and seven here. So a total of 26.\r\n\r\n\r\nChristopher Herring  16:06  \r\nHow did you get to Texas? How did you get to San Antonio? \r\n\r\n\r\nRance Olison  16:10  \r\nI got– well, I was living in Kansas City and– and Topeka, Kansas because I was teaching and coaching at Topeka High School and Washburn University, and I was working on my masters at Washburn, and that's where I got my masters from, was at Washburn University. After I finished up with the USFL back in nine– ‘85. And I just got tired of shoveling snow. I had to shovel my way in and shovel my way out. And I said “I'm going–” I told my wife, “I'm going back home–” which I met her in Kansas City, and I said, “I'm going back home, I can't take this cold weather.” So I ended up in Texas because this is where I was offered– in Austin, was offered a job to teach and coach. And I became a history teacher and the secondary coach for Del Valle High School for seven years in Austin. And then Mr. Hensley Sapenter, at that time was athletic director [for San Antonio Independent School District] down here in San Antonio, and him and I became good friends after we met each other and he told me he had a job open down here. And I said, “Well, I'm gonna come down and apply.” And I did, and got the job, and ended up coaching just around the corner from here at Martin Luther King Middle School. I was the athletic coordinator and head football coach for three years. And then I went to [S.H.] Gates [Elementary School] and I co– I was still coaching with [Phillis] Wheatley Middle School and I was at Gates. And ended up, after that year, R.A. Johnson, the head football coach over at Sam Houston High School, asked me if I would like to come over there and teach and coach, which I was teaching history and eventually became the history department chair. And I was coaching the secondary for R.A. for a couple of years. And then Russell Tatum took over. And I ended up working for Russell Tatum. I stayed at Sam [Houston], totally in the district for 18 years. I think it was about 14 years at Sam and three at [Martin Luther] King and one at Gates.\r\n\r\n\r\nChristopher Herring  18:06  \r\nWow. So Coach Olison, so when people, your students hear about your past, what do they ask you most frequently about your story? Because I'm sure that they were truly inspired about hearing about your story. What– what do they ask you?\r\n\r\n\r\nRance Olison  18:24  \r\nA lot of times the kids asked me, I– I forgot to tell you, I spent some time with the [Dallas] Cowboys as a coach back in ‘96 through 2003. And the kids at Sam used to see me on television when we were having the games because I went in as a minority intern fellowship coach, and was learning the game of how to coach in the NFL, under Ernie Zampese’s supervision. And I did that with the Cowboys for six years with Barry Switzer and Dave Campos. We even came here for a couple of years and the kids would see me and I would always go up and– and help coach the game during Thanksgiving. And the babies at Sam would say, “Coach, we saw you on TV! You had this on, you had that on.” And they were just really inspired. But I always try to inspire most– not most of ‘em. But I tried to inspire all of them, and tell them that get your education regardless of what you do, and you won't have to– if you don't put in the time, you can't spend a legal dime. But if you put in the time, you can spend a legal dime. And the kids who did listen to me, I see ‘em occasionally and they say, “Coach, thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you for pushing us and encouraging us with those kind words and teaching us.” Because at that time I came up with the TAKS– the state test was– was the TAKS [Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills]. And if they didn't pass the TAKS, the history and the reading and writing, they didn't graduate from school. So with our history class, we came up with a TAKS all level history trivia game, and that helped the kids. We would play that game continuously. And then basically all my students passed the TAKS history board by me coming out with that game. But majority of them come back now and just say, “Coach, thank you.” And they're teaching and some of ‘em are coaching, and– and they just all have praise and thanking me for what we did back in the day. Well,\r\n\r\n\r\nChristopher Herring  20:26  \r\nWell,we call that legacy. And you have a very remarkable legacy in which you've been able to instill. Coach, Rance Olison, I just want to thank you, you know, for not only being inspiring within your journey, but then transferring all of what you've learned to help our babies. This is 300 Voices in 300 Days, I’m Christopher Herring. And again, I had the– have the great pleasure of being able to tell the story of Rance Olison, President of the Former Players of the NFL Players Association. So again, thank you for being a part of TAAN TV’s 300 Voices in 300 Days.\r\n\r\n\r\nRance Olison  21:07  \r\nAnd thank you, sir. And thank you so much for inviting me. Appreciate it. \r\n\r\n\r\nChristopher Herring 21:11\r\nAppreciate it.\r\n\r\n\r\nTranscribed by https://otter.ai","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://saaacam.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2808/collection_resources/131047/file/245288#t=0.0,1273.36533"}]}]}]}