Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach
NFL Experience: 8
Years with Buccaneers: 2
Greg Olson was promoted to the the position of offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach on September 3, 2009. He is in his second season with the Buccaneers, having been hired as the quarterbacks coach in 2008.Olson spent the previous two seasons (2006-2007) as offensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams. Olson is a veteran of seven years in the NFL and 15 years in the college ranks.
In first season in Tampa Bay in 2008, Olson was part of an offense that ranked 14th in the NFL and ninth in the NFC in total offense. In addition, the Buccaneers featured the 11th-ranked passing offense in the NFL in 2008 as Tampa Bay signal callers passed for 3,788 yards. It marked the second-highest passing yardage total in team history while the 63.2 completion percentage in 2008 ranked third in team history and the 83.8 passer rating by Olson’s unit was the fourth best in team annals. The Buccaneers offense finished the season amassing 5,456 total yards, the highest total in team history, while scoring 361 points, the second-highest total in team annals. Under Olson’s tutelage, QB Jeff Garcia ranked tied for second in the NFL for fewest interceptions (6), ninth in the league and third in the NFC in completion percentage (64.9) and ninth in the NFL and fifth in the NFC in quarterback rating (90.2).
In Olson’s first year with the Rams in 2006, he helped guide a high-powered offense that ranked sixth in the NFL in total offense (360.4 yards per game) and a passing offense that ranked third (247.6 ypg) in the NFC. The Rams ranked second in the NFC and third in the NFL in first downs (332), and scored 273 points in the red zone, second-most in the NFC.
Under Olson’s direction, the 2006 Rams became just the fourth team in NFL history to produce a passer with more than 4,000 yards (QB Marc Bulger), a rusher with more than 1,500 yards (RB Steven Jackson) and two receivers with more than 1,000 yards (Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce). Bulger, Jackson, and Holt were all selected to the Pro Bowl. Bulger also posted career-highs in passing yards (4,301), passing touchdowns (24), passing attempts (588) and completions (370) while ranking second in the NFL in interception percentage (1.4%). He also finished second in the NFL in completions, third in passing yards and fourth in touchdown passes. Jackson also had a career-year in 2006, leading the NFL in yards from scrimmage with 2,334 and he led all NFL running backs with 90 receptions and was fifth in the NFL in rushing yards with 1,528.
Prior to his time with the Rams, Olson spent two seasons as quarterbacks coach for the Detroit Lions (2004-2005). In 2004, Olson took over play the calling duties for the Detroit Lions with three games remaining in the season as the Lions offense went on to average 403.6 total yards per game. He also spent one season each as quarterbacks coach of the Chicago Bears (2003) and tight ends/recruiting coordinator at Purdue University (2002). During his second stint with Purdue, Olson recruited future NFL QB Kyle Orton.
Olson originally entered the league in 2001 with the San Francisco 49ers as quarterbacks coach and helped guide QB Jeff Garcia to one of the best seasons in his career. Garcia posted a career-high 32 touchdown passes, his second-best career number in passing yardage (3,538) and his third-best career numbers in passer rating (94.8) and completion percentage (62.7) as he was selected to his second consecutive Pro Bowl.
Olson was quarterbacks coach at Purdue from 1997-2000, and played a key role in the development of Pro Bowl QB Drew Brees. Under Olson, Brees was a Heisman Trophy finalist in 1999 and 2000, while winning the Maxwell Award as the nation’s outstanding player in 2000. He was also a finalist for the Davey O’Brien Award as the nation’s top quarterback in 1999 and 2000. Brees ended his collegiate career as the Big Ten and Purdue’s all-time leader in passing yardage (11,792), touchdowns passes (90), total yards (12,693), completion percentage (61.1%), completions (1,026) and attempts (1,678). He also ranked fourth in NCAA Division I-A history for total offense, completions and attempts upon his departure from Purdue. In addition, Brees led Purdue to the 2000 Rose Bowl, the school's first appearance in Pasadena since 1967. Under Olson, Brees had seven 400-yard passing games and 16 300-yard passing games. Brees earned Big Ten player of Year honors in 1998 and 2000 and All-Conference accolades for three straight years (1998-2000). As a senior he was named Academic All-America Player of the Year and was the first recipient of Socrates Award, recognizing the nation's finest athlete in terms of academics, athletics, and community service.
From 1994-1996, Olson was quarterbacks coach at Idaho. The team’s passing attack in 1996 ranked fourth in the country, fifth in total offense, and 15th in scoring. The Vandals were second in the nation in total offense and scoring, and seventh in passing in 1994. Olson tutored QB Ryan Fien at Idaho, who earned All-Conference honors and finished second in the nation in total offense for the 1996 season.
Before his time at Idaho, Olson was the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at his alma mater, Central Washington, from 1990-1993. The school was the top-ranked National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics school in total offense in 1991 and 1993. Olson developed first team All-American QB Jon Kitna in his rise from NAIA starter to 1997 World Bowl MVP to NFL starter in Seattle, Cincinnati and Detroit. Also during Olson’s stint at Central Washington, he served as a wrestling coach for four seasons, including the last two as head coach, helping lead the program to a sixth-place finish at his final NAIA National Tournament.
Olson got his coaching start as a graduate assistant in 1987 at Washington State under the tutelage of Head Coaches Dennis Erickson (1987-1988) and Mike Price (1989), where he earned his master’s degree in athletic administration.
Olson attended Spokane Falls Junior College from 1981-1982, and played quarterback at Central Washington from 1983-1984, earning his bachelor’s degree in education in 1986. The Richland, Washington, native is married to Lissa with twins, Kenneth and Grayce. Lissa was the first female to be named a Head Coach of a Division I Track and Field Men’s track team when she was named the Head Coach at Purdue University in March of 2001. She is currently an assistant track coach at the University of South Florida.
OLSON AT A GLANCE
- 1987-89...Washington State, Graduate Assistant
- 1990-93...Central Washington University, Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach
- 1994-96...University of Idaho, Quarterbacks Coach
- 1997-2000...Purdue University, Quarterbacks Coach
- 2001...San Francisco 49ers, Quarterbacks Coach
- 2002...Purdue University, Tight Ends/Recruiting Coordinator
- 2003...Chicago Bears, Quarterbacks Coach
- 2004...Detroit Lions, Quarterbacks Coach
- 2005...Detroit Lions, Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach
- 2006-07...St. Louis Rams, Offensive Coordinator
- 2008...Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Quarterbacks Coach
- 2009...Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach
