Coach Lute Olson will be honored with a statue on the north side of McKale Center, facing the UA mall.
Lute Olson led UA to the Final Four in 1988, 1994, 1997 and 2001, part of a Hall of Fame career that led to a statue outside McKale Center.
Hall of Fame basketball coach Lute Olson will be honored on Thursday with a statue outside McKale Center. Here's everything you need to know about ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥'s legendary coach, the statue itself and the ceremony:Ìý
Coach Lute Olson's ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats won the national title in 1997. The Pac-12 is still searching, 21 years later and counting.
Olson, now 83 years old, led the UA for 24 seasons, posting a 589-187 record. His teams made Final Four in 1988, 1994, 1997 and 2001. The Wildcats won a national championship in 1997. Olson was enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002. Olson's legacy in retirement has been the players he put through to the NBA.Ìý
The unselfish play of Jason Terry was a big reason the Wildcats won the program’s only national title in 1997 under coach Lute Olson.
The $300,000 statue will sit outside the entrance to the Jim Click Hall of Champions on the north side of McKale Center. Olson's statue will face the UA mall. The south side of McKale Center, where a bust of football star John "Button" Salmon once stood, was not considered because of potential arena expansion plans, the UA said.
The UA has been crowdfunding the event for months, and has so far raised $225,000 of the $300,000 needed for the statue. . UA legend Steve Kerr donated his likeness in the form of Original Retro Brand jerseys and t-shirts to help fund the project.Ìý
Coach Lute Olson is beaming while listening to star player Sean Elliott at a rally and parade at for the men's basketball team at University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ stadium in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ after the 1988 NCAA Final Four.
The statue ceremony marks the 30th anniversary of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥'s first Final Four appearance.Ìý
A bronze statue of Earvin "Magic" Johnson stands outside Staples Center.
The statue created by Omri Amrany, the co-founder of the Fine Art Studio of Rotblatt-Amrany. Along with his wife Julie Rotblatt-Amrany, Omri Armany has help create many of sports' top recent statues. He has immortalized Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O'Neal, Magic Johnson and Gordie Howe, among others. Read more about him .Ìý
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ coachÌýLuteÌýOlsonÌýgets a hug from his wifeÌýBobbiÌýafter an 84-79 overtime win over Kentucky for the national championship in 1997.
The UA hired ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥-based architects Line and Space to coordinate the Olson sculpture. The firm, located on Speedway Boulevard, chose the pose and designed an exhibit showing Olson's accolades.ÌýÌý
Star illustrator Tammie Graves tried her hand at sketching a Lute Olson statue for a Greg Hansen column that ran in 2016.Ìý
Olson will be holding the 1997 NCAA Championship trophy, but the rest of the statue remains very much a mystery. Olson said he and wife Kelly received a sneak peak when they went to see “parts†of it in Phoenix recently, but he doesn’t know exactly what the statue will look like.
“I think they’ve done a great job,†Olson said.Ìý
UA legend Lute Olson will join some of the sport's all-time greats to have statues, including UNLV's Jerry Tarkanian.
Olson becomes one of a select few basketball coaches to be honored with a statue. A partial list of honorees includes John Wooden (UCLA), Pete Newell (Cal), Jerry Tarkanian (UNLV), Jim Valvano (NC State), Al McGuire (Marquette), Phog Allen (Knasas), Norm Stewart (Missouri) and Johnny Orr (Iowa State).
Most of the coaches are standing in their statues, where Tarkanian — Olson's predecessor at Long Beach State and one of his UA-era rivals — is sitting, his trademark towel in his mouth.Ìý
Lute Olson’s instincts led him to hire strong assistant coaches who helped recruit top players, which elevated the UA basketball program.
The statue unveiling begins at 4:30 p.m. Thursday just north of McKale Center. The event isÌýnotÌýopen to the public. Fans can watch a live-streamÌýÌýor followÌýÌýfor photos, videos and live updates from the event.Ìý
UA athletic director Dave Heeke sent an open letter to boosters, season ticket holders and employees on Friday vowing improvement.
UA athletic director Dave Heeke, Olson and other invited guests will speak during the ceremony. The event is expected to last until 6 p.m.
Mike Bibby gets instructions from coach Lute Olson during the 1997 NCAA College Basketball Championship game in Indianapolis, IN.
Click on any of the attached links below for more on Olson's statue.
Bruce Pascoe runs through the most recent ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ basketball news, including Lute Olson's statue unveiling Thursday and recruiting updates.
The UA is honoring the man who made the Wildcats into a basketball power, and it's a wonder it took so long.Ìý
Star sports editor Ryan Finley talks with reporter Michael Lev and columnist Greg Hansen about ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s spring scrimmage, Lute Olson’s upcomi…
Greg and Ryan discuss why the Wildcats are spending $300,000 to honor the legendary coach, and why it’s important that Olson is there to see it.
The UA released renderings for upgrades to Hillenbrand Stadium, an indoor sports complex, McKale Center and more.
Coach led Wildcats to Four Final fours during his time at the helm.Ìý
The UA coach will be immortalized in a ceremony at 4:30 p.m. Thursday.Ìý
The new statue of former Wildcat basketball coach Lute Olson was presented to the public on the Eddie Lynch Pavilion on the north side McKale …
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