Greg Olsen is an American soccer player who made his name in the National Football League (NFL) by playing for the Carolina Panthers as a tight end. A veteran in the league, he made his debut with the Chicago Bears in 2007 and has remained a very important and interesting player in the league ever since. Even though football seems to overshadow every other aspect of his life, there is a lot going on in his personal life.
Greg Olsen Biography
The Carolina Panthers Tight End was born on March 11, 1985, as Gregory Walter Olsen in Wayne, New Jersey, where he grew up with his siblings Kevin Olsen and Chris Olsen, Jr., who all also play soccer, very close to the New Meadowlands Stadium.
Greg began playing soccer as a child and, with the help of his father, who acted as coach, followed in the footsteps of his brother Chris Olsen, Jr. He went to Wayne Hills High School for his education, and from there he moved to the University of Notre Dame before moving to the University of Miami just days after his brother Chris, where he left Notre Dame and went to the University of Virginia.
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When he attended high school, Greg was not only excellent at soccer but also at basketball. Nevertheless, it was football that was to become his calling. After a successful college career, Olsen chose to play in the 2007 NFL Draft, where he finished 31st in the first round of the Chicago Bears. Soon after, he was awarded a five-year contract with the club and made his league debut on September 23, 2007.
He played for the team until 2011 when he was transferred to the Carolina Panthers, where he continues to play. In 2018, he was awarded a 2-year contract, under which he would earn $17.1 million, with a maximum of $20.1 million.
Even though he doesn’t necessarily have to be the best player on many lists, Greg Olsen will definitely make it to the top when it comes to tight ends, though not in the sense of Jeremy Shockey. He was allowed to make 3 Pro Bowls between 2014 and 2016 and 2-second team All-Pro between 2015 and 2016. In his early days, he was awarded the Brian Piccolo Award and in 2007 he was named PFWA All-Rookie Team.
Brother, Wife, and Kids
As mentioned above, Olsen grew up alongside two brothers who were also involved in football, which represents Greg’s claim that his family revolves around this sport. His older brother, Chris Olsen Jr., played since childhood due to the influence of his father, who was a coach, and he also played in college but didn’t make it to the NFL.
There is also Kevin Olsen, who is the youngest of the three brothers and like the other two, has been involved with sports all his life. As the quarterback for the University of North Carolina’s Charlotte 49ers, Kevin has his eye on playing in the NFL. Now, however, he faces a rape case that could put him behind bars for up to 10 years, despite denying the allegation and refusing a deal in the criminal case.
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For his part, Greg Olsen not only has a successful professional life but also a good personal life, since he is already married. He tied the knot in 2009 with Kara Dooley, whom he met at the University of Miami when they were both college students.
Two years after becoming husband and wife, Greg and Kara had their first child, Tate Christian Olsen, who was born in 2011. At their next birth on October 9, 2012, Kara Dooley Olsen gave birth to a pair of twins, Talbot and Trent Jerry.
The wonderful family now lives in Carolina, where the Panthers’ star continues to play soccer, while Kara Dooley is involved in charity work with the Greg Olsen Foundation, which was established by the NFL star in 2009 to raise funds and help people with cancer. He created the foundation based on the experience of his mother, Susan Olsen, who had fought against cancer for more than a decade and survived it.
Greg Olsen Height and Weight
As you would expect from a man playing in the NFL, Greg Olsen is a man of good height and build. He stands at a massive height of 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) while his body weight is 116 kg (255 lb).
