Doing Double Duty : David Olson Will Juggle His Volleyball, Football Careers at Harvard

David Olson’s life has been about making the right choices.

Volleyball? Football?

Harvard? Princeton? East Coast? West Coast?

Olson’s array of athletic talents has served only to complicate the decision-making process.

But whether it’s excelling in the classroom as a Loyola honor student, spiking volleyballs as an All-Mission League middle blocker or delivering a jaw-jarring hit as an All-Southern Section Division I free safety, Olson has been making all the right moves.

Last week, Olson helped Loyola cap its best volleyball season in five years. The Cubs (20-2) made it all the way to the Southern Section Division I semifinals against Laguna Beach.

Loyola’s success can be attributed to Olson’s role. “As team captain, my job is leadership through example, discipline and to keep the team motivated,” said the 18-year-old senior. “I am the coach’s voice on the floor.”

That’s one luxury that two-year Coach Darrick Lucero is glad he has been afforded.

“If I had six Davys on my team, we would go undefeated,” Lucero said of his two-year all-Mission League performer. “He is mentally tough, versatile and a team player. He can do anything. But what separates him (from other players) is hard work.”

Despite Olson’s upbringing in white-collar society, it is his blue-collar work ethic that accounts for his many volleyball accomplishments.

Olson has participated three times in the Junior Olympics as a middle blocker on the Santa Monica Beach Club, which won a silver medal in 1991 and a gold in 1992. He was named the Junior Olympics Most Valuable Player last year.

For all that, the 6-0, 185-pound Olson said volleyball is not his best sport: “I am a better football player.”

Last season, with Olson as a defensive back, the Cubs (8-4) were Division I quaterfinalists, losing, 37-19, to eventual champ Eisenhower. Olson was named to the All-Southern Section Division I first team.

This fall, Olson will play football at Harvard, one of only 35 freshmen recruits.

“I wanted to go to the East Coast and experience a new culture,” said Olson, who was also accepted at Princeton, Pennsylvania and Dartmouth. “That way, I will be able to live comfortably on either coast.”

Olson’s older brother, Henry, a 1989 Harvard graduate, was instrumental in the decision to choose Harvard. “I told him that (Harvard) would be a good experience for him,” said Henry Olson, who played volleyball and football for the Ivy League school. “I told David it would be very much to his benefit.”

Olson will continue in his brother’s tradition, splitting time on the volleyball court and football field.

But as always, Olson’s first priority will be the classroom.

Olson, who is leaning toward a philosophy major at Harvard, has a 3.7 grade-point average at Loyola and scored 1270 on the Scholastic Aptitude Test. He hopes to make his career as an educator.

“I don’t want to play pro beach volleyball or professional football,” Olson said. “I want to be a graduate professor in college.”

Achievements like Olson’s are the reason many parents send their kids to Loyola, even though they may live as far north as Van Nuys, or south in Long Beach, or east in Whittier or west in Pacific Palisades. With such an influx of money, Loyola is a very affluent school. However, the surrounding neighborhood does not mirror its wealth.

“I was accepted at Harvard-Westlake, but I chose Loyola for the school’s pride and tradition,” said Olson, who lives in Brentwood. “There are big crowds at every sporting event giving support, and the teacher-student relationships are very close. You also get to meet people from different races, cultures and places.”