Top ’11’ Stories of 2014 – Former Richland QB Nearly Lands Raiders Head Coaching Job

A former Richland High School standout was one of two finalists for the Oakland Raiders head coaching job this fall.

Greg Olson, who played quarterback and linebacker on arguably the best team in Richland Bomber history (the 1980 squad that finished 3rd in state)  was up against former Miami coach Tony Sporano.    Olson, who's the Raiders offensive coordinator, was considered a strong candidate after the Raiders fired Dennis Allen.

Rumors of Allen's demise began after the Raiders stumbled to an 0-4 start in September.  Sporano, who was the Raiders  Assistant Head Coach (#2) man, ended up getting the job.  Sporano got the job largely because of his previous experience as the HC in Miami.

The Raiders had been 8-28 during Allen's tenure.

But while Olson's bid came up short,  he's done some nice work with rookie quarterback Derek Carr, and could be a candidate for a future head position.   Since Sporano took over, Olson's offensive play calling (and a healthier team) has led to 2 major upsets by the Raiders.  First, they knocked off Kansas City a few weeks ago on Sunday night football, then stunned the San Francisco 49'rs  in a decisive win December 7th.

Olson, who's worked for a number of NFL teams,  attended Central Washington University where he played football, did graduate assistant work, and later ended up at Purdue University as quarterback coach where he mentored a fellow by the name of Drew Breez - you may have heard of him?