G.O.A.T. of the Week: Kelby Olson

PANHANDLE, Texas (KFDA) - Attending Alabama is a dream for any football loving high schooler, and Panhandle’s Kelby Olson will have that opportunity.

While Olson won’t be suiting up for the Crimson Tide, he’s excited to be heading to Alabama on an academic scholarship.

“It was pretty cool, because I just wasn’t expecting it. I never though I’d go to Alabama, but through some cool scholarship stuff I was able to beable to attend there. It’s called the National Rural Recognition program. Since I was from a small town, I was able to get a scholarship to go there,” said Kelby Olson.

It’s far from easy to get a full academic ride to a school like Alabama. Which speak to Kelby’s tremendous intellect and committment.

“You know, Kelby is extremely smart. You know, one of the things He does very well, he’s on the cross x debate team. He and I actually debate every once in a while. We’ve been out here on the practice field talking about we’re gonna run our blacksde slant route and he had a very very valid argument,” said Panhandle football head coach, Dane Ashley

On the field, Coach Ashley couldn’t say enough good things about how far Kelby has come since his early days with the team.

“You know, I can remember his very first football game he was telling me he was a little bit scared. And all of a sudden he’s a head hunter and he’s starting both ways for us and he’s a 130-pound fullback that doesn’t get a lot fo credit, a lot of recognition,” said Coach Ashley.

Kelby also won’t take for granted the chance to see the game he loves at an elite program.

“I’m so excited to go to a game. Just the atmosphere of like what it’s like to be a town like where football is so important. Like small towns is like that on a smaller level on Friday Nights. Insted of 1,000 people in the stands, there’s 100,000 people in the stands cheering for a team like that,” said Olson.

Kelby Olson gives every student in the Texas Panhandle a role model to look up to and show what young student athletes can achieve through their hard work in the classroom.

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