Lute! The Seasons of My Life

Lute Olson, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer and UA Wildcat basketball coach, has written a memoir titled Lute! The Seasons of My Life. Lute’s new autobiography, written with David Fisher and including a foreword by coaching legend John Wooden, is a revealing look into his life on and off of the basketball court. 

The book recounts Lute’s early career, his 1997 National Championship, and details of his personal life, including his courtship with wife Christine Toretti as well as the years spent with his first wife, Bobbi Olson. Coach Olson’s autobiography is set for release on Oct. 3, 2006. The book will be available at most local bookstores and through online bookstores as well.

The Arizona Cancer Center Development Office is selling bookplates signed by Coach Olson. All proceeds go to the Bobbi Olson Fund at the Arizona Cancer Center to prevent and cure women’s cancers. Coach Olson, his wife Christine, and the entire Olson family are committed to finding a cure for women’s cancers. Click here to purchase your bookplate! For more information, contact the Arizona Cancer Center Development Office at 1-800-327-CURE. Note: The purchase of the bookplate is not a tax-deductible donation.

An Excerpt from Coach Olson’s Autobiography:

We lived so many unforgettable days and nights together. On March 27, 1988, at the Kingdome in Seattle, we defeated Dean Smith’s North Carolina Tarheels in the Elite Eight. For the first time, the University of Arizona Wildcats were going to the Final Four. When the buzzer sounded the kids started celebrating at mid-court. But I stood in front of our bench, looking up into the stands, waiting for Bobbi to make her way down to the floor. This was our victory. I didn’t know it at the time, but the network had  focused its cameras on us. She finally made it through the cheering crowd and for an instant, we just looked at each other. We knew what it had taken to get to this moment. I took her in my arms, lifted her off her feet and kissed her. As millions of people watched, we danced round and round.

It would be almost another decade before we would finally win the national championship. This time we beat Rick Patino’s Kentucky squad in Indianapolis. The press conference after the game seemed to go on forever. As I answered question after question after question, Bobbi stood patiently on the side, occasionally leaning against the wall. If I close my eyes, I can still see her standing there.  It was after 1 a.m .when I finally started to get up, but a reporter asked one last question. I looked at Bobbi and asked her, “Will you wait one more second, dear?”

She smiled. “I’ve waited 45 years for you,” she said. “I’m surely not going to stop now.”

We were blessed. I really believed we would be together forever.

While Coach Olson is working hard to get us another PAC 10 title, he is setting aside time to be sure every fan gets his or her bookplate in a timely fashion.  Please allow three weeks to receive your bookplate. If you have any questions, please call the Development Office at 1-800-327-CURE with your order information, and we will be happy to help you. Thank you!