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NewsCut
Bob Collins

No sight? No problem for college football player

Go Deeper.

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Among the many mysteries of life is why some people survive the hand life has dealt them, and some are never able to take a punch.

I've been thinking about this since I took my 95-year-old mother to her doctor's appointment while visiting back East on Thursday. Her doctor is not only deaf, he is also blind.

Somehow, he survived and, from what I can tell, thrived. Some people do; some people don't and some people can tell you exactly why some people do and some people don't even though they're only guessing.

Jake Olson has done OK for himself.

He isn't a doctor and he has the benefit of hearing, but it's still asking a lot of a kid who's blind to play football.

Olson plays football for the University of Southern California.

blind_snapper
Mark J. Terrill/AP

He doesn't actually play in the games, although he got the hero treatment on Saturday when his team's game against Western Michigan was essentially over after a late touchdown.

His coach asked him if he was ready to be the long-snapper for a point-after attempt.

No problem, ESPN reported.

"I tried to suppress my emotions as much as I could because I have a job to do, and I wanted to make sure I got that done," Olson said. "Then tonight I can look at videos and get all emotional over it. It was very special, hearing my name being called over the P.A. system."

In the stands, his parents, Brian and Cindy, watched with a mix of nervousness and excitement.

"I didn't want him to be put in when it was really close," Cindy said. "I was like, 'Don't give him that pressure.' I would be scared, even though he isn't. He went in there like a pro, and it was a great snap."

The kid says he eventually wants to be USC's starting long-snapper