It was a sweet surprise for students at Layton High School by their coach, Utah native Andrew Olson, who recently returned from deployment in Afghanistan.
When students at Northridge High School were informed they would be listening to a guest speaker, Olson, who was a captain in the Army National Guard and football and basketball coach at the school, burst into the room and was swarmed by teenage students who were clearly his greatest fans.
Olson’s wife says, “He loves them. They’re like his little brothers or kids, he’s a tough coach, very stern and expects a lot but I think it helps the kids respect him because they know he does it from love, he set a great example by committing to serve our country.” she added.
Aaron Tanner, one of the boys in the video, said Olson had “set a great example by committing to serve our country.” He also said that Tanner who has 2 boys of his own, has “taught [him] so much about hard work and commitment.” He added, “He showed that he really cared about my team and their success,” he said.