Billy Olson, Abilene Christian: Collegiate Athlete Hall of Fame, Class of 2022

Pole vaulting saw appreciation for the west-Texas town of Abilene with Billy Olson, who elevated everything worldwide in 1982. That’s when the homegrown kid manifested undefeated collegiate vaulting skills only previously seen in NAIA competition.

In 1982 Olson became a worldwide star, raising the bar higher indoors on a regular basis – five times breaking the world record indoor that culminated with a fourth-straight NAIA Indoor title of 5.74m (18-10). He completed his outdoor season collegiately with an NAIA title (8 wins in 8 national collegiate competitions) before equaling the all-dates collegiate best (and American record) outdoors the next month with a rare tie at the TAC (now USATF) championships.