A college student with no eyes is officially on the roster of the USC football team.
Jake Olson was born with retinoblastoma, a cancer of the retina. He lost his left eye when he was 10 months old and despite numerous procedures on his right eye, that too was removed in 2009 when he was 12. Then-head coach Pete Carroll, now with the Seahawks, invited Olson and his family to meet the team before the boy’s surgery. Olson’s last day with eyesight was spent at a USC practice.
Like a true trojan, Olsen never let his condition hinder him. During his tenure at Orange Lutheran High School, Olson worked to join the football team, eventually earning the spot as starting long snapper. 6 years later, he is now on the roster of the team he once idolized.
“I learned quickly that I need to use other senses and realized that by using these other senses that things were possible,” Olson said. “It wasn’t limiting, it was just a different way of doing it.”
You can also see a more in-depth version from ESPN Stories and follow Jake on Twitter.