CARY, N.C. – USA Baseball mourns the loss of Bill Olson (pictured above, center), a longtime coach and leader in the amateur baseball community. He was 85 years old.

Olson served as a four-time coach and three-time manager for USA Baseball's 18U National Team and was honored as the organization's Developmental Coach of the Year in 1997 after leading the U.S. to a bronze medal at the IBA "AAA" World Junior Championships.

"Bill's unique understanding of the finer nuances of pitching and his ability to convey those concepts to pitchers is legendary," said USA Baseball Executive Director/CEO Paul Seiler. "His legacy will live on through all of the players he impacted over the course of his coaching career. USA Baseball sends our heartfelt sympathy to the entire Olson family and Omaha baseball community."

At Omaha Northwest High School (Neb.), Olson guided the Huskies to six state championships and a national championship, while also capturing eight American Legion state titles. He later served as the pitching and catching coach at Creighton University.

Olson was a three-time National High School Coach of the Year and a 1993 inductee into the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Hall of Fame. He was also the father of two-time USA Baseball alum Gregg Olson, who represented Team USA on the 18U National Team in 1984 and the Collegiate National Team in 1987.