The passing of former NFL and USU star Merlin Olsen is being widely reported, which is the way it should be.

He was famous on several levels.

I didn't know him well, other than a few brief conversations. He and I handed out awards at a high school sports awards ceremony a couple of times, and Hot Rod Hundley introduced me to him once or twice. He seemed pleasant but reserved.

Talking with Jazz assistant coach Phil Johnson today, I learned a little more about him. Johnson not only attend college with Olsen, but they both have summer homes on Bear Lake. Johnson said he didn't really know Olsen well until they became neighbors.

"Just a good guy," said Johnson, when I asked him about Olsen's personality. "He wasn't particularly quiet, but he wasn't boisterous. You wouldn't know he had accomplished anything when you meet him."

Johnson said Olsen was community conscious, serving with Bear Lake Watch, an advocacy group dedicated to keeping the water clean. "He was very progressive in that movement," said Johnson. "A good guy and a good person. He was so involved, yet you would not know he accomplished anything."