Heidelberg Athletics Hall of Fame
A 1962 graduate of Canon-MacMillan High School in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania and a 1966 graduate of Heidelberg College, J. Renn Olenn lettered four years for the Heidelberg football team.
A linebacker his first two seasons and a center his upper class years, Olenn was the co-captain of the team during the 1965 season. He was honorable mention All-Ohio Athletic Conference his junior year before receiving second team honors his senior year.
But football was just part of his success at Heidelberg. He also made a big impact on the wrestling program. In 1962, he and three others established the sport of wrestling at Heidelberg. During that first year, the team had four matches. Even so, Olenn qualified for the OAC tournament. He placed fourth in the 177-pound weight class.
A member of the Excelsior's Men Society, Olenn also was selected to "Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges" for 1965-66, and in 1966 he received the Sayger Award for exhibiting the highest qualities of competitive sportsmanship and leadership.
Following graduation in 1967, he was commissioned a lieutenant in the U.S. Army and received his honorable discharge in 1969 as first lieutenant.
Olenn then graduated in 1972 from Boston University Law School and has practiced law in Rhode Island Law School and has practiced law in Rhode Island as a founding partner of one of the largest legal firms in the state.
The author of an article in a national publication, he has helped to edit a book on swimming pool safety and originated a national program that trade manufacturers have adopted to reduce injuries and deaths in swimming pools.
Olenn has been honored for his philanthropic and leadership efforts on behalf of the Visiting Nurse Association of Rhode Island and has received other humanitarian awards.
"Just for pure fun," he continued to serve as the unofficial historian of the 1966 football team by writing to his teammates to remind them of their days at The 'Berg.
(This profile appeared in the 1998 Hall of Fame Banquet program.)
