Jake Olson became the first completely blind football player in college football history when he successfully long-snapped a point-after try for the University of Southern California (USC) against Western Michigan on September 2nd, 2017. Jake’s story of overcoming retinoblastoma and going blind at the age of 12 has inspired many people worldwide.

Jake has been invited to speak hundreds of times throughout the United States and internationally to corporations, colleges, and nonprofits. Some of his most recent clients include Google, SIOR, Corebridge Financial, and the Boys and Girls Club of Orange County. In his talks, Jake shares his incredible life journey of battling cancer eight times, going blind at the age of 12, and making history in athletics, business, and more. Using a mix of personal stories, a lot of humor, and some unique life philosophies, Jake helps audience members change how they perceive adversity. He helps audiences realize that often, what feels like a big setback can be a setup for something much greater in life if they take the right approach to confronting their adversity. During this talk, the audience will laugh, think, and maybe cry a little bit. They will leave more grateful and with an entirely new way to perceive and tackle adversity. Jake’s faith is a core part of his identity, and he will also talk about the role God has played in his journey and the importance of unwavering belief.

Born on March 26th, 1997, Jake’s first battle with cancer came when, at 8 months old, he was diagnosed with retinoblastoma. Two months later, the disease claimed his left eye. In November 2009, after battling the cancer for 12 years, Jake lost his right eye. During Jake’s battle, he confronted many challenges and encountered many setbacks- but he remained strong. He has used his experience to inspire and motivate others by authoring two books, establishing a non-profit foundation to support cancer research and visually impaired children, and sharing his story openly and impactfully as a motivational speaker.

Jake is also a lifelong football fan. In high school, he learned to long snap and earned the starting spot on his high school’s varsity team as a junior and senior. After being accepted to USC (his dream school), Jake was offered a walk-on roster spot on the legendary Trojans football team. This made him the first-ever completely blind Division I college football player. He saw his first live-action in 2017 when he snapped in USC’s home opener on September 2nd and was named the Pac-12 special teams’ player of the week. In his college career, he had a total of three successful PAT snaps, earning his spot as one of the top two most inspirational stories in college football’s 150-year history. His story has been featured on ESPN, ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, FOX, Fox Sports, Hallmark, TBN, The Golf Channel, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Sports Illustrated, The Washington Post, etc.

These days, you can find Jake with his wife, Audrey, and their baby, Rowan, winning adaptive golf championships, fundraising for his charity, and traveling the country sharing his story as a motivational speaker and entrepreneur.