Colgate Mourns the Loss of Olav Kollevoll '45
HAMILTON, NY – Olav B. Kollevoll,
Sr., a three-sport athlete and Colgate Hall of Honor inductee,
passed away the weekend of September 11-12. The former ice hockey
coach was 87 years old.
Services were held at Friday, September 17 at Northminster
Presbyterian Church in Sarasota, Florida.
Kollevoll played three sports at Colgate, including football, ice
hockey and baseball. He was a two-time letterwinner in the sport of
ice hockey as he captained the team during the 1943-44 season and
was part of Colgate’s first undefeated season in 1942-43 at
11-0. He was a three-time letterwinner in baseball and captained
the team in the summer of 1943. He lettered once in
football.
After earning his degree in mathematics in 1945, he served in the
U.S. Navy as lieutenant in the Pacific during World War II.
Following his service, he played professional baseball in the
Boston Braves organization and participated in the World Hockey
Championships in 1947 as a member of the U.S. National
Team.
Once his playing career in baseball came to an end, Kollevoll
turned his attention to coaching and athletic administration. He
joined the hockey and baseball coaching staffs at St. Lawrence
University in 1948 and earned his Master’s Degree there. Then
he came back to his alma mater in 1955 to coach the freshman
football team and baseball squad, then later became head coach of
the hockey program. From 1957-65, he amassed an 82-65-2 record in
eight seasons and coached a pair of ECAC playoff teams. He was also
an assistant athletic director at Colgate during his time as head
coach.
In 1965, he left Hamilton to become director of athletics at
Lafayette College. Shortly following his departure, the Colgate
Alumni Association awarded Ole the Silver Puck award in 1968.
Kollevoll remained as the athletic director for Leopards until
1989. He is a member of the Colgate Hall of Honor and Lafayette
Athletic Hall of Fame. He was a member of multiple college hockey
committees and for his service as an administrator. Kollevoll was
honored by the ECAC in 1991 with a Distinguished Achievement Award
following his retirement for his significant individual
contribution to intercollegiate athletics.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made, if desired,
to:
The Pines of Sarasota Foundation, c/o Jane Lautner, 1501 N.
Orange Ave., Sarasota, FL 34236; Colgate University, c/o Tanya Day,
Gift Records Department, 13 Oak Drive, Hamilton, NY 13346;
Lafayette College, c/o Kristen Quirk, Development Office, 307
Markle Hall, Easton, PA 18042.
