When they commissioned a statue of Merlin Olsen for the Romney Stadium plaza, Utah State University administrators promised it would be "larger than life-sized." That's a minimum requirement. Even so, no matter how big it is, the image of Olsen could never match his aura in his hometown. Olsen, who died of cancer Thursday at age 69, is the all-time illustration of what someone from Logan and USU can become.

He's the symbol of the success the Aggie football program once enjoyed, and he will always serve as the standard of student-athlete achievement -- on and off the newly named Merlin Olsen Field.

Really, could anybody make more of himself and his life than this guy did?

Olsen never was satisfied with being only a football player, even as an All-American and Outland Trophy winner for the Aggies and an All-Pro with the Los Angeles Rams. He earned a master's degree in economics from USU during his NFL career and went on to become a successful actor and broadcaster.

Dick Enberg, Olsen's NBC Sports broadcast partner, recently described him as "the complete man," and Olsen certainly came close. In a letter to Olsen that he shared with the The Tribune , Enberg wrote, "In my mind, you'll always be that mountain of a man."

Aggie fans will have the same, lasting image. Nobody who was in the Smith Spectrum that night in early December could ever forget how Olsen summoned the energy to walk to center court and smile and wave to the adoring crowd, even as cancer was shrinking the body that once struck fear into NFL quarterbacks.

In some ways, it was sobering and stunning to see Olsen in that weakened condition. So were the words of USU president Stan Albrecht, who acknowledged "some urgency" from Olsen's family members to have the field-naming ceremony take place during a basketball game, rather than wait until the 2010 football season.

Yet it was also an inspiring moment, as the fans responded so warmly to Olsen, nearly 50 years after he played football for the school. Having stood in the tunnel, watching him walk slowly across the court, USU vice president Ross Peterson would later summarize Olsen's determination with this phrase: "Game face."

And that's the thing about him: Olsen had a game face for every situation. Whether he was playing relentlessly as a member of the Rams' "Fearsome Foursome" defensive line, acting in "Little House on the Prairie" or other television shows, analyzing an NFL telecast, pitching flowers or just talking to people, Olsen had the ability to turn himself into the right character at the right time.

Some people just have that kind of aura. It may have helped that Olsen was a 275-pound man, but he could have made his same impact in anyone's body.

He will be remembered in Logan and beyond as so much more than just a football player. The game he played for 15 years in the NFL was really only a starting point for him, and that should never be forgotten by the USU athletes who try to live up to his achievements.

Still, football success is a major aspect of his legacy. Part of the campaign of Olsen's family, friends and former teammates is supporting a Football Competitive Excellence Fund in hopes of restoring some of the program's former status. His statue will stand above the field that's named for him, reminding everyone of the position USU football once held in this state. Those glory days may be gone forever. When the 1960 team stages a 50-year anniversary in Logan next fall, though, the Aggie tradition will be relived and reinforced. Merlin Olsen died about six months too soon to reunite with his teammates.

Yet he will be there, as always, larger than life.

kkragthorpe@sltrib.com