Youngblood joined the Rams as a rookie in 1971, backing up Jones as Olsen continued to anchor the other side of the line. Youngblood remembered Olsen telling him as a young player to push to be great not just on every play, but with "every heartbeat."
"When you stop and think of Merlin on the field, he accomplished things that will never be accomplished again," Youngblood said. "If it hadn't been for Merlin Olsen, I wouldn't have turned out to be the football player that he helped mold and make."
Former Green Bay Packers offensive lineman Jerry Kramer remembered dreading Olsen, in his 1968 book "Instant Replay," co-written with late sportswriter and broadcaster Dick Schaap.
"I'll be facing Merlin Olsen, and that's definitely work, not fun," Kramer wrote. "Merlin never lets up. He'll run right over you no matter what the score is."
Olsen was voted NFC defensive lineman of the year in 1973 and the NFL MVP in 1974, and was voted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1982.
"Merlin Olsen is one of the best players in the history of the NFL," Rams general manager Billy Devaney said. "His passing is a tremendous loss for the Rams. He will always be remembered as an ambassador for the organization as well as the National Football League."
Olsen made a few television cameos during his football career and turned to acting full time after he retired in 1976. He's best remembered for his role alongside Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert on "Little House on the Prairie" from 1977-81, and on the short-lived "Father Murphy."
He also stayed in the game as a broadcaster. Olsen wasn't just some former player who knew football and would weave tales of his playing days into the broadcast. The son of a former school teacher, Olsen graduated summa cum laude at Utah State with a degree in economics and earned a master's in economics in between his 15 NFL seasons.