Marilyn Oliver When asked what occupies in her free time, Marilyn Oliver first mentions athletics and her family. She can pretty much stop there. Nearly everything that she does outside of work, and inside for that matter, has something to do with athletics or her family—or both. “We just like to hang,” she said, talking about her swelling, estrogen-saturated extended family that spends nearly all birthdays and holidays together. “They’re there when you need them.” Growing up, Oliver had two sisters and no brothers. Now that her sisters are married, they have all daughters as well, as does Oliver. “Those poor guys are just totally out voted,” she said with a smile, which she normally wears, her kind eyes—a mother’s eyes—softening her glance. But as far as athletics are concerned, the households, regardless of the female dominance, have not lacked in the least. Of Oliver and her two sisters, two of the three majored in Physical Education in college. “Dad had to play with us, right?” she said. Now, both her husband and her brothers in law remain active and hold no hesitations about bringing their girls with. “You take the girls with you to do the sports activities.” Oliver’s husband actually played professional baseball. They met at ULV when he was coaching baseball with Ben Hines. As a result of too much batting practice, he had injured his shoulder or elbow and Oliver treated him. Their first date was actually to church, their faith acting as an instant connection. Soon, they were commuting together from Oliver’s native Orange County to ULV. All the while, she had no idea that he played professional baseball. “I wasn’t interested in getting involved with a professional athlete,” she said of her husband, who played in Texas and Salt Lake City. “All I knew was that he was coach. I didn’t know he was playing minor league baseball.” Oliver said dating a professional athlete came with a bad rap, and she probably would not have dated him had she known. But now, years and a houseful of girls later, their union remains strong, as does their tie to athletics and his to baseball. After playing AAA ball, he has coached at California State University, Fullerton, and Chapman, in addition to scouting for professional teams. Now, he acts as the assistant director of the scouting bureau for Major League Baseball. The couple passes a large chunk of time simply going to their daughters’ sporting events. In addition, Oliver has made great strides in an attempt to teach her children the importance of servitude, a product of her faith. Active in their church—Grace Church of La Verne—the Oliver family sings choir, in addition to aiding at Sunday school. They have also taken two mission trips to Mexico, which she called “a real eye-opener.” “I want to help my kids understand that you serve others,” she said. “That’s part of life.” On the trips, the Olivers lived as the people lived—camping outside, no running water, no “stuff,” cluttering the trial. “It was a good experience to serve,” she said. “For us to be a little bit inconvenienced was a good thing for us. It was a bit humbling.” But, when not serving others or hanging with the “fam,” Oliver does actually get a few minutes to herself, and she hits the tennis court, which she’s been doing since she played competitively in junior high. Now, it’s simply about the experience. “I don’t have to win,” she said, “but I like to play well and get exercise.” She also likes to take in a touch of invaluable Southern California outdoor tranquility. “I like sitting either at the beach and listening to the waves or in the mountains and listening to the streams,” she said. “Both of these happen too infrequently. I think it’s just, the outdoors, the beauty of God’s environment, just coexisting with nature.” She admits a natural affinity for the beach, and being an Orange County girl; she used to study during college at the beach. But even that circles back to the family. Now, the Olivers—all of them—still head for the sand to camp for a week each year. THE PROFESSOR As an athletic trainer, Oliver said she particularly enjoys students who learn things hands-on: “Because I know I’m that way, I have to incorporate that into my classes.” She also admits to being a casual teacher—as evidenced by her blue Adidas running suit today—walking around the room and making her students get up and move during class. This active approach also helps excite students about the subject. And even as a professor, her tenured job at ULV was a product of her family. Her original plan was to come here for two years, then look for Division I jobs, but plans changed, as they do. “(At ULV), a woman could still be a wife, mom, and a teacher and trainer,” she said. “At UCLA, I probably couldn’t have lectured with my child in that front pack, so I stayed.” RETURN TO FACULTY LISTmailto:oliverm@ulv.edu?subject=HELLOHome.htmlshapeimage_1_link_1
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