Daniel's father, Jeff Olson, stands in front of a packed room in Jamrich Hall at Northern Michigan University Thursday night addressing mental illness and the stigma that goes along with it. (Journal photo by Jaymie Depew)

MARQUETTE — Several years after his son passed away, Ishpeming High School football coach Jeff Olson starting touring different communities and schools to talk about his son Daniel’s experiences with anxiety and depression, which led Daniel to take his own life at the age of 19.

Olson addressed over a hundred people Thursday night in Jamrich Hall at Northern Michigan University, talking about mental illness and the stigma that often follows it.

The documentary “Do It For Daniel,” a film that focuses on Daniel’s achievements and struggles, was also screened. The free event was hosted by the NMU Student Social Work Organization.

Olson, who’s been holding presentations in cities throughout Michigan, Wisconsin and recently Ohio, called his son an “all-American kid” that was a talented athlete with a kind spirit who had plenty of friends and a girlfriend. Even though he had a lot going for him, Olson said Daniel struggled with depression and anxiety for years. After coping with it for five years on his own, Daniel started seeking medical help.

At first the Olson’s didn’t want to tell anyone about Daniel’s struggles with mental illness, because “it wasn’t something you talked about.”

“If Daniel would have broken his leg or blown out his knee playing sports, we would have posted it on Facebook, we would have told all our friends, we would have told our relatives. But this was different. He was diagnosed with a mental illness (and) people freak out when people say ‘mental illness.’ It’s a medical illness of the brain, that’s all it is. Mental illness is just as common as most other medical illnesses,” Olson said. “One in four people in their lifetime (will) suffer from some type of mental illness.”

Over his high school career, Daniel was involved in a variety of athletics including basketball, baseball, and track. But his true passion, his dad said, was football.

As the team’s quarterback, Daniel led the Ishpeming Hematites football team to Ford Field in Detroit to play in the state championship game in 2010. Olson, who’s the head coach of the football team, said Daniel was extremely disappointed when they lost because he desperately wanted to win for his dad and teammates.

Daniel continued to battle depression and anxiety until he took his own life in 2011, a year after he graduated high school. Instead of taking some time off, Olson decided to keep coaching — for the team, for himself, and for Daniel.

The Hematites went back to Ford Field in 2012 and defeated the Detroit Loyola High School football team for the state title. Olson and the rest of the football team believe Daniel helped them win the game.

After the game, a couple associated with Fox Sports were inspired by the Olson’s story and believed it needed to be told because it could help others. With their help, “Do It For Daniel” was made.

“The problem with this disease is there’s no X-rays to see if you have it, there’s no blood test to see if you have it … you have to speak up and people don’t want to speak up,” Olson said. “But people need to communicate and say exactly what they’re feeling.”

As the presentation came to a close, Olson said he was going to tell the audience what he always tells high schoolers. He said: “Be kind to everybody, please, because you don’t know what people are suffering from inside.”

For more information, visit www.doitfordaniel.com.