Len Oliver, a National Soccer Hall of Fame member who mentored thousands of aspiring coaches and was a fixture in the D.C.-area soccer scene for decades, died Sunday in Washington. He was 88.
In 2016, Oliver pledged, upon death, to donate his brain and spinal cord to the Concussion Legacy Foundation, which studies brain trauma in former athletes.
At the time, he was believed to be the oldest person to decide to donate to the foundation. Even though he did not have symptoms consistent with those of former athletes who developed dementia and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), Oliver stressed the importance of researchers examining brains of those who competed many years before the lasting effects of head injuries became prevalent.