Wally

Hey T_O_B,

 

Yeah, I felt so good at the end of yesterday's game that I thought I would pop in here for a minute.

 

Take care,

 

Wally

Hey, sCrUmpt...,

 

Just remember...

 

"Sal is dead, Go Big Red"

 

Back at ya, bud.

Personally, I don't think Hawkins is going to make it at CU. Maybe it was just the injuries this year. Next year will tell.

 

CU fans have always been a bit nasty but McCartney really tried to bring out the worst in them and it never faded away.

 

As a result, there are always two teams I root for. Nebraska and who ever is playing Colorado. Yesterday was especially satisfying (at least after the last minute or so).

Thank you Bo Pelini! You have the Huskers on the road back!

 

Thank you Alex Henery! Without your foot there would have been no vendication in Lincoln yesterday.

 

Way to go Team!

 

God bless the Huskers and their fans.

I don't think anyone knows what to expect from the Huskers yet. After the three panzies we run into a meat grinder for a month.

 

I have faith in Bo's abilities as a coach but I have no feeling for what our record will be after 7 games.

skersfan,

 

She's around 75 lb. now and just about has us all trained up.

 

Wally

They lost a few games close but gave Iowa more than they wanted.

 

I just hope it is a good debute for Bo.

 

The team needs to kick off things right for him.

 

Wally

I know thngs are slow right now but geeeezzzzz, what are these guys thinking?

 

BHR, please remove the link before anyone else sees that.

I just want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a better New Year.

 

God bless the USA and the Husker Family.

 

 

GBR

 

Merry Christmas, brother. Be safe!

I think we should have camo uniforms so the defensive backs have trouble finding our receivers and ball carriers.

I think he could have recruited JUCO players if he was that hard up....I maintain that CU will go nowhere with the current staff....the whole culture at CU sucks.

 

 

Hawkins knows how to coach and recruit. we shouldn't beat him up because their fan base sucks.

 

A large reason much of their fan base sucks is because McCartney promoted the hate. So did subsequent coaches to a lesser degree. The jury is still out on Hawkins but I consider everything/everybody outside a 3 foot circle around him to be guilty as sin.

I'm also wondering if Pelini low keyed his meetings with some of these kids because he didn't think they would fit well in his program.

 

I am surprised about Kuli, though. He told T.O. that he was coming to Nebraska no matter who the coach was.

 

Some losses to the class are understandable but some defections seem a little strange, too.

They finished 6-6 last year and dropped some bad games, yet they are managing to impress our recruits left and right. I would appreciate any insight. Please don't tell me the mountain either. He must be promising kids starting immediately. It must be good whatever they are selling over there.

 

No morals in Boulder. Anything goes, on campus and off.

The recruits who don't come we are better off without. They obviously hadn't bought into Nebraska as much as they had bought BC's BS.

As with, "God, Country, Family." they have to believe, "University of Nebraska, HC Peleni, My Teamates." With this type of attitude we will rise again.

>>>T_O_B

 

I think you may be right T_O_B. I think the ones dropping out are now thinking, "Gee, I may have to compete for a position on the team now. Maybe I better go somewhere where it will be easier and I won't have to work as hard."

Gilmore excited about Pelini Era.

 

I should hope so.

 

 

GO BO!!

 

He's still got a job. Why wouldn't he be excited?

And, who is the Strength & Conditioning Coach?

Great story. One question though. If someome were to say call him Mark would he come after you?

 

I wouldn't risk it if I were you.

http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2007/1...a3419323844.txt

 

Pelini holding on to his roots

BY BRIAN CHRISTOPHERSON / Lincoln Journal Star

Saturday, Dec 15, 2007 - 11:38:29 pm CST

This is before the San Francisco 49ers called and before he met Pete Carroll, before there were T-shirt slogans built around his name.

 

This is before he sat in a room, a 26-year-old missing his fiancee, passing the hours with a guy named Ray Rhodes, watching film, talking football, taking notes.

 

Scribble down enough lessons, learn enough things, and one day, other people are writing down your wisdom.

 

This is before the “We Want Bo!” chants, a token interview and a moving van aimed for Oklahoma, before the “BEAUX TIGERS” signs in Louisiana.

 

This is a story that goes back to Youngstown, Ohio.

 

“Hard-working people, that’s home,” Bo Pelini says. “Yeah, that’s home for me. That’s where I grew up. That’s where I learned everything.”

 

He may seem like he is Nebraska’s now, the people’s new hope, their football coach, but everything he brings here goes back to that town 900 miles away.

 

Youngstown is where Mark became Bo, where Bo met Mary Pat, he the quarterback, she the cheerleader. “Started dating senior year of high school,” he says. Twenty-some years and three kids later, he calls her his “best friend.”

 

It is where Pelini scored more than 1,000 points at Cardinal Mooney High School with a left-handed jump shot, and it is the place where his football skills caught the recruiting attention of an Ohio State coach named Earle Bruce.

 

Youngstown is where he goes back to every year, because once a Mooney kid, always a Mooney kid.

 

“I can give you one story about Bo,” the old high school coach says on the other end of the phone.

 

Don Bucci coached football at Mooney for 34 seasons, won four state titles. He coached four Stoops boys and five Pelini boys, tough kids from the south side of town.

 

They gave him plenty of stories, stories that still travel around the hallways today. Many kids play high school football. A few still get talked about 20 years after they walk out the door.

 

“We were playing a team,” Bucci continues. “Bo was at quarterback and we were running what we called a stacked-I offense. So Bo pointed to one of the linebackers and told them we’re going to be running the ball right here, off the right tackle. The fullback was yelling at Bo to shut up, stop telling them the play. But Bo told the guy, ‘We’re going to run the ball here and it’s up to you to stop it.’ Well, we ran the ball right there. Got about 10 to 15 yards, too. That’s the whole story of Bo Pelini. That’s Bo.”

 

***

 

Anthony and Mary Catherine Pelini had eight kids, five boys and three girls, and every one of them earned a college degree.

 

Nancy was the oldest child and Mark was the youngest, though rarely did anyone call him Mark.

 

The Pelinis lived in a five-bedroom house. Actually, it was more like a three-bedroom house, but ingenuity applied here. A walk-in closet could become a bedroom for two.

 

Much of Youngstown was made up of families who had been in the United States for less than two generations.

 

It was a town for a long time dominated by steel mills until they went under in the ’70s, not a place for pretty boys, better suited for Springsteen lyrics: “Well my daddy worked the furnaces / Kept ’em hotter than hell ...”

 

Mostly, the parents of Youngstown hoped that their children would have it better than they did.

 

Anthony Pelini fought in World War II and went to Ohio State on the GI bill. He was not an athlete like his sons, but still, he never missed one of their games.

 

“They sacrificed everything for us,” Bo says of his mother and father. “He didn’t push us into anything. We played when we wanted to play, but if we were out there, we better conduct ourselves the right way. We better act a certain way. If we didn’t, that’s when we heard it, and he’d get that fixed in a hurry.”

 

Before finishing school at Ohio State, Anthony Pelini was hired as a pharmaceutical salesman, a profession he’d keep for more than 30 years.

 

He settled his family in a house with a square driveway on a corner lot. Since it was on the corner, it had a slightly bigger yard than many houses in the neighborhood, a space that was well-utilized.

 

If a game was too big for the yard, the street soon was filled with a collection of sneakers — a football game breaking out between the mailboxes.

 

“We competed against each other on a daily basis, whether it was basketball, football, baseball, board games, it didn’t matter,” Carl Pelini says. “But we were also very supportive. At the end of the day, everyone was pulling for each other. You’d be playing a Little League baseball game, look up in the stands and all your brothers were there.”

 

Sometimes they’d play a game in the front yard in which Carl would get on a knee and try to lead block against his brothers or neighbors. The youngest Pelini played the part of running back and he’d try to dive over the bodies for an imaginary six points.

 

Though his mom and dad kept calling him Mark, most everyone else took to calling him Bo.

 

It was a tag derived from a Cleveland Browns running back of the day named Bo Scott — tough guy, cool name.

 

Bo. Bo Pelini. It just sort of stuck.

 

***

 

Well, of course, this happened.

 

That’s what they all say now. Of course, Bo Pelini became a head football coach.

 

People saw the leadership in high school.

 

“He had overwhelming confidence and it sort of rubbed off on the whole team,” Bucci says.

 

They saw the signs at Ohio State, where Pelini played as a defensive back from 1987-90.

 

“You could just tell he was kind of a born leader, a Youngstown, Ohio, guy. If you see who’s been successful from Youngstown, there’s quite a few,” says Greg Frey, a former Buckeyes quarterback who was a captain alongside Pelini. “Bo is the type who wears his emotion on his sleeve.”

 

John Cooper had faster and more talented players at Ohio State, but the former coach says you could always count on Pelini for toughness, for playing football the right way. “He never made any mental mistakes.”

 

His confidence is what seems to strike people the most. Bucci thinks of a conversation he had with Pelini four years ago, shortly after he was passed up for the Nebraska job in favor of Bill Callahan.

 

Bucci remembers Pelini saying, “I’m not going to let it bother me. I’ll be a head coach somewhere in a few years.”

 

Being a coach wasn’t necessarily in the plans back in 1992, when Pelini had just completed a master’s degree in sports administration from Ohio University.

 

He worked as an assistant coach at Mooney in 1993, but admittedly things were “kind of at a lull.” He was sending out coaching resumes, pondering taking a sales job with Nike.

 

Then came a call from Dwight Clark of the 49ers. “Want to be a scout?”

 

Pelini didn’t really have ambitions to be a scout, but the 49ers don’t call every day, and so he made the trip to San Francisco.

 

It possibly didn’t hurt Pelini that Eddie DeBartolo Jr., then the 49ers owner, and Carmen Policy, then the chief executive officer of the team, were both Youngstown guys, too — Mooney grads even.

 

“Only guy in America that went from an assistant high school coach to the 49ers,” Bucci says with a laugh.

 

It didn’t take very long for Pelini to impress, going quickly from 49ers scout to assistant coach. Just weeks after his arrival, he was being recommended by assistant coach Rhodes as a strong candidate for an assistant defensive backs coach position in the organization.

 

Those nights of watching film and football chatter had provided more than just entertainment. It was the jump-start to a career.

 

Pelini was with the 49ers when they won the Super Bowl in 1995. He soon moved to New England to coach with Carroll, then to Green Bay to coach with Mike Sherman, then came a call from Frank Solich.

 

Pelini came to Nebraska an unfamiliar face. He left several months later as the people’s choice, having transformed a Husker defense from mediocre to something that evoked pride again. They cheered his name as he left the field as NU’s interim coach after a 17-3 Alamo Bowl win against Michigan State.

 

He was just 36. Tom Osborne was 36 when Bob Devaney handed him the keys.

 

Pelini interviewed with Steve Pederson to be Nebraska’s permanent head coach. The interview didn’t last long. A 41-day coaching search ended with Pelini nowhere in sight.

 

His career continued to roll anyway, with Pelini showing up in Oklahoma, assisting a Youngstown friend and Mooney grad, Bob Stoops.

 

Bob’s dad coached Pelini in high school. “They’re like brothers to us,” Pelini says of the Stoops.

 

After a year at Oklahoma, Pelini moved again, this time taking over as defensive coordinator at LSU, his job for the last three years.

 

“The unique thing about Bo, and I give him credit for this — because a lot of guys hang around a school as a grad assistant or maybe stay local — but when Bo left (Ohio State), it’s almost like he disappeared,” Cooper says. “To his credit, he went out on his own. He got into coaching and moved up the chain quickly.”

 

Now, in a story that would sound ridiculous if it weren’t true, Pelini has the job he wasn’t given four years ago.

 

They’re selling “Bo Big Red” shirts to prove it.

 

A couple weeks ago, with speculation swirling about him coming back to Nebraska, Pelini told his LSU players it was his “dream job” to coach the Huskers.

 

“When he said he got his dream job, he wasn’t just talking,” Carl Pelini says. “He did, and it’s not just because it’s a great BCS school. It’s because it’s Nebraska, and I know how much he wanted to coach there the first time.”

 

Not surprisingly, Bo asked his brother, the same one who used to block for him in the front yard, to join him on his coaching staff.

 

It’s no easy job, but a couple of guys from Youngstown probably wouldn’t want it any other way.

 

“I can’t even express the excitement,” Carl Pelini says. “As you go through your career, you want to reach the pinnacle. You want to work for one of the great tradition-rich programs.

 

“And you always want to work with someone you trust and that has the same values you do, the same philosophies you do. It’s even better when it turns out that person is your brother.”

 

Reach Brian Christopherson at 473-7439 or bchristopherson@journalstar.com.

"This Is Gonna Leave A Mark!"

 

And

 

That's Just BoTastic"

On your way to the Cotton Bowl and when you need gas for your mobile transport unit, please avoid truckstops between Missouri and Texas....some of them have Chapels....

 

I know from experience at Bremen, OK...only because I had a major problem with my rental car breakdown there.

 

Does that mean you were "tricked" into getting married in Bremen?

The question is "Does Marlon stay?"

 

My opinion--

 

no.

 

It's his decision, I THINK he'll leave.

 

But, opinions vary.

 

 

GO BO!!

 

 

why do you say that at the end of every post it's making me go

 

To remind folks that it's my OPINION.

 

Believe it or not, it has cut down on people arguing with me over an OPINION.

 

Opinions can rarely be argued successfully, after all, opinions are just that, opinios, they are not facts.

 

But folks often argue over opinion anyway.

 

See, even stating that opinions vary can get commented on, but you are the first.

 

'nuff said?

 

 

GO BO!!

 

Should change it to GO BO RED. Go Bo sounds like you want him to leave.

I LOVE HUSKER FOOTBALL.

 

As a young guy growing up in hastings I knew 10 things.

 

1] Nebraska Cornhuskers ARE the greatest traditional football team in america.

 

2] I'm Damn proud to be a fan of all things red and white.

 

3] Scream to the heavens with all your might for our champions.

 

4] Tom is the reason for the saying "walk softly and carry a big stick" in our time{meaning the black shirts}

 

5] Tommie and brooke

 

6] I was lucky to pass his statue every day

 

7] HOLY BALLS am i gonna miss runza. [texas has no idea] poor bastards

 

8] husker love transends all borders.

 

9] The waking moments of saturday in NE .cold, distant, but mother of all thats holy I was happy.

 

10] I'm just lucky to be a fan.

 

 

 

I know this might seem stupid to some but I miss home and all that it is. Go big red . The world has no idea whats coming. Husker forever.

 

 

Mark

 

 

throw the BONES in support of the shirts .Bo Is gonna bring it and id hate to be on the ass end of the whippins that are coming .....GOT BO?

 

 

as a Texan livin in Nebraska I can tell you I miss good ol' Whataburger (Nebraska has no idea) I'll take a hot,fresh juicy Whataburger over a crappy Runza anyday!!!!!!! LOL actually I do like the Swiss Runzas (without mushrooms) and the fries but other than that Runza aint that great IMO.

 

As a Nebraskan living in Texas, Whataburger is pretty good. I would love to have a Bronco Burger right now though. I do have a problem with TexMex food. They should have never messed with Mexican food down here. Where are the roasted green chilies?

Sounds like Witt needs alcohol treatment. He better get some help before spring ball.

I am for GANZ!

 

 

leave Witt alone... everyone screws up... he's got a 4.0 gpa so he has to have some smarts.. he just panicked and bounced.. spur of the moment mistake.. hopefully he got it out of his system.. and hopefully he can really push Ganz and Lee to be better

 

 

There are alot of smart dead drunks out there. I agree, I hope he got it out of his system.

 

There's a lot of smart dead sober people out there, too. Let's not lay the woes of the world on having a drink.

 

 

Wally, I don't have any problem with a few drinks. I think Witt probably had more than that.

My point was a so called "smart" person did a stupid thing. I don't think his GPA had much to do with it.

 

I know, Deb. It was just my sarcasm showing. Besides your a dog person. That counts for a lot. Although I have met some strange cat people.

Is rain really that tough? I'm usually able to walk right through it.

Wally, when I read your posts I normally think of you walkin' through brick walls and me bein' lucky enough to be able to follow.

>>>T_O_B

 

T_O_B, sorry to disappoint you. I'm not as tough as my avatar. Any more, when I get the urge to exercise I just lie down until it passes. Of course, like the rest of us, I talk a mean game.

 

My point exactly!!