Osborne says he would have coached another five years...

[Eric the Red]

After coaching and Congress, Osborne goes back to teaching

ERIC OLSON

AP Sports Writer

 

LINCOLN, Neb. — After six years in Congress and an unsuccessful gubernatorial bid, Tom Osborne has gone back to school.

 

Osborne on Tuesday started teaching in the College of Business Administration at the University of Nebraska, where he became arguably the state's most revered man and a football icon for his many successes coaching the Cornhuskers.

 

Osborne, who turns 70 next month, left coaching in 1997. He says he would have coached another five years if he hadn't made a promise to someone, whom he wouldn't identify, to step aside.

 

While two of his older coaching cronies, Penn State's Joe Paterno and Florida State's Bobby Bowden, continue to patrol the sidelines, Osborne has chosen to remain active as a politician, a champion for youth mentoring and now as an educator.

 

"I read the scriptures quite a bit, and I don't see anything in there about how at such-or-such an age you're supposed to shut it down," Osborne said in an interview. "I'll try to stay active as long as I can make a contribution."

 

So Osborne has returned to his roots. "Dr. Tom," as he's often called, has a doctorate of educational psychology and started his career in 1962 teaching the subject at NU before devoting himself full-time to coaching in 1967.

 

About 60 students are in his undergraduate level Leadership in Organizations class. After he passed out a syllabus, he told the class in his typical unassuming manner: "My name is Tom Osborne."

 

That's one thing the class already knew, said Russell Williams, a senior business management major from Wahoo.

 

"When I saw he was the one teaching it, I was pleasantly surprised," Williams said. "It's great for someone as famous as him and someone who knows so much about leadership to be teaching the class. He's the closest thing to a celebrity that we've got in Nebraska."

 

Cynthia Hardin Milligan, dean of the business college, said she has wanted Osborne to rejoin the faculty for years. Osborne taught briefly in the College of Education in the late 1990s before running for Congress in 2000.

 

"The business college emphasizes ethics and leadership, and we have strong programs in those areas," Hardin Milligan said. "Tom is a wonderful example of both of those."

 

Osborne said he accepted the invitation to teach because of his concern about what he called a "crisis in leadership." Osborne pointed to financial scandals involving Enron and Global Crossing and others he witnessed up close in Congress.

 

"We continue to see people behaving in unethical ways," Osborne said. "We can do better."

 

Osborne gave his class an overview of important characteristics of leadership, more often than not using his experience as a football coach to illustrate his points.

 

"Forgive me for talking so much about athletics, but it's what I understand," he told the students. He drew laughs when he added, "I'd talk about politics, but I've never understood politics."

 

The former 3rd District representative said that he had a good experience in Congress but believed he could better serve as governor. His popularity as the Cornhuskers former coach didn't carry over in a statewide race. In one of the great political upsets in state history, Osborne lost to sitting governor Dave Heineman in the Republican primary.

 

Had he not run for governor, Osborne said, he would have tried for another term in the House. As it is, he said he has no regrets about his gubernatorial campaign and that he feels no resentment toward the citizenry that hailed his every football victory.

 

"I don't feel that people owe me anything," he said. "I wasn't interested in becoming governor just to become governor. I did it because I thought I could serve the people. They thought otherwise."

 

Considering his place in the storied history of Nebraska football, Osborne has been conspicuously absent from the program since stepping down as coach. This was a coach who won 255 games from 1973 to 1997. His last five teams amassed victories in 60 of 63 games, and the Huskers won all or part of three national championships his last four years in coaching.

 

Still, Osborne forfeited his private suite in the press box when he entered politics and has paid for his tickets — he has four 40-yard-line seats — ever since.

 

"I got to thinking after I was elected that somebody would have to pay quite a bit of money to have one of these," he said, referring to the suite. "Someone would say this is an improper benefit even though it was in existence before I got elected. I'm sure I could have passed scrutiny. Even still, I didn't like the appearance."

 

Though the names of Osborne his wife, Nancy, are on the new athletic department headquarters, he has toured the building only once. He never attends practices, and has spoken with third-year coach Bill Callahan only a few times.

 

"Philosophically, I don't feel right about going to practice or hanging around the offices and having people perceive that I'm trying to live my life in the past," Osborne said. "It's a new day. It's a new staff."

 

Osborne said he does miss football, especially the players and coaches.

 

He says he probably quit coaching too soon, but he had made a promise to someone in 1992 that he would coach only five more years. Osborne has never said whether that promise was made to his wife, his successor (longtime assistant Frank Solich), the former athletic director (Bill Byrne) or someone else.

 

Osborne said he had the energy and passion to coach until he was 65.

 

It was important, he said, to keep his word — perhaps a lesson he can teach to the future leaders he'll groom in the classroom.

 

"I felt I would have broken a trust if I had not kept it," he said.

[WarTeddy]

Tom Osborne is nothing but class. So many great years watching him coach. I'm sure he's been missed.

[Drowning_in_the_Sea_of_Red]

Just think what could've been........

[California Husker]

Okay, so he kept his promise and retired...did he ever promise he would not come back?

[HuskerT]

I was just curious because I live in so cal and I'm not too familiar with politics in Nebraska, but why on earth did Tom Osborne not win the election for governor!?

[HuskersNC949597]

I was just curious because I live in so cal and I'm not too familiar with politics in Nebraska, but why on earth did Tom Osborne not win the election for governor!?

This from the Lincoln Journal Star:

"While Osborne captured populous Omaha and Lincoln, Heineman sealed his victory in rural counties and key population centers in western and central Nebraska’s critical Republican battleground....

 

...it was the political impact of two gubernatorial vetoes that appeared to lift [Heineman ] into a late surge, especially in Osborne’s congressional district.

 

Heineman’s opposition to Class I rural school reorganization and the granting of resident college tuition rates to the children of illegal immigrants cut into Osborne’s support.

 

Osborne declined to sign referendum petitions seeking voter repeal of the rural school legislation and said he would have signed the resident tuition bill."

 

I myself voted for Heineman, because during the campaign, I didn't really see TO taking much of a stand on any issues.

[hack]

After coaching and Congress, Osborne goes back to teaching

ERIC OLSON

AP Sports Writer

 

Osborne, who turns 70 next month, left coaching in 1997. He says he would have coached another five years if he hadn't made a promise to someone, whom he wouldn't identify, to step aside.

 

yah, that's what huskernation needs: i big ol' poke to the eye and the thought that he could have been coaching into the 21st century were it not for... someone..!

 

oh, here comes the next forum wasting zombie post... "who forced coach osborne from coaching?!"

• was it long time assistant frank 'the tank' solich who wanted what he deserved after years of service?
  
• was it his long suffering wife who feared that she's never be able to retire with the man she loved... or coach osborne! (ZING! i kid! i kid)
  
• the bavarian illuminati, fearful that doctor tom's option offense might be the one thing to prevent a new world order?
  
• was it becuase TO was tired of the constant phone calls from kirk herbstreit who would proclaiming the '04 trojans the greatest football team EVAH... despite the fact that the '04 class hadn't even be *recuited* yet!?
  
• was it 'dollar' bill byrne who wanted TO out of the way so he could get his dream coach in lincoln: MACK BROWN!!!
  

go to it, people!

[HuskerExpat]

my bet is that he made a promise to his wife. i suppose he could have made the promise to frank solich, but if that is true, i'm going to stab myself in the eye.

[FriscoTXHusker]

Oh nuts! If TO had coached another 5 years we'd have FS today rather than BC. Wouldn't that be heavenly.

[DJR313]

my bet is that he made a promise to his wife. i suppose he could have made the promise to frank solich, but if that is true, i'm going to stab myself in the eye.

 

Have to believe it is one of the 2, if not both. I have read many a rumor that said that there was an agreement between Solich and Osborne that he would take over. Rumors are not good for much until there is some juice put behind them.

[Nigel87]

I'll never get tired about reading about TO. He's class all the way. If you haven't read Faith in the Game do yourself a favor and read it!

[papersun87]

Transferring to UNL as we speak . . .

[The Red & White Knight]

I have a hunch that he made a promise to the big Husker Fan in the sky

[The Red & White Knight]

Transferring to UNL as we speak . . .

 

You are?

[HuskerExpat]

my bet is that he made a promise to his wife. i suppose he could have made the promise to frank solich, but if that is true, i'm going to stab myself in the eye.

 

Have to believe it is one of the 2, if not both. I have read many a rumor that said that there was an agreement between Solich and Osborne that he would take over. Rumors are not good for much until there is some juice put behind them.

 

you're probably right. it probably was a promise to both of them.