OWH: Osborne as AD

[hack]

barfknecht is a tool, but i thought this was a good article.

 

Published Friday May 16, 2008

NU Football: Tom Osborne has plenty on plate for CEOs

 

BY LEE BARFKNECHT

WORLD-HERALD BUREAU

 

LINCOLN — Tom Osborne may be a new kid on the block among Big 12 athletic directors, but that doesn't mean that he's going to sit quietly in the back of the room at the league's spring meetings.

 

Osborne, on the job at Nebraska for seven months, said Thursday that he has asked Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe to consider action on three issues when chief executive officers, athletic administrators and football and basketball coaches gather next week in Colorado Springs.

 

The list:

 

• More money for scholarship athletes to meet the true "cost of attendance."

 

• Limits on the influence of AAU coaches and shoe companies in basketball recruiting.

 

• Merit pay for football officials to avoid losing top performers to the NFL.

 

There is irony in Osborne, who was Nebraska's head football coach for 25 seasons from 1973 through 1997, moving into a policy-making position with the Big 12.

 

When the league was being formed from 1994 through 1996, he sounded alarms about how the merging of the old Big Eight and four teams from the Southwest Conference might not serve Nebraska's best interests.

 

After 12 years of Big 12 competition, how does Osborne assess the league's impact on NU?

 

"It's been good and bad," he said. "The main reason for the discussion was to have a league to attract a large enough audience to be viable in terms of television negotiations. When you throw in the state of Texas, it made a big difference."

 

Texas provides about half of the league's combined seven-state population of 45 million. TV markets such as Dallas, Houston and San Antonio helped the Big 12 sign long-term deals — and, now, extensions — with ABC/ESPN and FSN.

 

The payoff?

 

The Big Eight, in its final year of existence, distributed $28 million to its members. The Big 12 last year paid out a record $106 million.

 

Yet the emphasis on money leaves Osborne uneasy.

 

"One of the concerns I have, whether it's at the conference or the NCAA level, is that so much of the decision-making is based on economics," he said. "That has to be part of it.

 

"But it seems like competition, the welfare of the student-athletes and how the games are played take a back seat to economic considerations. Sometimes we lose sight of the larger purpose of athletics."

 

During the Big 12's formation, Nebraska cast the lone dissenting vote on two major issues — the football championship game and academic eligibility standards that blocked entry to what then were known as partial and non-qualifiers.

 

The stricter initial-eligibility standards were particularly bothersome to Osborne, who argued that athletes shouldn't be denied the chance to prove they could do college work.

 

When the Big 12 vote was taken in December 1995, among the recent-era Nebraska football players who wouldn't have been eligible to come to NU under the new policy were All-American Jared Tomich and all-conference players Christian Peter, Barron Miles, Tyrone Williams, Dwayne Harris, Johnny Mitchell and Derek Brown.

 

The four Texas schools hadn't accepted non-qualifiers in the Southwest Conference, but all had easy access to transfers from an extensive in-state system of junior colleges.

 

Osborne said his first impression of the Big 12 was that the Texas schools would fall in line with rules of the old Big Eight. But at one of the new league's early CEO meetings, things changed.

 

"They started over," Osborne said. "Graham Spanier was our chancellor at the time. I asked him, 'Why did you do that?' He said, 'We kind of felt sorry for them.'"

 

Osborne said it's harder to "un-do" things after a league has been established, but that he's looking forward to working with the athletic directors group.

 

Next week, he's hoping for support to add money for athletes for the true "cost of attendance" of going to school beyond tuition, books, room and board.

 

"When you see facilities expenditures rise 100-fold and coaching salaries increase tremendously," Osborne said, "it's my feeling that we should take a large portion of that NCAA TV contract and move toward the cost of attendance, which would be about $2,500 per student more."

 

As for basketball recruiting, Osborne said he has heard many coaches decry the influence of AAU teams, often sponsored by shoe companies.

 

"It has made it a very uncertain landscape," he said. "Maybe as a conference we ought to see if we can initiate some type of wise legislation agenda that might help stabilize that."

 

In football officiating, the NFL's recent hiring of former Nebraska quarterback and current Big 12 referee Clete Blakeman caught Osborne's eye.

 

"The NFL is picking off three or four of our best officials every year," he said. "To see a guy like Clete Blakeman, who had worked his way up and become a great official, get plucked away kind of hurts.

 

"I think we ought to go to a merit pay system where our top officials get paid enough that we're competitive with the NFL."

 

 

• Contact the writer: 444-1024, lee.barfknecht@owh.com

[huskernumerouno]

Dr tom raises some good points, but I feel that if texass doesn't like it to bad.

[Bleeding Husker Red]

Dr tom raises some good points, but I feel that if texass doesn't like it to bad.

 

 

Yeah, but you gotta remember... The Texas schools bring in the money, so what Texas wants Texas gets... screw the rest of us if we don't like it... we're in THEIR conference now....

 

Gawd I hate the big 12....

[HUSKER 37]

During the Big 12's formation, Nebraska cast the lone dissenting vote on two major issues — the football championship game and academic eligibility standards that blocked entry to what then were known as partial and non-qualifiers.

 

The stricter initial-eligibility standards were particularly bothersome to Osborne, who argued that athletes shouldn't be denied the chance to prove they could do college work.

 

When the Big 12 vote was taken in December 1995, among the recent-era Nebraska football players who wouldn't have been eligible to come to NU under the new policy were All-American Jared Tomich and all-conference players Christian Peter, Barron Miles, Tyrone Williams, Dwayne Harris, Johnny Mitchell and Derek Brown.

 

Disappointing that they didn't mention whether or not these players ever graduated or what their GPA was.

Makes it sound like all he was concerned about was possibly missing out on some great players..Also makes it sound like if we can just get them in, we can give them enough pud classes to keep them qualified.

[junior4949]

During the Big 12's formation, Nebraska cast the lone dissenting vote on two major issues — the football championship game and academic eligibility standards that blocked entry to what then were known as partial and non-qualifiers.

 

The stricter initial-eligibility standards were particularly bothersome to Osborne, who argued that athletes shouldn't be denied the chance to prove they could do college work.

 

When the Big 12 vote was taken in December 1995, among the recent-era Nebraska football players who wouldn't have been eligible to come to NU under the new policy were All-American Jared Tomich and all-conference players Christian Peter, Barron Miles, Tyrone Williams, Dwayne Harris, Johnny Mitchell and Derek Brown.

 

Disappointing that they didn't mention whether or not these players ever graduated or what their GPA was.

Makes it sound like all he was concerned about was possibly missing out on some great players..Also makes it sound like if we can just get them in, we can give them enough pud classes to keep them qualified.

 

Well, you're right about keeping them qualified. However, Nebraska wasn't the only school doing it. If memory serves me right, Mitchell and Brown left early; so I doubt they did graduate. Tomich had a learning disability. He couldn't comprehend anything he read, so he recorded everything and listened to it. I think he might have graduated. I'm not sure on the rest.

[T_O_Bull]

We are so lucky to have had a man like TO invest the better part of is life to te University of Nebraska.

I'd be honored to have a gob of that gum he used to chew in my trophy case.

He is indeed a man who outside Husker Nation has not been recognized as he should have been.

T_O_B

[captain obvious]

During the Big 12's formation, Nebraska cast the lone dissenting vote on two major issues — the football championship game and academic eligibility standards that blocked entry to what then were known as partial and non-qualifiers.

 

The stricter initial-eligibility standards were particularly bothersome to Osborne, who argued that athletes shouldn't be denied the chance to prove they could do college work.

 

When the Big 12 vote was taken in December 1995, among the recent-era Nebraska football players who wouldn't have been eligible to come to NU under the new policy were All-American Jared Tomich and all-conference players Christian Peter, Barron Miles, Tyrone Williams, Dwayne Harris, Johnny Mitchell and Derek Brown.

 

 

Makes it sound like all he was concerned about was possibly missing out on some great players..Also makes it sound like if we can just get them in, we can give them enough pud classes to keep them qualified.

 

Osborne's opinion was that the rule would have a disproportionate effect on NU, because it was so easy for Texas schools to side-step the rule by picking up Juco transfers. I thought he was pretty clear about that.

[Cy the Cyclone]

In football officiating, the NFL's recent hiring of former Nebraska quarterback and current Big 12 referee Clete Blakeman caught Osborne's eye.

 

"The NFL is picking off three or four of our best officials every year," he said. "To see a guy like Clete Blakeman, who had worked his way up and become a great official, get plucked away kind of hurts.

 

"I think we ought to go to a merit pay system where our top officials get paid enough that we're competitive with the NFL."

 

 

 

 

You bet TO! Get em to give the best Yard Marker Holder in the Big 12 a boatload of money or I'll take the Jets up on their offer to hold the yard marker in New York...

[BOBELIEVER]

In football officiating, the NFL's recent hiring of former Nebraska quarterback and current Big 12 referee Clete Blakeman caught Osborne's eye.

 

"The NFL is picking off three or four of our best officials every year," he said. "To see a guy like Clete Blakeman, who had worked his way up and become a great official, get plucked away kind of hurts.

 

"I think we ought to go to a merit pay system where our top officials get paid enough that we're competitive with the NFL."

 

 

 

 

You bet TO! Get em to give the best Yard Marker Holder in the Big 12 a boatload of money or I'll take the Jets up on their offer to hold the yard marker in New York...

 

wow... i can just hear Callahan talkin Cy up to the GM .." he's a heckuva marker holder... with excellent vision , great anticipation skills, and quick feet.... ya know he's probably one of thee best in the big 12 conference "

[Cy the Cyclone]

In football officiating, the NFL's recent hiring of former Nebraska quarterback and current Big 12 referee Clete Blakeman caught Osborne's eye.

 

"The NFL is picking off three or four of our best officials every year," he said. "To see a guy like Clete Blakeman, who had worked his way up and become a great official, get plucked away kind of hurts.

 

"I think we ought to go to a merit pay system where our top officials get paid enough that we're competitive with the NFL."

 

 

 

 

You bet TO! Get em to give the best Yard Marker Holder in the Big 12 a boatload of money or I'll take the Jets up on their offer to hold the yard marker in New York...

 

 

 

wow... i can just hear Callahan talkin Cy up to the GM .." he's a heckuva marker holder... with excellent vision , great anticipation skills, and quick feet.... ya know he's probably one of thee best in the big 12 conference "

 

"He's excellent in all phases of Marker Holding.... "

[I See Red People]

In football officiating, the NFL's recent hiring of former Nebraska quarterback and current Big 12 referee Clete Blakeman caught Osborne's eye.

 

"The NFL is picking off three or four of our best officials every year," he said. "To see a guy like Clete Blakeman, who had worked his way up and become a great official, get plucked away kind of hurts.

 

"I think we ought to go to a merit pay system where our top officials get paid enough that we're competitive with the NFL."

 

 

 

 

 

You bet TO! Get em to give the best Yard Marker Holder in the Big 12 a boatload of money or I'll take the Jets up on their offer to hold the yard marker in New York...

 

 

 

wow... i can just hear Callahan talkin Cy up to the GM .." he's a heckuva marker holder... with excellent vision , great anticipation skills, and quick feet.... ya know he's probably one of thee best in the big 12 conference "

 

"He's excellent in all phases of Marker Holding.... "

 

[HUSKER 37]

During the Big 12's formation, Nebraska cast the lone dissenting vote on two major issues — the football championship game and academic eligibility standards that blocked entry to what then were known as partial and non-qualifiers.

 

The stricter initial-eligibility standards were particularly bothersome to Osborne, who argued that athletes shouldn't be denied the chance to prove they could do college work.

 

When the Big 12 vote was taken in December 1995, among the recent-era Nebraska football players who wouldn't have been eligible to come to NU under the new policy were All-American Jared Tomich and all-conference players Christian Peter, Barron Miles, Tyrone Williams, Dwayne Harris, Johnny Mitchell and Derek Brown.

 

Disappointing that they didn't mention whether or not these players ever graduated or what their GPA was.

Makes it sound like all he was concerned about was possibly missing out on some great players..Also makes it sound like if we can just get them in, we can give them enough pud classes to keep them qualified.

 

Well, you're right about keeping them qualified. However, Nebraska wasn't the only school doing it. If memory serves me right, Mitchell and Brown left early; so I doubt they did graduate. Tomich had a learning disability. He couldn't comprehend anything he read, so he recorded everything and listened to it. I think he might have graduated. I'm not sure on the rest.

 

Seems like I remember Jared Tomich actually making Academic All America Honorable mention or something by his jr. year?? EDIT: Eventually, he earned Big 12 academic recognition

 

Osborne's opinion was that the rule would have a disproportionate effect on NU, because it was so easy for Texas schools to side-step the rule by picking up Juco transfers. I thought he was pretty clear about that.

 

I don't think Texass (UT or aTm) has many Jucos on their rosters..But we seem to get quite a few from Coffeyville KS.