Jack Stark

[Pedro Guerrero]

http://www.omaha.com/article/20100128/SPORTS/701289742

 

“I quit right after the Colorado game. I knew they were going to fire Frank (Solich). I told Frank when Steve Pederson was hired that he was going to fire him. Frank didn't believe me. He said no way. But I knew Steve didn't want him. I knew he would bring in different people and there would be different principles. I knew what was going on. Nobody had the courage to stand up and say what was going on except one businessman in Omaha, and that was David Sokol. That took guts, because they (NU) can come down on you very hard. Ask some of my (former) players who had radio shows and would criticize the Huskers and get a phone call the next day from the athletic department.

 

I know a lot of this write-up is about Creighton but they is some good quotes about the NU program and Dr. Tom. The above answer to why Stark left NU is pretty interesting. I think it shows that most of the disdain that people have for what went down in 2004-2007 should be aimed at Nebraska’s very own Stevie P. and his attempt to change everything. Billy C was just a pawn in Pud’s game and a lot of the blame he takes for the culture change should be directed at Pud.

[knapplc]

Billy C was just a pawn in Pud’s game and a lot of the blame he takes for the culture change should be directed at Pud.

 

Bill Callahan has his own issues to answer for. Callahan's wrongs do not absolve Pederson, nor do Pederson's wrongs absolve Callahan.

 

EDIT - that's a really good interview. He continues on with a lot more. Interesting stuff, and it really, really is a shame that someone came in and ripped all that hard work down like that. I'm doing my best to forget about Pederson, but every time I read articles like this... it's really hard to "forgive and forget."

 

<--- Hiding face in sadness facepalm

Edited January 29, 2010 by knapplc
commented on rest of article

[teachercd]

I am really good friends with the starks, he pretty much said from the start of SP's short lived AD position that SP was not a great guy, rude, short, mean, backstabbing. I have heard some stories that would make you go, WTF>

[billdozer15]

The more things that come to light about that era (error) the more I wonder what the hell Steve P was thinking. I am starting to think his sole purpose was to destroy the NU football dynasty. It really is the only explanation, there has to or had to have been some sort of deep seeded hatred of what was NU football and Steve P didnt like it and his sole purpose was to bring it to its knees. He had to know full well that coming in and changing everything was not going to have good end results. Its ither that or Steve P was and is an absolute ass-hat that has no idea about anything around him. Its a wonder people like him can get into positions of power.

[Pedro Guerrero]

Bill Callahan has his own issues to answer for. Callahan's wrongs do not absolve Pederson, nor do Pederson's wrongs absolve Callahan.

 

EDIT - that's a really good interview. He continues on with a lot more. Interesting stuff, and it really, really is a shame that someone came in and ripped all that hard work down like that. I'm doing my best to forget about Pederson, but every time I read articles like this... it's really hard to "forgive and forget."

 

<--- Hiding face in sadness facepalm

 

While I agree with what you are saying, I still truly believe that the cutting of ties and the whole culture changing was directed by Pud. For some reason or another he was hell bent on making NU his program instead of building on what he been working. The thing that still puzzles me to this day is Stevie P was a Nebraska guy, he was here with Dr Tom, he knew what worked here, he put in his work, but he still felt the need to change it.

[knapplc]

While I agree with what you are saying, I still truly believe that the cutting of ties and the whole culture changing was directed by Pud. For some reason or another he was hell bent on making NU his program instead of building on what he been working. The thing that still puzzles me to this day is Stevie P was a Nebraska guy, he was here with Dr Tom, he knew what worked here, he put in his work, but he still felt the need to change it.

 

Yeah, more and more I'm beginning to take this stance, too. I heard Callahan cited over and over by past players as the source of that culture change, and he probably had a role in it, but as I read up on it more, it sounds like Pederson orchestrated most of it, and Callahan was just following orders. And who knows - that stance may have fit into Callahan's ideal of what the program should be. Hard to say.

 

The thing is, Callahan had no axe to grind against Nebraska, so it's hard to imagine why he'd be intent on destroying traditions. Pederson has a history with Nebraska, so it's more understandable that "something" happened that would drive him to make these wholesale changes. And who knows - maybe he just truly thought he was bringing Nebraska into modern times, like Peter I forcing the Boyars to shave their beards. That didn't work out so well either, as I recall.

[holvy83]

Agree with everyone's statement, but leaning more toward Puddy now more than ever, with Cally being an outsider i am sure he followed the direction of his boss (Puddy) and like most new employees try to do is win approval of their boss, it was all just destined to fail from the start, and with Cally not even being a main coaching target until panic set it makes you wonder what exactly Puddy was looking for and how the whole process went.

[illnino]

Agree with everyone's statement, but leaning more toward Puddy now more than ever, with Cally being an outsider i am sure he followed the direction of his boss (Puddy) and like most new employees try to do is win approval of their boss, it was all just destined to fail from the start, and with Cally not even being a main coaching target until panic set it makes you wonder what exactly Puddy was looking for and how the whole process went.

 

Totally agree with this post.

[Vuren]

Agree with everyone's statement, but leaning more toward Puddy now more than ever, with Cally being an outsider i am sure he followed the direction of his boss (Puddy) and like most new employees try to do is win approval of their boss, it was all just destined to fail from the start, and with Cally not even being a main coaching target until panic set it makes you wonder what exactly Puddy was looking for and how the whole process went.

hell in 2004 i told 2 players on the team that he wouldn't last more then 4 years(i had gone to school with them in highschool) and it wasn't that callahan was a bad coach, he walked into a very very bad sitiation with an idiot as his boss.

[bshirt]

Agree with everyone's statement, but leaning more toward Puddy now more than ever, with Cally being an outsider i am sure he followed the direction of his boss (Puddy) and like most new employees try to do is win approval of their boss, it was all just destined to fail from the start, and with Cally not even being a main coaching target until panic set it makes you wonder what exactly Puddy was looking for and how the whole process went.

hell in 2004 i told 2 players on the team that he wouldn't last more then 4 years(i had gone to school with them in highschool) and it wasn't that callahan was a bad coach, he walked into a very very bad sitiation with an idiot as his boss.

 

Callahan was a truly pathetic cfb HC. Couple that with the human slimeball (Pedey) and you have the monster disaster in NU football that was 2004 - 07.

 

However, I agree it wasn't totally Callahan's fault. After the human slimeball fired Frank/Bo for a bowl winning 10 - 3 season who else would take the position? Not a single decent or good cfb HC, that's for damn sure. So, a just fired NFL reject who's team had just quit on him was all that was available. Four years later NU quits on him. Gee, what a surprise....

[Captain K]

Bill Callahan has his own issues to answer for. Callahan's wrongs do not absolve Pederson, nor do Pederson's wrongs absolve Callahan.

 

EDIT - that's a really good interview. He continues on with a lot more. Interesting stuff, and it really, really is a shame that someone came in and ripped all that hard work down like that. I'm doing my best to forget about Pederson, but every time I read articles like this... it's really hard to "forgive and forget."

 

<--- Hiding face in sadness facepalm

 

While I agree with what you are saying, I still truly believe that the cutting of ties and the whole culture changing was directed by Pud. For some reason or another he was hell bent on making NU his program instead of building on what he been working. The thing that still puzzles me to this day is Stevie P was a Nebraska guy, he was here with Dr Tom, he knew what worked here, he put in his work, but he still felt the need to change it.

THIS is the problem. Pedey needed to pick his own guy so out with 9-3 Frankie. Putting the interim coach (Pelini) at the helm wouldn't have directed all of the credit to Pedey either. Who knows, maybe if he could have gotten the right guy we could have been successful, but when the HC search started to move toward the bottom of the barrel, we were in trouble. Regardless of success on the field, the changes around 10th St were not going to be welcome.

[MCAT800]

Am I hearing some love for BC???

Well don't give him a pass,he showed his a$$ more than once and was at least 49% the problem during the dark ages.

[cb1954]

If you haven't read it, I would reccomend the book "The Nebraska Way" by Johathan Crowl. Written shortly before the 2007 season. Talks a lot about SP and BC and all the changes.

[skersfan]

Actually Coach Osborne recommended Pud for the Pitt job.

 

He went there and ripped the place apart, tore down the basketball court and moved it off campus, most hated him for that, but he turned the program around. He had wanted Wandstadt here, but he went to Pitt. People at Pitt are very happy with him now.

 

Osborne again recomended him for AD after the job he did at Pitt.

 

He had different ideas, I doubt it was to ruin the program, but wanting to put his stamp on it.

 

The shutting the doors to all had to do with VaTech and security to start with, but I think it got out of control.

 

I do not thingk Coach Callahan was a bad coach, just not a good Nebraska head coach. Maybe not a good head coach period. He is a very nice guy, nothing compared to Pud. I have met them, just once with BC, but Pud several times, and never have liked him from the start. BC is easy to like one on one. I too think Pud was the cause of the problems, but BC and his loyalty got him in more trouble. He was asked to change his staff by Coach Osborne and he refused. But I am sure Coach Osborne knew that would be his reaction. BC knew he was gone long before any of us truly knew. All in stone a month or two before it happened. Too much money wanted him gone and Bo here.

[BIGREDFAN_in_OMAHA]

Is there a team psychologist with the team now?

 

Regarding Pedey I still subscribe to the theory he went mad from syphilis.