Fantastic Recruiting stories

[Eric the Red]

RECRUITING STORIES

 

Trev Alberts

 

"I was from a real small high school in Iowa. Cedar Falls. Graduated with 55 kids and... nobody in the history of my high school had ever gotten a scholarship to play football anywhere. And I think about midway through my senior season I started getting these letters to my home. Some from Nebraska and some from other schools, and I remember giving them to my high school head coach who was just our Math teacher. And he looked at them and says, "Well, I don't know what to tell you, Trev. I guess, well, maybe they want you to come play."

 

So, you know, it was a real learning experience, not just for me but for my coach. In my school this had never happened. And I got offers from the University of Northern Iowa Division One-double-A. Iowa was interested in me walking on. They came and watched me play basketball and... all of a sudden, out of the blue, I remember sitting in accounting class and my high school football coach comes running in. I mean, in the middle of class. "Trev, I'm sorry... I'm sorry, Mr. Primrose. I need to talk to Trev. This is important.

 

And so I got up and he says, "We got a phone call from Nebraska." And I said, you know, "Nebraska, yeah, I've seen them play against Oklahoma on Thanksgiving Day. ...they're not interested in me. And... to make a long story short, got the call from John Melton who was then the linebacker coach that they were going to be recruiting me. Iowa got wind and immediately I was offered a scholarship to play at Iowa. So, you know, that was kind of the start. I mean, the idea of going to Nebraska really never even crossed my mind. They were... they were at another level. I mean, they were way up there. Those were some pretty incredible athletes and... You know, that was it.

 

I mean, Iowa was trying to be like Nebraska. Iowa State every year took their 55 to 7 pounding, you know. But when I got recruited by the University of Nebraska I think more than anything else Oklahoma had just been through it's problems with Barry Switzer in the late 80s. They had some players arrested.

 

And there was a real concern by Coach Osborne to make sure that this program was clean. They instituted a new thing when athletes would come in and they would interview us for recruiting, one-third of the evaluation process of whether or not they were going to give a scholarship was an interview with three or four, quote, management people from the University, meaning it could be an assistant coach, could be the academic counselors, and you were given a grade as a student athlete in terms of your character. And they were interested in character players.

 

Now, you had to be able to run and chew gum at the same time. But more than anything else, you couldn't get in trouble. And so I think I got recruited more than anything else from Nebraska probably because I was a good kid. You know, or they thought I was. I was a good kid that was going to do well in school. They weren't going to have to worry about me, and you know what? Pretty good athlete with some potential. Maybe we could turn him into something.

 

You have to understand, I was six-four, 205 pounds, coming from this small high school. We didn't even have a weight program. So I had never lifted weights. I remember when Coach Osborne came the first time to my home to recruit me. The big joke is... and I still got the album... the pictures with Coach Osborne and I... He's bigger than me. And the little caption Mom wrote underneath it is... Who's going to play football? Coach Osborne or Trev? I mean, I look like this scrawny little... this little guy. So... I think that was kind of the start.

 

"I got recruited, more than anything else I think because of the character issue. Nebraska was concerned about making sure that they brought in student athletes that were going to be good citizens.

 

Well, we were pretty spoiled. We weren't convinced that Nebraska was really interested in me. When Coach Melton came to my house he showed me a list and they rate players A, B, C, D... a D player they're not interested in; a C player they'll let 'em walk on; a B player they'll offer him a scholarship only if the A guys go somewhere else. And he showed me... "Coach, I mean, you can't be... Trev Alberts... I mean, Me?" And he takes out a list and he says, "We got two guys that are A's. And here's you and here's Troy Branch from Camden, New Jersey." And Coach Melton says, "If I get you two, you're going to be my two middle line backers. And you're on the A list.

 

We just really didn't believe him. We kind of asked about Coach Osborne and stuff and Coach Melton said, "Well, he's out... you know, he's on a private plane. He's going to see families and kids." We just didn't believe that Nebraska really would want me. And my Dad said, "You know, Coach, what would it take to get Coach Osborne to come to our house? To our community?" And he says, "He'll be here." And we thought, "Heh!"

 

And I think it was the next day. Coach Osborne came to my house. We went to the Old Broom Factory restaurant... it's the fanciest one in town. And we had it all reserved out. We had a red tablecloth put on. They don't normally have red... And he came and we had lunch together and he came to my house. I mean, I felt so sorry for the man. I mean, it was like a photo opportunity. We were all taking pictures with Tom Osborne, the head coach of Nebraska. And it became real to me at that point, that... maybe they were interested in me. You know, maybe they did think I could play. I mean, geez, he came to my house, you know! And that was it. But just... just... I think from the start it was... the impression... being so impressed of the guy was real, you know.

 

This is nothing against Hayden Fry. I like Hayden Fry. But I remember when Hayden Fry, the head coach of Iowa, came into my home and he had his snakeskin cowboy boots on. And he had his big gold watch and his big this and... you know, rings and... I come from a conservative family. And I remember my Mom just being turned off by that. There's nothing wrong with that, I'm not putting him down.

 

But I remember Tom Osborne walking in... Here's a man who had every right to have an ego that wouldn't fit through our front door. But here's a man that came in and was like... my next door neighbor. Was... you know, "Do you need help with that Mrs. Alberts?" I mean, was... it was too good to be true, quite frankly. And when he left, my Mom fell in love with the guy. And I think more than anything else he probably wins a lot of kids because a lot of mothers like the way he handles himself. And so that was the first impression."

[cubhusker23]

Just shows how under-appreciated TO was as a recruiter.

[NU fan in Denver]

That is a good story. Had to convince Trev that he was good enough to play at NU. Makes you appreciate TO.

[cubhusker23]

That is a good story. Had to convince Trev that he was good enough to play at NU. Makes you appreciate TO.

I can't believe we recruited him when he was 6'4" and weighed 205.

[NU fan in Denver]

That is a good story.  Had to convince Trev that he was good enough to play at NU.  Makes you appreciate TO.

I can't believe we recruited him when he was 6'4" and weighed 205.

They obviously saw some potential in him. Definitely had a good frame to build off of.

[cubhusker23]

That is a good story.  Had to convince Trev that he was good enough to play at NU.  Makes you appreciate TO.

I can't believe we recruited him when he was 6'4" and weighed 205.

They obviously saw some potential in him. Definitely had a good frame to build off of.

NO Kidding! Kinda makes you wonder what they were putting in the water during the early 90's.

[pigsonthewing]

That is a good story.  Had to convince Trev that he was good enough to play at NU.  Makes you appreciate TO.

I can't believe we recruited him when he was 6'4" and weighed 205.

They obviously saw some potential in him. Definitely had a good frame to build off of.

NO Kidding! Kinda makes you wonder what they were putting in the water during the early 90's.

that one particular Bruins coach insists it was steroids..

[BIGREDFAN_in_OMAHA]

That is a cool story! Good ole T.O.!

[chad1971]

That is a cool story! Good ole T.O.!

Tom Osborne didn't have that USED CAR SALESMAN mentality like other coach's. If you have a proven system that works year in and out it kind of sells itself, kind of like what Callahan is trying to do.

[DJR313]

NO Kidding! Kinda makes you wonder what they were putting in the water during the early 90's.

Creatine. From what I have heard, NU was one of the first schools to give their football players creatine.

[chad1971]

NO Kidding!  Kinda makes you wonder what they were putting in the water during the early 90's.

Creatine. From what I have heard, NU was one of the first schools to give their football players creatine.

NEBRASKA is still probably the only college that employs a FULL TIME Dietitian - At one time there was steroids, but once they made it illegal NEBRASKA taught everyone else how to do it without roid's. The rest of college football owes Dr.Tom Osborne and Boyd Epply for creating the weight training programs. Today there is around 50 Head Strength Coaches around the nation that started under Boyd Epply.

[BIGREDIOWAN]

The first time I saw Nebraska's weight room my jaw dropped!!! They have a better weight room than some NFL teams!!!

[hack]

i remember when TO tried to recuit me for the huskers years ago....

 

the door bell rang at my house. i quit playing 'Altered Beast' on my sega genesis for the first time in like two days, brushed off the crumbs from all the cheetos i was eating and made my way to the door.

 

it was tom osborne. he took one look at me, then looked at the house number again and said, "oops. wrong house." and then went back to his car.

 

true story.

[BIGREDIOWAN]

[Foppa]

i remember when TO tried to recuit me for the huskers years ago....

 

the door bell rang at my house. i quit playing 'Altered Beast' on my sega genesis for the first time in like two days, brushed off the crumbs from all the cheetos i was eating and made my way to the door.

 

it was tom osborne. he took one look at me, then looked at the house number again and said, "oops. wrong house." and then went back to his car.

 

true story.

Damn, Hack

 

Great story, Eric.