Interesting Barry Alvarez anecdote from Shatel

[Cdog923]

...located in this story: http://www.omaha.com/huskers/football/shatel-barry-alvarez-aimed-to-coach-at-nebraska-but-is/article_1f47503d-adf9-5913-a1f0-7457bb9969a9.html.

He apparently wanted to be HC here after Tom stepped down, but the job was already promised to Frank. Ironic, because Alvarez also claims he wanted Frank to be his OC at Wisconsin, which Frank accepted until, (you guessed it), Tom told Frank he wanted Frank to be the HC here after Tom retired.

 

[Mavric]

Talk about a couple things that could have changed the course....

“My goal was to coach at Nebraska,” Alvarez says.

So why didn’t this happen? Why didn’t the man who played linebacker at Nebraska for Bob Devaney ever come home?

What about 1998, when Alvarez had built a Rose Bowl machine in Madison, Wisconsin, and had not yet taken the athletic director’s job?

Would history today be different?

“No,” Alvarez said. “Tom (Osborne) had promised the job to Frank (Solich). It wasn’t going to happen. I respect Tom for doing that because I don’t think Tom was ready to step down then. But he gave Frank his word.

“The funny thing is, Frank was coming up here. Years earlier, I had asked Frank to join me at Wisconsin and be my offensive coordinator. He agreed to do it. But when he told Tom, Tom told him he wanted him to stay and take his place one day. Frank called me and said he couldn’t come. Tom had promised him the job.”

OWH

 

[BigRedBuster]

It has always been clear that Nebraska is a very special place in the heart of Alvarez.

 

[Fru]

Dude...

 

[VectorVictor]

Damn...just think of how things could have been had Alvarez come down here instead.

 

[ColoradoHusk]

Damn...just think of how things could have been had Alvarez come down here instead.

There was never the right timing, so I won't spend too much time thinking about it.

 

[VectorVictor]

Damn...just think of how things could have been had Alvarez come down here instead.

There was never the right timing, so I won't spend too much time thinking about it.

Had Dr. Tom not promised the HC gig...we could have conceivably had both Barry and Frank on the same sideline for us.

 

[BIGREDIOWAN]

Topics merged

 

[mel4red]

Damn...just think of how things could have been had Alvarez come down here instead.

There was never the right timing, so I won't spend too much time thinking about it.

Had Dr. Tom not promised the HC gig...we could have conceivably had both Barry and Frank on the same sideline for us.

Or both been gone to Wiscy. Fate's a b***h !

 

[cm husker]

Damn...just think of how things could have been had Alvarez come down here instead.

There was never the right timing, so I won't spend too much time thinking about it.

Had Dr. Tom not promised the HC gig...we could have conceivably had both Barry and Frank on the same sideline for us.

Or both been gone to Wiscy. Fate's a b***h !

And then TO stays on a few more years and either Gill or Bohl take over as HC. A lot of fun alternate histories to play out.

Would have been interesting to see how long TO could have sustained the consistency of 10+ wins as the Big 12 era matured.

 

[TGHusker]

I think Tom would have won 2 more NC if he'd stayed on 5-7 years.

 

[Cdog923]

I think Tom would have won 2 more NC if he'd stayed on 5-7 years.

I completely agree in 1999. It would've been interesting to see how recruiting would have evolved after that.

 

[Guy Chamberlin]

Most coaches posting Frank Solich's numbers at Nebraska would be considered a success. I don't see Barry Alverez doing any better or worse at the job.

Once Alverez rebuilt Wisconsin, he posted the same kind of W/L records people hung around Frank's neck.

 

[BigRedBuster]

Most coaches posting Frank Solich's numbers at Nebraska would be considered a success. I don't see Barry Alverez doing any better or worse at the job.

Once Alverez rebuilt Wisconsin, he posted the same kind of W/L records people hung around Frank's neck.

A more interesting discussion would have been if TO would have allowed Alvarez to clean house and hire a new young and energetic staff that possibly would have kept recruiting going.

I'm thinking....no. TO was pretty committed to those guys. At the point of his retirement, it was to a fault.

 

[Guy Chamberlin]

Yeah, but Alverez was allowed to rebuild Wisconsin -- and did a hell of a job. Then he had a series of up and down seasons familiar to most schools not named Nebraska. Every legacy program got bit by the newly competitive, specialized and scientific nature of recruiting. Every program had bumps as they adjusted and retooled. The question for Solich and any coach coming here is whether they'd be allowed to ride out a downward trend, or if they're the blame of the downward trend.

Here's Alverez's record at Wisconsin. As good as it is, Nebraska fans would have sh#t bricks around season six -- Frank's last season -- and missed a second wave of success.



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