My short Tom Osborne Story/Encounter

[Blackshirtsguru]

I graduated from Nebraska in 1994. Well we started tail gating really early. (imagine that, college kids sipping on beers at 7:30 in the morning) anways.....There were like 15 of us outside of the Sigma Chi house. Drinking beers, getting all excited about playing Kansas. Mind you there was a lot of talk about this being the year when Coach Osborne was finally going to win his NC! Anways.......one of my buds heard that Dr Tom jogged every morning and sometimes he would leave the stadium and actually jog through the campus on occasion. So we all decided to park our lawn chairs in the front yard to see if TOM THE MAN would actually jog past our house. We continued to BS and sip the suds. About 15 mins or so later there was this tall, skinny man, wearing grey sweat pants, a grey sweat shirt and a red stocking cap. We were like HOLY sh#t IT'S TOM!!!!!!! We all lined up on the side of the road like you used to do as a kid waiting for someone to throw ya candy from a float. Anyways....We were all screaming, KICK THEIR a$$ COACH, BEAT THOSE HAWKS, YOU CAN DO IT COACH, WE ARE NUMBER 1 ....and just a cool and calm as Dr Tom always is, he turned to us all and said...."We'll do what we can boys. do what we can!", and then he jogged off down the road. We were all in awe that Coach Osborne, THE MAN spoke to us. It just goes to show ya, no matter where or what Dr Tom is doing, he will always take the time to acknowledge you. Even a bunch of drunk frat boys like we were!

Ahhhh the good ole days!

 

[hack]

not really a rumor. it is a good story tho.

 

[np_husker]

Great story!

 

[captain obvious]

CITE CREDIBLE SOURCES OR IT NEVER HAPPENED!!!!!!!!!

 

[AR Husker Fan]

not really a rumor. it is a good story tho.

Agree - let's move this to the main fourm page. Might spark a nice thread about "My Encounter with THE MAN".

And hack - seems I recall you posting one a couple of years ago. Something about Dr. Tom knocking on your door while you were eating Cheetos and playing a video game? Wish we could get the search function, well, functioning...

 

[xkbubo]

Awesome story man made me wish it happened to me .

 

[husker rob]

not really a rumor. it is a good story tho.

Agree - let's move this to the main fourm page. Might spark a nice thread about "My Encounter with THE MAN".

And hack - seems I recall you posting one a couple of years ago. Something about Dr. Tom knocking on your door while you were eating Cheetos and playing a video game? Wish we could get the search function, well, functioning...

i hope that he wasnt naked, sitting on a bean bag, while he was eating the cheetos and playing that video game.........eeeewwwwww

 

[coyeote]

Well when I was in High School I worked at McDonalds in Hastings and we parked him while he waited on his fillet of fish. It was near closing time and we forgot about him and locked the doors. He came up and knocked and was very polite but you could tell he was a bit upset. Anyway he got his fillet of fish sandwich, one of two he orderd and left. It was funny because everyone in the whole place nearly messed themselves because someone parked Tom Osborn and then forgot about him. He should have stuck around. He could've gotten free sandwiches for life if the manager had her way about it. True story.

You know that was the second time I ever saw him in person. Years earlier when my grandfather was in Madonna he would come up to visit, I believe it was his mother and he'd always stop by and say high to my grandfather. My folks and aunts made a real big deal about it but I was so young I didn't really know who he was. I do recall my grandfather smiling when the one time I saw him come in and shake his hand. My grandfather was recovering from a stroke and I remember he didn't smile much back then. As a kid I still remember feeling a whole lot better because of that smile. It wasn't much but as a little duffer that smile made a really scary place seam not so scary any more. That was maybe the last time I saw him smile before he passed away the following winter.

 

[BIGREDIOWAN]

I took my dad to the KSUcks vs. NU game a few weeks ago for his first Husker game. Our seats were in the north endzone about 95 rows up right below the skyboxes. I turned around to see who was in the skyboxes and who else, but Tom Osborne was right behind us! I just froze and I couldn't help by stare at THE MAN. I shook my dad and said, "look it's Tom Osborne!" He said, "WHO!?" I slapped him and told him if he wanted us to get shanked he would say that again! I just stared for a few minutes mouthbreathing because I was in awe. Unfortunately, he didn't look my way which is probably a good thing because I would have looked like a stalker.

 

[T_O_Bull]

I took my dad to the KSUcks vs. NU game a few weeks ago for his first Husker game. Our seats were in the north endzone about 95 rows up right below the skyboxes. I turned around to see who was in the skyboxes and who else, but Tom Osborne was right behind us! I just froze and I couldn't help by stare at THE MAN. I shook my dad and said, "look it's Tom Osborne!" He said, "WHO!?" I slapped him and told him if he wanted us to get shanked he would say that again! I just stared for a few minutes mouthbreathing because I was in awe. Unfortunately, he didn't look my way which is probably a good thing because I would have looked like a stalker.

C_Bear and I were in the same spot for the A&M game, BRI. She let her RED baloon go after the first score and the wind blew it back into the sky box. Who should catch the string but TO. He smiled held the baloon out the window and let it go.

...T_O_B

 

[hskrdedhed]

I met Osborne several times as a kid. I played in his office quite a bit when I was 6 and 7 years old. My aunt was his secratary from the mid 70s til the early 80s , then she quit to be a Jahovahs Witness full time. She is an :asshat . This is totally true. She is the secratary mentioned in the book Heart of a Husker. So there!

 

[admo]

I'm enjoying these stories.

Keep 'em coming!

My only encounter was a little different. It was after his first championship. While being interviewed after the game he glanced at the camera. I swear he was looking right at me.

Consider yourselves lucky to meet him in person! I'm envious! in a good way.

 

[timberghost]

Met him at Popeyes on west O '83. My sisters worked there, and we stopped in. He was sitting there by himself eating some chicken. I was 11 at the time. I was in awe. Heres the guy I want to play for when I'm older. Went up and said hello, and he was a nice as could be. I don't remember what was all said, but he is a good man.

Used to go to a church at the time and Husker players would go there too. Like Stan Parker, Turner Gill, Tom Rathman. Hard to listen in church when their sitting there and your a 10 year old boy dreaming of being them. Now I dream of being like the real PLAYER.

 

[Husker_Power]

I was part of his teammates mentoring program, when I was in the 7th grade. Somehow, I got asked by some counselor about being a part of the mentor program. I don't know why me I'm usually the quiet type, I was not interested, until I found out TO was involved.(he was not my mentor, but cared what I thought about his program) I chatted with him several times, got his autograph, and went to several of his teammates parties that he hosted. All in all, it was a fun and interesting experience, and the thing about him, is that u got the feeling when u talked he was really listening and asked about things I talked about before...As a 7th grader, having someone actually listen to me when I talked was cool.

Also, I work at a hospital with children who are disabled in Omaha. couple times, Eric Crouch would stop by, and sometimes would bring TO in.(Eric owns a company that sells outdoor play equipment.)u can tell TO and Eric really love being around kids as the kids loved them.

 

[ironmike]

I saw him fishing a couple times in the interstate lakes. My grandparents wouldn't let me go talk to him, said to just let him enjoy some peace and quiet.