Ranking Nebraska's Best Coaches (All Sports)

Who is Nebrska's All-Time Best Coach?

  • Total voters
    85
swmohusker said:
Osborne 

Devaney 

Cook

Football played teams with as much or more talent and won using a system developed to overcome those disadvantages. Our volleyball team is stacked with the best talent in the country and top athletes transfer in to play here.   Cook is the man and his record speaks for itself though  
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This is my take as well.

 
knapplc said:
Here's what I'll say about Cook vs. Pettit.  You can't make a bad choice here.  I think Cook deserves every ounce of praise he gets, and likely deserves a statue when he retires. I'll start the funding campaign for it.

But Pettit did something Cook has never done. Never had to do, because Pettit already did it.  Terry Pettit created a national powerhouse out of thin air. When he came to Nebraska in 1977 there was barely a varsity volleyball program. Prior to 1975, Nebraska didn't even sanction women's sports.  Pat Sullivan was our first Volleyball coach, and created the program out of what was basically a club, going 81-23 in her two seasons.  When Pettit took over in 1977, he quickly realized that he had next to no recruiting base in his own state. So Pettit not only trained his own team, he went around the state training high school coaches how to teach volleyball.

And he did it again the next year. And the year after that.  And the year after that.  He basically taught the state of Nebraska the sport of Volleyball. You can go to Chadron, Norfolk, Tecumseh, watch Class A, Class C1, Class D2 matches in this state and you'll see kids who know the sport, many of whom have legitimate aspirations of playing D1 volleyball in college.  The Club scene in this state is crazy, and regularly produces top talent that competes & wins on a national level.  That's entirely because Pettit created the knowledge of the sport, the passion, over decades. 

I mean, Cook's record & winning percentage, conference titles & national championships speak for themselves. I wouldn't trade Cook for anyone - maybe not even Pettit in his prime. Cook may be the best volleyball coach of all time.

But that's the only reason you wouldn't put Pettit in there. Above Devaney. Above Pepin. Above Osborne.

Also, little addendum to that - the kids that go through these programs are students first.  And every kid that went through Pettit's program in the 1970s earned a degree while she played. You put four years into Pettit's program, you graduated.  Also, every kid from the 1980s. And the 1990s. In fact, every kid who's ever gone through this program, ever, has earned a degree.

No other sport can boast a 100% graduation rate. That continues with Cook, but it started with Pettit. 
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Knapp - growing up in SD and attending SDSU at the time Pettit started at NU - I didn't know any of this about Pettit - only the name.   Thanks for sharing - a lot of good info. 

While I voted for Tom and I still stand with that vote, my estimation of Pettit just got boosted up there with him - the same is true of the BobFather - he took a broken down old plow horse and trained it into a  thoroughbred.   

 
I will also suggest that the culture change Bob Devaney created for the football team helped fund every other coach on the list.

 
How is it not Straub?  12 is more than any other coach on the list.  Last time I checked it wasn't easy to win a natty in any sport let alone 12.

 
MyBloodIsRed16 said:
How is it not Straub?  12 is more than any other coach on the list.  Last time I checked it wasn't easy to win a natty in any sport let alone 12.
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Of course it’s not easy, but championships across sports shouldn’t be compared apples to apples. If I’m understanding what I’m reading, there are currently less than 50 division I bowling teams and I’m guessing they don’t all offer scholarhips. Back in 2004 there were less than 50 bowling teams of any division. Nebraska mostly likely had a pretty big leg up in getting athletes.

Straub might be the best coach but just throwing the # of championships out there doesn’t tell the whole story. 

 
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Coach Osborne and Coach Devaney both faced tough competition during their reigns.  No question.  But playing in the little 6 plus 2 was a lot easier than what Coach Cook faces every year.  He absolutely has to play the best of the country on a regular/weekly basis.  Getting to a National Championship requires playing the best.  Back in the day, at times football was decided on the field, but not always.  Coach Cook's NC's are all valid and without question.  

I am pretty sure though, that without Coach Osborne or Coach Devaney, the rise to volleyball elite would have been a lot tougher.

I rate them as equals, other than the fact that Coach Cook is still building his legacy, which may end up being much better than the others.  We still are a Volleyball School.  

I don't put Coach Frost in that category at this time.  Need to see it on the field not in the prediction threads.  Seriously doubt he will ever acquire the level of Coach Osborne, but know in my heart he is the best chance of it ever happening..

 
Osborne. Coached 25 years and the least amount of games he won was 9....that has not and will not be duplicated (a few less games back then too). 

 
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