Seems that Cally was actually close to keeping the job.

[knownothing]

I disagree 100%, no way no how was Cally gonna stay once Osborne took the title, I think it was a done deal early---weeks ago. Today was smoke & mirrors, political jargin. Tom is not a liar BUT he is & was being politically correct which is fine by me. People, it's just not always black & white and I feel sorry for you if you think it is. He does not have to answer to any of us and he can spin this anyways he feels is best for the University...simple as that. To blow your mind even more, I'd bet my left arm that THERE HAVE been talks with potential new HC's. Neither you know or I will ever know that but it's 2007--not everything is always what it seems.

I think you are correct. Remember, Tom was the guy who bought a house in Keith county so he could run for congress from the 3rd district.

 

[Dundermifflinite]

Did you not read what TO said, Callahan had to go 4-0 or 3-1 to keep his job, we could have won 81-0 yesterday and it wouldn't have mattered. He was gone after the blowout at Kansas. TO was very fair in this whole ordeal and told the coaches what they needed to do. As TO said, he felt even he would be fired for a .500 season, except for the last few years when he reached super-icon status.

Did you not read what TO said? He said it would hard if they broke even. Osborne absolutely did not want to do this and felt he had no other choice(which he really didn't after yesterday). Callahan made this decision easy for Osborne by losing.

Actually,

I believe he was saying if they broke even it would be hard for them to keep their jobs...

 

[DJR313]

Did you not read what TO said, Callahan had to go 4-0 or 3-1 to keep his job, we could have won 81-0 yesterday and it wouldn't have mattered. He was gone after the blowout at Kansas. TO was very fair in this whole ordeal and told the coaches what they needed to do. As TO said, he felt even he would be fired for a .500 season, except for the last few years when he reached super-icon status.

Did you not read what TO said? He said it would hard if they broke even. Osborne absolutely did not want to do this and felt he had no other choice(which he really didn't after yesterday). Callahan made this decision easy for Osborne by losing.

Actually,

I believe he was saying if they broke even it would be hard for them to keep their jobs...

Exactly, but finishing with 2 convincing victories in that period and being able to make a bowl could have swayed things. Tom Osborne did not want to fire Callahan if he didn't have to.

 

[knownothing]

Did you not read what TO said, Callahan had to go 4-0 or 3-1 to keep his job, we could have won 81-0 yesterday and it wouldn't have mattered. He was gone after the blowout at Kansas. TO was very fair in this whole ordeal and told the coaches what they needed to do. As TO said, he felt even he would be fired for a .500 season, except for the last few years when he reached super-icon status.

Did you not read what TO said? He said it would hard if they broke even. Osborne absolutely did not want to do this and felt he had no other choice(which he really didn't after yesterday). Callahan made this decision easy for Osborne by losing.

Actually,

I believe he was saying if they broke even it would be hard for them to keep their jobs...

Exactly, but finishing with 2 convincing victories in that period and being able to make a bowl could have swayed things. Tom Osborne did not want to fire Callahan if he didn't have to.

I think that is completely correct. Ton Osborne is a very serious man and he took this decision seriously and deeply to heart. He did what he had to do for the good of Husker football even though I think it hurt him personally to do it. I admire his courage. :woo

 

[huskerjack23]

you should admire his courage in not jumping the gun on the decision. with everything else (current players, recruiting, etc.) at stake, the bottom could've fell through on the whole thing.

he gave callahan the guidelines, all that he had to do was meet them. this was handled with the utmost care and TO was correct in doing that.

 

[knownothing]

you should admire his courage in not jumping the gun on the decision. with everything else (current players, recruiting, etc.) at stake, the bottom could've fell through on the whole thing.

he gave callahan the guidelines, all that he had to do was meet them. this was handled with the utmost care and TO was correct in doing that.

Exactly!!! Your comment is exactly right.

 

[junior4949]

Intersting to get a picture on how this all went down. When Os got hired, I figured there was no way Cally could save his job unless he overhauled the D to give himself a fighting chance of winning out.

Random thoughts: I found it interesting that Cally, as the coach, felt the need to ask Os if he should fire assistants. Was he asking for Os's tutelage, his permission, or was he trying to put Os on the spot? I think this article also gives a clue as to why Cosgrove was so upset, as opposed to other losses, after the KU game. I wonder if at that moment, he felt mostly responsible for what was now an impending firing of everyone. Last, I find it interesting to reflect on how the KSU and CU weeks were coached considering they pretty much knew that they were losing their jobs.

http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2007/1...1a329110123.txt

...........Osborne took over as interim athletic director on Oct. 16. He said he told coaches upon his arrival he was hoping they could make this thing work.
“I think they understood that I didn’t want to make a change, because change is hard,” Osborne said. “Change is disruptive. Sometimes it’s expensive, but that’s not the main issue here.”

During his second week on the job, with four games left on Nebraska’s schedule, Osborne and the coaches set benchmarks for the season.

Osborne said that if they won the final four games and the team went 8-4, there’s no question they’d keep their jobs. If they won three and played well, he told them he thought they’d remain, but didn’t want to make promises.

Anything worse than that?

“It’s going to be tough,” Osborne told them. “Because now you’re break even, and we haven’t had many break-even seasons around here. If you have a losing season, I don’t think this is going to work.”

Still, Osborne maintained Saturday that this was not just about wins and losses, but also about how those losses occurred.

He recalled a recent conversation he had with former Colorado coach Bill McCartney.

“He said, ‘You’ve lost your identity,’” Osborne said. “I think what he was saying was that we used to be a team that people hated to play because they felt it for two or three weeks.”

Not this year. Nebraska gave up more than 40 points six times and lost six games by more than two touchdowns.

The Huskers gave up almost 38 points a game and lost three home games by a combined 75 points.

“The Kansas game was a big turning point,” Osborne said of Nebraska’s 76-39 loss. “The coaches knew it, I knew it when it happened.”

The Huskers, for so long the bullies in the college football world, were now a punchline.

“The issue becomes, ‘How long are you still viable?’ At what point, can you still go out and recruit without people saying you’re only going to be there one or two years? At what point do you have credibility with the public? At what point do you still have a powerful impact with your players?” Osborne said.

“There comes a point where it becomes dicey, and I didn’t want to see Bill in that position. I didn’t want to see the University of Nebraska in that position.”

When Osborne was first hired, he said Callahan approached him wondering if Osborne wanted him to change assistants.

Osborne fired two assistant coaches in his 25 years as Nebraska’s coach.

“I said, ‘Bill, I would never do that.’ I would never ask you to get rid of anybody,’” Osborne said. “The head coach is the head coach. The head coach is not just responsible for the offense.

“The head coach is responsible for the defense, and the kicking game, and the whole deal. That’s why you’re the head coach. You’re responsible for firing those people. So I was not going to tell Bill Callahan who he had to keep, who he had to let go. Bill Callahan is where the buck stops.”...............

I think the chances of Clownahan keeping his job were exactly 0. That's why Pederson was fired and Osborne was hired. It was a done deal from day 1.

:yeah

I neither see myself as an optimist or a pessimist. I call myself a realist. I don't necessarily believe in coincidences. I find it ironic that Pud didn't become the devil of an AD until the after the football program took a huge nose dive. I find it ironic that within just a few short months after being given a contract extension Pud is fired because he was "difficult" to work for? Pud and BC have been connected at the hip ever since Pud fired Solich and announced Clownahan as the next HC. The nails were put into BC's collective coffin the day Pud was fired.

It's pretty easy to come in after the fact and then give the public your parameters for keeping a staff. If Clownahan would have went 4-0 over those last four games, my realist side tells me the parameters would have been different than what was stated in the press conference and Clownahan would have still had his contract "terminated". I also find it somewhat ironic that TO has had "feelers" out there just in case there was a coaching change. IMO, TO was brought in to soothe the fans and get rid of Clownahan. He was brought in to hire the person the boosters wanted. IMO, the wheels of motion for lots of things have been in place for quite some time and we're just now beginning to see all of them shake out.

 

[HuskerCuse]

I disagree 100%, no way no how was Cally gonna stay once Osborne took the title, I think it was a done deal early---weeks ago. Today was smoke & mirrors, political jargin. Tom is not a liar BUT he is & was being politically correct which is fine by me. People, it's just not always black & white and I feel sorry for you if you think it is. He does not have to answer to any of us and he can spin this anyways he feels is best for the University...simple as that. To blow your mind even more, I'd bet my left arm that THERE HAVE been talks with potential new HC's. Neither you know or I will ever know that but it's 2007--not everything is always what it seems.

I disagree.

If we all think Osborne is a man of his word, then Callahan COULD have kept his job. OSBORNE TOLD HIM IF HE WON OUT HE WOULD KEEP HIS JOB!

 

[EbylHusker]

Just as a small aside, Pederson didn't become the devil with football fans (read as 99.9% of Nebraska residents who aren't associated with University athletics) until after the football program went downhill. As for anyone that talks to people in the Athletic Department, they've disliked Pederson for a long time. It was really no big secret that he sucked to work for after a while, but that's not something that makes the news until the media starts digging for dirt on him once something catches their attention (aka the football program having problems).

 

[HUSKER 37]

I disagree 100%, no way no how was Cally gonna stay once Osborne took the title, I think it was a done deal early---weeks ago. Today was smoke & mirrors, political jargin. Tom is not a liar BUT he is & was being politically correct which is fine by me. People, it's just not always black & white and I feel sorry for you if you think it is. He does not have to answer to any of us and he can spin this anyways he feels is best for the University...simple as that. To blow your mind even more, I'd bet my left arm that THERE HAVE been talks with potential new HC's. Neither you know or I will ever know that but it's 2007--not everything is always what it seems.

I disagree.

If we all think Osborne is a man of his word, then Callahan COULD have kept his job. OSBORNE TOLD HIM IF HE WON OUT HE WOULD KEEP HIS JOB!

I can believe that Osborne gave Callahan that ultimatum..But does anyone really think this team with this staff could possibly win three of their last four games? Or even Two? We'd just got blown out by OSU and lost at home to Franny's aTm..Almost lost to Ball State.....Kind of a safe ultimatum if you ask me.

I liked how Osborne didn't want to be "in the Loop" on the possible coaching search..Just so he could remain "truthful" in his statements of not talking to any candidates..(I'm not knocking T.O...I just enjoy watching "the jumping through the hoops" to save face or remain "politically correct").

I know nothink!

My 1st thought when Pederson was axed, was that whichever booster(s) was pulling the strings, wanted Pelinni to be our next coach, and the only way to get him to even talk to us would be to get rid of the sour memory Pelinni had of us.

Now..The scary thing is that the door's still open for Cosgrove to be back if the next HBC likes him. :lol:

 

[CoachKevin]

I disagree 100%, no way no how was Cally gonna stay once Osborne took the title, I think it was a done deal early---weeks ago. Today was smoke & mirrors, political jargin. Tom is not a liar BUT he is & was being politically correct which is fine by me. People, it's just not always black & white and I feel sorry for you if you think it is. He does not have to answer to any of us and he can spin this anyways he feels is best for the University...simple as that. To blow your mind even more, I'd bet my left arm that THERE HAVE been talks with potential new HC's. Neither you know or I will ever know that but it's 2007--not everything is always what it seems.

So if the won 4 in a row, you think Osborne would have fired him?

 

[Hunter94]

I disagree 100%, no way no how was Cally gonna stay once Osborne took the title, I think it was a done deal early---weeks ago. Today was smoke & mirrors, political jargin. Tom is not a liar BUT he is & was being politically correct which is fine by me. People, it's just not always black & white and I feel sorry for you if you think it is. He does not have to answer to any of us and he can spin this anyways he feels is best for the University...simple as that. To blow your mind even more, I'd bet my left arm that THERE HAVE been talks with potential new HC's. Neither you know or I will ever know that but it's 2007--not everything is always what it seems.

So if the won 4 in a row, you think Osborne would have fired him?

i think it would have been hard for him to do it then, yes. but then BC had a better chance at winning the lotto!

 

[HuskerfaninOkieland]

I disagree 100%, no way no how was Cally gonna stay once Osborne took the title, I think it was a done deal early---weeks ago. Today was smoke & mirrors, political jargin. Tom is not a liar BUT he is & was being politically correct which is fine by me. People, it's just not always black & white and I feel sorry for you if you think it is. He does not have to answer to any of us and he can spin this anyways he feels is best for the University...simple as that. To blow your mind even more, I'd bet my left arm that THERE HAVE been talks with potential new HC's. Neither you know or I will ever know that but it's 2007--not everything is always what it seems.

I totally disagree. Had Cally won out the rest of the season, stayed competitive for the B12 North and possibly the B12 Title and won a bowl game, Cally would have stayed. Pedey screwed up by firing a coach that went 9-3. Do you really think Osborne would be stupid enough to make that same mistake if Callahan had finished 9-4 or 10-3? Do you realize what that would have done to the coaching search? No way in hell would anyone want to come here and coach knowing the last two coaches were fired following winning seasons.

 

[husker88]

I disagree 100%, no way no how was Cally gonna stay once Osborne took the title, I think it was a done deal early---weeks ago. Today was smoke & mirrors, political jargin. Tom is not a liar BUT he is & was being politically correct which is fine by me. People, it's just not always black & white and I feel sorry for you if you think it is. He does not have to answer to any of us and he can spin this anyways he feels is best for the University...simple as that. To blow your mind even more, I'd bet my left arm that THERE HAVE been talks with potential new HC's. Neither you know or I will ever know that but it's 2007--not everything is always what it seems.

If you feel there was no way Callahan was going to stay, no matter what happened with the rest of the games. Then there can be no other answer then TO wasn't telling the truth when he said he set benchmarks.

Tom is not a liar BUT he is & was being politically correct which is fine by me.

Perhaps you could explain how saying benchmarks were set, when in fact everything was already decided is considered political correctness instead of a lie.

He does not have to answer to any of us and he can spin this anyways he feels is best for the University...simple as that.

I guess I'm just having a hard time grasping this concept that it's great to have TO as AD so we now have a man in the position with some integrity. Yet some feel it's ok if he tells a little white lie because it's in the best interest of the University.

To blow your mind even more, I'd bet my left arm that THERE HAVE been talks with potential new HC's.

TO did say people had been contacted by a search firm. Unless you're saying TO was in direct contact with possible new coaches. But of course that would be another lie wouldn't it.

Well here's what I think. I think TO was telling the truth and if Callahan would have won the last 4 or maybe even 3 of the last 4 he would have kept his job. But this doesn't go along with the idea many had that Callahan was basically fired the day Peterson was fired. So to make up for this flaw, we now say TO was being politically correct. That way we can say Callahan was fired all along, and still not call TO a liar.

In other words those that for weeks have been saying Callahan is gone, can now come on and say they were right all along. And those that thought Callahan might be able to stay were wrong all along.

I do have one question. As another poster pointed out if Callahan would have won out he'd have been 8 and 4. Add a bowl win and he's 9 and 4. In light of the fact we fired our last coach after a 9 and 3 season. What chance would we have to get someone decent if we fired another winning coach?

I think sometimes our hate for a person gets in the way of logical judgement. Fortunately it appears TO doesn't have this problem.

 

[knownothing]

I do have one question. As another poster pointed out if Callahan would have won out he'd have been 8 and 4. Add a bowl win and he's 9 and 4. In light of the fact we fired our last coach after a 9 and 3 season. What chance would we have to get someone decent if we fired another winning coach?

I think sometimes our hate for a person gets in the way of logical judgement. Fortunately it appears TO doesn't have this problem.

Even T. O. says it isn't just about winning or losing. Part of it is how you do it.

By your logic we should disregard the records broken other than the wins and loses. I don't agree.

I also don't believe there is very much real hatred of Callahan. Fans just understand that he isn't a good fit here regardless of anything else.