Solich would be proud....

[Glendower]

Frank was my idol in when I was in high school. Gave me inspiration to play the game, being quite small back then. Heart of lion, a mean streak only seen on the field. But many forget that there were other reasons Frank left. The AD (unnamed) really had no choice in the matter. Carlesque shall we say.

I think a good man, that made a mistake. He paid dearly for it. He has had some judgment problems at Ohio to.

I think if some things had not happened he might still be here. He would have figured out how to recruit, and how to use his QB, as it seems he did that almost instantly at Ohio. Unfortunately as we talk about him he is having a bad season. Hope he figures it out quick and finishes on a high note, can not be that many more years left.

Would love to see him come back for a Frankie day. He deserves one for all that he did for this program, and the love he has for it.

So many of these "judgement problems" have been thrown around over the years. Many of which are fallacies. Which one are we speaking of here??

That's what I'd like to know, too. I just hear these rumors, and, after all these years, nothing has substantiated. Is this just mostly guessing? I'm starting to think that it is. "Oh, he probably blah blah blah..." Becomes "He DID blah blah blah!"

 

[GBRedneck]

But many forget that there were other reasons Frank left. The AD (unnamed) really had no choice in the matter. Carlesque shall we say.

False.

 

[Guy Chamberlin]

But many forget that there were other reasons Frank left. The AD (unnamed) really had no choice in the matter. Carlesque shall we say.

False.

You sure about that?

Because half of the problem revealed itself the next season in Ohio, when Frank was arrested on a DUI charge after passing out in his car.

 

[skersfan]

Unfortunately it is not false. People make mistakes, and some of those mistakes are made because of heartbreak over losing their jobs.

 

[Guy Chamberlin]

You can debate who inherited the fuller cupboard, Osborne or Solich, but Frank's first six seasons were more productive than Osborne's first six seasons.

You'd have to get past that 7-7 season in 2002 (and the Huskers did in 2003) but a lot of fans just can't do that.

As for Solich's Black Friday loss against Colorado, a loss so bad it cursed us? You may have forgotten just how cursed Tom Osborne was against Oklahoma. That includes nationally televised beatdowns of 27 - 0 in 1973, 35 -10 in 1975 and 38 - 7 in 1977. They were at least as bad as Frank's Colorado loss, and as I recall, the program rebounded. In the 1973 game, the 10th ranked Huskers never even got the ball into Oklahoma territory. 1975 game they rushed for 70 yards and had 4 turnovers.

Then again, there were plenty of folks who wanted to fire Tom Osborne after six seasons.

 

[Guy Chamberlin]

Unfortunately it is not false. People make mistakes, and some of those mistakes are made because of heartbreak over losing their jobs.

If Frank did what he did because of heartbreak, he was pretty heartbroken during much of his Nebraska career.

 

[GBRedneck]

But many forget that there were other reasons Frank left. The AD (unnamed) really had no choice in the matter. Carlesque shall we say.

False.

You sure about that?

Because half of the problem revealed itself the next season in Ohio, when Frank was arrested on a DUI charge after passing out in his car.

False.

He took the next season off.

 

[GBRedneck]

Maybe I misinterpreted "Carlesque"?

 

[Jeremy]

You can debate who inherited the fuller cupboard, Osborne or Solich, but Frank's first six seasons were more productive than Osborne's first six seasons.

You'd have to get past that 7-7 season in 2002 (and the Huskers did in 2003) but a lot of fans just can't do that.

As for Solich's Black Friday loss against Colorado, a loss so bad it cursed us? You may have forgotten just how cursed Tom Osborne was against Oklahoma. That includes nationally televised beatdowns of 27 - 0 in 1973, 35 -10 in 1975 and 38 - 7 in 1977. They were at least as bad as Frank's Colorado loss, and as I recall, the program rebounded. In the 1973 game, the 10th ranked Huskers never even got the ball into Oklahoma territory. 1975 game they rushed for 70 yards and had 4 turnovers.

Then again, there were plenty of folks who wanted to fire Tom Osborne after six seasons.

Tom was cursed against the Land Thieves. But he stuck it out and eventually gained the upper hand in later decades. Persistence and dedication, winning the right way and all that.

The Curse of Black Friday is different, though. Not so that we're cursed against the Fluffs; nay, it is the curse of being irrelevant. Since the fluke of us being in the Rose Bowl that year, not ONCE in 12, count 'em TWELVE YEARS has the Nebraska Football Program been anywhere close to the top nationally. No conference championships. No BCS bowls. I'm not a gray-hair expecting 90's glory every game and season. I understand there will be down years.

We've had our shots, but something always seems to make the ball bounce wrong, or hit the ground a second too soon. For some unknown reason we show up flat and get trucked by a fired up Wisconsin squad; or we have OU against the ropes twice, but they find a way to beat us, just like they used to. A kicker never kicks the ball out of bounds does so when it's the worst thing that can happen. Injuries to key players, every year. It's always SOMETHING.

What else would you call it? A program like Nebraska's with EVERYTHING they have at their disposal - incredible facilities, fan support, monetary support, sellout streaks, nationwide fan base, etc., and we're going on 12 years of second best or worse?

Call me entitled or whatever, but understand that I live and die between the whistles just like every other die-hard here. I was as excited as anyone with the Wester-catch, and counted it as a lucky break and a solid win. I'm not calling for a new coach or any of that. I'm just waiting for the curse that started one god-forsaken night in Boulder to die.

 

[Guy Chamberlin]

Fair enough, but the "trough" Nebraska has experienced between the years of 2002 and 2013 would be the salad days for a lot of NCAA programs.

I'm not a happy 10 - 4 season camper myself, but if we call the Huskers cursed I worry that God will rain down flaming hell just to show us that our definition of cursed is pretty candyass.

 

[GBRedneck]

You can debate who inherited the fuller cupboard, Osborne or Solich, but Frank's first six seasons were more productive than Osborne's first six seasons.

You'd have to get past that 7-7 season in 2002 (and the Huskers did in 2003) but a lot of fans just can't do that.

As for Solich's Black Friday loss against Colorado, a loss so bad it cursed us? You may have forgotten just how cursed Tom Osborne was against Oklahoma. That includes nationally televised beatdowns of 27 - 0 in 1973, 35 -10 in 1975 and 38 - 7 in 1977. They were at least as bad as Frank's Colorado loss, and as I recall, the program rebounded. In the 1973 game, the 10th ranked Huskers never even got the ball into Oklahoma territory. 1975 game they rushed for 70 yards and had 4 turnovers.

Then again, there were plenty of folks who wanted to fire Tom Osborne after six seasons.

Tom was cursed against the Land Thieves. But he stuck it out and eventually gained the upper hand in later decades. Persistence and dedication, winning the right way and all that.

The Curse of Black Friday is different, though. Not so that we're cursed against the Fluffs; nay, it is the curse of being irrelevant. Since the fluke of us being in the Rose Bowl that year, not ONCE in 12, count 'em TWELVE YEARS has the Nebraska Football Program been anywhere close to the top nationally. No conference championships. No BCS bowls. I'm not a gray-hair expecting 90's glory every game and season. I understand there will be down years.

We've had our shots, but something always seems to make the ball bounce wrong, or hit the ground a second too soon. For some unknown reason we show up flat and get trucked by a fired up Wisconsin squad; or we have OU against the ropes twice, but they find a way to beat us, just like they used to. A kicker never kicks the ball out of bounds does so when it's the worst thing that can happen. Injuries to key players, every year. It's always SOMETHING.

What else would you call it? A program like Nebraska's with EVERYTHING they have at their disposal - incredible facilities, fan support, monetary support, sellout streaks, nationwide fan base, etc., and we're going on 12 years of second best or worse?

Call me entitled or whatever, but understand that I live and die between the whistles just like every other die-hard here. I was as excited as anyone with the Wester-catch, and counted it as a lucky break and a solid win. I'm not calling for a new coach or any of that. I'm just waiting for the curse that started one god-forsaken night in Boulder to die.

The curse's initials are SP.

We were ranked in the top ten at some point every single season under Solich. Bo has gotten us back up there a couple times. If Martinez was healthy all season, we'd be top 5 right now.

We're close.

 

[GBRedneck]

Fair enough, but the "trough" Nebraska has experienced between the years of 2002 and 2013 would be the salad days for a lot of NCAA programs.

I'm not a happy 10 - 4 season camper myself, but if we call the Huskers cursed I worry that God will rain down flaming hell just to show us that our definition of cursed is pretty candyass.

GBR!

 

[motorboatjonesNU]

You are not missing anything, dumbest firing ever.

Eeeeehhhhh...don't know 'bout that.

Even though Frank did probably deserve another year, 7-7 in 2002 and three very bad losses in 03 did him in. Plus, he was a poor communicator (his sound bytes during games on TV were painful - 30 seconds of saying nothing), laisez-faire recruiter at best (with an aging staff that some members of which never left campus) and TERRIBLE game planner. Wasn't it D'Angelo Evans, who played under both TO and FF, that said, "With Osborne, football was chess; with Solich it was checkers." Spot on, there, D'Angelo.

Compound that with whining about not being in a BCS bowl after a three-loss (very nearly four - thanks, Mike Rucker!) 1998 season.

FF was a great player and a great assistant - but took the keys to the Cadillac and ran into the sides of the garage too many times.

 

[HuskerNationNick]

Firing Frank was the stupidest move in college football history. In hindsight, it's obvious.

How so? In 6 years, AFTER taking over a successful franchise, he won the CCG one time. Hell, he only won our division one time (again '99). Really, he couldn't with the NORTH division?! Sure, he took us to a MNC, but who is really proud of that? We got mud stomped by Colorado the game before, and never won our division. How we got in, still baffles me, and the outcome of that game shows we had no business being there. Following that year, he went 7-7 and then had a 10-2 season. Firing Solich was something that needed to be done, but when and how it was done was not the best of ideas by Pederson. IMO, he should have been gone after the 7-7 season, or given one more season after his 10-2. At least I can say Bo has done just as much, if not more here as a HC, that Solich did. Bo may not have a CCG under his belt, but at least he has won our division 3/5 years (while going through a conference change and should have won in '09), rather than 1/6.

Solich also succesful at Ohio? Not a strong conference, but here is his record there.. I think it speaks for itself.

2005--- 4-7

2006--- 9-5

2007--- 6-6

2008--- 4-8

2009--- 9-5

2010--- 8-5

2011--- 10-4

2012--- 9-4

I am not trying to bash on Solich, as I am thankful for the sweat, tears, blood and pride he poured into this program for 28+ years, but he was not HC material.

 

[GBRedneck]

Year

Coach

​

Win Loss Tie Pct. PF PA Delta

1894

​

No Coach

0

​

1

​

0

​

0.00000

​

0

​

8

​

-8

​

1895

​

Harvey Deme

2

​

3

​

0

​

0.40000

​

78

​

128

​

-50

​

1896

​

Frank Remsburg

4

​

3

​

1

​

0.56250

​

86

​

122

​

-36

​

1897

​

Warwick Ford

7

​

2

​

0

​

0.77778

​

150

​

26

​

124

​

1898

​

Peter McLaren

1

​

3

​

0

​

0.25000

​

11

​

45

​

-34

​

1899

​

Fred Sullivan

2

​

2

​

0

​

0.50000

​

78

​

77

​

1

​

1900

​

Karl Core

2

​

5

​

0

​

0.28571

​

34

​

86

​

-52

​

1901

​

Art C. Jones

6

​

2

​

2

​

0.70000

​

108

​

77

​

31

​

1902

​

Harold Monosmith

0

​

6

​

1

​

0.07143

​

0

​

165

​

-165

​

1903

​

Fred Sullivan

2

​

5

​

0

​

0.28571

​

45

​

159

​

-114

​

1904

​

Henry Hart

2

​

4

​

1

​

0.35714

​

57

​

83

​

-26

​

1905

​

Joseph Railsback

2

​

5

​

2

​

0.33333

​

48

​

141

​

-93

​

1906

​

Arthur McFarland

7

​

1

​

0

​

0.87500

​

158

​

28

​

130

​

1907

​

Arthur McFarland

3

​

4

​

1

​

0.43750

​

76

​

139

​

-63

​

1908

​

Arthur McFarland

3

​

5

​

0

​

0.37500

​

100

​

65

​

35

​

1909

​

Robert Woods

2

​

4

​

2

​

0.37500

​

26

​

106

​

-80

​

1910

​

Robert Woods

0

​

6

​

1

​

0.07143

​

0

​

125

​

-125

​

1911

​

Arthur Hinaman

3

​

3

​

2

​

0.50000

​

88

​

44

​

44

​

1912

​

Arthur Hinaman

1

​

7

​

1

​

0.16667

​

48

​

168

​

-120

​

1913

​

Mark B. Banks

2

​

5

​

1

​

0.31250

​

55

​

159

​

-104

​

1914

​

Mark B. Banks

4

​

4

​

0

​

0.50000

​

119

​

99

​

20

​

1915

​

Mark B. Banks

7

​

2

​

0

​

0.77778

​

168

​

49

​

119

​

1916

​

Mark B. Banks

5

​

2

​

1

​

0.68750

​

154

​

109

​

45

​

1917

​

Mark B. Banks

3

​

5

​

0

​

0.37500

​

85

​

114

​

-29

​

1918

​

Frank Gullum

4

​

0

​

1

​

0.90000

​

140

​

19

​

121

​

1919

​

Frank Gullum

3

​

5

​

0

​

0.37500

​

147

​

101

​

46

​

1920

​

Russ Finsterwald

4

​

3

​

0

​

0.57143

​

155

​

44

​

111

​

1921

​

Russ Finsterwald

4

​

4

​

1

​

0.50000

​

112

​

99

​

13

​

1922

​

Russ Finsterwald

5

​

3

​

0

​

0.62500

​

100

​

48

​

52

​

1923

​

F.B. Heldt

3

​

5

​

1

​

0.38889

​

64

​

88

​

-24

​

1924

​

Don Peden

4

​

4

​

0

​

0.50000

​

64

​

59

​

5

​

1925

​

Don Peden

6

​

2

​

0

​

0.75000

​

96

​

40

​

56

​

1926

​

Don Peden

5

​

2

​

1

​

0.68750

​

111

​

17

​

94

​

1927

​

Don Peden

4

​

2

​

2

​

0.62500

​

85

​

69

​

16

​

1928

​

Don Peden

6

​

3

​

0

​

0.66667

​

254

​

66

​

188

​

1929

​

Don Peden

9

​

0

​

0

​

1.00000

​

305

​

7

​

298

​

1930

​

Don Peden

8

​

0

​

1

​

0.94444

​

266

​

26

​

240

​

1931

​

Don Peden

7

​

1

​

0

​

0.87500

​

172

​

14

​

158

​

1932

​

Don Peden

7

​

2

​

0

​

0.77778

​

172

​

29

​

143

​

1933

​

Don Peden

6

​

2

​

1

​

0.72222

​

277

​

28

​

249

​

1934

​

Don Peden

4

​

4

​

1

​

0.50000

​

116

​

67

​

49

​

1935

​

Don Peden

8

​

0

​

0

​

1.00000

​

170

​

36

​

134

​

1936

​

Don Peden

6

​

2

​

1

​

0.72222

​

112

​

76

​

36

​

1937

​

Don Peden

5

​

3

​

1

​

0.61111

​

168

​

52

​

116

​

1938

​

Don Peden

7

​

2

​

0

​

0.77778

​

161

​

89

​

72

​

1939

​

Don Peden

6

​

3

​

0

​

0.66667

​

116

​

82

​

34

​

1940

​

Don Peden

5

​

2

​

2

​

0.66667

​

89

​

32

​

57

​

1941

​

Don Peden

5

​

2

​

1

​

0.68750

​

108

​

42

​

66

​

1942

​

Don Peden

5

​

3

​

0

​

0.62500

​

144

​

107

​

37

​

1945

​

Don Peden

3

​

4

​

0

​

0.42857

​

100

​

106

​

-6

​

1946

​

Don Peden

6

​

3

​

0

​

0.66667

​

206

​

97

​

109

​

1947

​

Harold Wise

3

​

5

​

1

​

0.38889

​

80

​

116

​

-36

​

1948

​

Harold Wise

3

​

6

​

0

​

0.33333

​

98

​

179

​

-81

​

1949

​

Carroll C. Widdoes

4

​

4

​

1

​

0.50000

​

114

​

120

​

-6

​

1950

​

Carroll C. Widdoes

6

​

4

​

0

​

0.60000

​

165

​

161

​

4

​

1951

​

Carroll C. Widdoes

5

​

4

​

1

​

0.55000

​

167

​

141

​

26

​

1952

​

Carroll C. Widdoes

6

​

2

​

1

​

0.72222

​

180

​

160

​

20

​

1953

​

Carroll C. Widdoes

6

​

2

​

1

​

0.72222

​

245

​

86

​

159

​

1954

​

Carroll C. Widdoes

6

​

3

​

0

​

0.66667

​

175

​

158

​

17

​

1955

​

Carroll C. Widdoes

5

​

4

​

0

​

0.55556

​

160

​

134

​

26

​

1956

​

Carroll C. Widdoes

2

​

7

​

0

​

0.22222

​

136

​

211

​

-75

​

1957

​

Carroll C. Widdoes

2

​

6

​

1

​

0.27778

​

134

​

156

​

-22

​

1958

​

Bill Hess

5

​

4

​

0

​

0.55556

​

159

​

102

​

57

​

1959

​

Bill Hess

7

​

2

​

0

​

0.77778

​

215

​

101

​

114

​

1960

​

Bill Hess

10

​

0

​

0

​

1.00000

​

269

​

34

​

235

​

1961

​

Bill Hess

5

​

3

​

1

​

0.61111

​

129

​

116

​

13

​

1962

​

Bill Hess

8

​

3

​

0

​

0.72727

​

261

​

112

​

149

​

1963

​

Bill Hess

6

​

4

​

0

​

0.60000

​

135

​

103

​

32

​

1964

​

Bill Hess

5

​

4

​

1

​

0.55000

​

122

​

99

​

23

​

1965

​

Bill Hess

0

​

10

​

0

​

0.00000

​

77

​

210

​

-133

​

1966

​

Bill Hess

5

​

5

​

0

​

0.50000

​

149

​

183

​

-34

​

1967

​

Bill Hess

6

​

4

​

0

​

0.60000

​

223

​

173

​

50

​

1968

​

Bill Hess

10

​

1

​

0

​

0.90909

​

418

​

228

​

190

​

1969

​

Bill Hess

5

​

4

​

1

​

0.55000

​

256

​

222

​

34

​

1970

​

Bill Hess

4

​

5

​

0

​

0.44444

​

178

​

261

​

-83

​

1971

​

Bill Hess

5

​

5

​

0

​

0.50000

​

240

​

173

​

67

​

1972

​

Bill Hess

3

​

8

​

0

​

0.27273

​

185

​

321

​

-136

​

1973

​

Bill Hess

5

​

5

​

0

​

0.50000

​

156

​

231

​

-75

​

1974

​

Bill Hess

6

​

5

​

0

​

0.54545

​

249

​

211

​

38

​

1975

​

Bill Hess

5

​

5

​

1

​

0.50000

​

164

​

143

​

21

​

1976

​

Bill Hess

7

​

4

​

0

​

0.63636

​

253

​

175

​

78

​

1977

​

Bill Hess

1

​

10

​

0

​

0.09091

​

241

​

361

​

-120

​

1978

​

Bob Kappes

3

​

8

​

0

​

0.27273

​

120

​

246

​

-126

​

1979

​

Brian Burke

6

​

5

​

0

​

0.54545

​

238

​

174

​

64

​

1980

​

Brian Burke

6

​

5

​

0

​

0.54545

​

222

​

196

​

26

​

1981

​

Brian Burke

5

​

6

​

0

​

0.45455

​

228

​

257

​

-29

​

1982

​

Brian Burke

6

​

5

​

0

​

0.54545

​

160

​

259

​

-99

​

1983

​

Brian Burke

4

​

7

​

0

​

0.36364

​

163

​

270

​

-107

​

1984

​

Brian Burke

4

​

6

​

1

​

0.40909

​

134

​

264

​

-130

​

1985

​

Cleve Bryant

2

​

9

​

0

​

0.18182

​

181

​

305

​

-124

​

1986

​

Cleve Bryant

1

​

10

​

0

​

0.09091

​

196

​

329

​

-133

​

1987

​

Cleve Bryant

1

​

10

​

0

​

0.09091

​

127

​

271

​

-144

​

1988

​

Cleve Bryant

4

​

6

​

1

​

0.40909

​

195

​

288

​

-93

​

1989

​

Cleve Bryant

1

​

9

​

1

​

0.13636

​

191

​

348

​

-157

​

1990

​

Tom Lichtenberg

1

​

9

​

1

​

0.13636

​

162

​

342

​

-180

​

1991

​

Tom Lichtenberg

2

​

8

​

1

​

0.22727

​

176

​

308

​

-132

​

1992

​

Tom Lichtenberg

1

​

10

​

0

​

0.09091

​

145

​

253

​

-108

​

1993

​

Tom Lichtenberg

4

​

7

​

0

​

0.36364

​

134

​

282

​

-148

​

1994

​

Tom Lichtenberg

0

​

11

​

0

​

0.00000

​

82

​

259

​

-177

​

1995

​

Jim Grobe

2

​

8

​

1

​

0.22727

​

161

​

320

​

-159

​

1996

​

Jim Grobe

6

​

6

​

0

​

0.50000

​

302

​

237

​

65

​

1997

​

Jim Grobe

8

​

3

​

0

​

0.72727

​

301

​

177

​

124

​

1998

​

Jim Grobe

5

​

6

​

0

​

0.45455

​

269

​

303

​

-34

​

1999

​

Jim Grobe

5

​

6

​

0

​

0.45455

​

271

​

287

​

-16

​

2000

​

Jim Grobe

7

​

4

​

0

​

0.63636

​

343

​

208

​

135

​

2001

​

Brian Knorr

1

​

10

​

0

​

0.09091

​

198

​

323

​

-125

​

2002

​

Brian Knorr

4

​

8

​

0

​

0.33333

​

299

​

374

​

-75

​

2003

​

Brian Knorr

2

​

10

​

0

​

0.16667

​

263

​

372

​

-109

​

2004

​

Brian Knorr

4

​

7

​

0

​

0.36364

​

221

​

271

​

-50

​

2005

​

Frank Solich

4

​

7

​

0

​

0.36364

​

192

​

336

​

-144

​

2006

​

Frank Solich

9

​

5

​

0

​

0.64286

​

276

​

253

​

23

​

2007

​

Frank Solich

6

​

6

​

0

​

0.50000

​

366

​

359

​

7

​

2008

​

Frank Solich

4

​

8

​

0

​

0.33333

​

289

​

327

​

-38

​

2009

​

Frank Solich

9

​

5

​

0

​

0.64286

​

347

​

298

​

49

​

2010

​

Frank Solich

8

​

5

​

0

​

0.61538

​

357

​

309

​

48

​

2011

​

Frank Solich

10

​

4

​

0

​

0.71429

​

427

​

310

​

117

​

2012

​

Frank Solich

9

​

4

​

0

​

0.69231

​

412

​

322

​

90

​

Totals

​

525 536 46 0.49503 19663 19080 583