Stew Mandel (SI) and Bruce Feldman (CBS) Talk Nebraska

[robsker]

Hogwash.

They talk about Bo being "Un-Nebraska." FFS, have they never heard of Bob Devaney? And for all of the protestations that Devaney's era was 40 years ago, he was AD as recently as 1993. For a fan base who vividly recalls and frequently references the 1970s and 1980s, that is not that long ago. Maybe to a younger generation, but this isn't a young fan base only.

Out of curiosity, did Auburn "fit into the SEC" last year with lower expectations when they went winless in conference play?

Knapp, the vast majority of fans have no idea what Bob was like. If he came back from the dead and coached again, many Nebraska fans would be pooping bricks about 3 games into the season.

Happy 3,333 posts, BTW.

I think Bo's demeanor fits in with the Nebraska zeitgeist far better than people think. We're still a largely rural state, more Blue Collar than White Collar. Maybe not in Omaha (whose media has the least connection to Pelini, not unsurprisingly), but most of the rest of the state. That's not to say Nebraskans are happy their coach said the things caught on tape, or had the petulant meltdown at the presser, but I think much more is being made of that in Omaha and nationally than folks here really care. We care, just... not that much.

Answering some other things said in this thread about the media:

The national storyline about Bo is just as robsker said, "the Poster Child for a childish unsportsmanlike coach." People could maybe quibble with a word here or there, but that's not an unfair or unrealistic description.

It's also tissue-thin. It's a 24-hour news world. Today this is Bo's description. In 2009 it was definitely the media's perception of who Bo was.

In April, 2013 and months beyond, he was the example of all that was right with college football after Jack's Spring Game run. Those storylines change faster than the weather in Nebraska, where today it's 65 degrees and tomorrow tops out at 25.

It only takes one winning season for that storyline to change. Suddenly they'll dredge up the Jack run, the approbations he's received from dozens of former players, he'll be the toast of the town. But even then, he'll be one "chickensh#t" rant away from Bad Bo again.

Is it good to have an overall good reputation, locally and nationally? Yes, absolutely. Do I lose a lot of sleep when that reputation isn't good? For something like tape-gate or the chickensh#t rant, no, not so much.

It's all about the perspective. And that perspective changes daily. Hourly.

Well said and I think quite true.

The only thing is, for me... even if it may be for a time, I do not like seeing the University of Nebraska viewed poorly. I have lived in 9 states and been a part of 7 universities and while each has its upside, none match up w/ the Nebraska experience. My memories of NU when I was a student there were great and, in a way I cannot quite articulate, the people of Nebraska (in my anecdotal experience) were also great and unique as well. So any sense in which the school and the state I am so fond of is viewed poorly, I am saddened. But, like you, no sleep is lost over it. But there seems to be a simple answer here... get a new coach to be the leader. It looks like we'll have to wait one more year.

 

[knapplc]

I really don't understand all the Devaney talk.

Bob Devaney was our coach from 1962 to 1972. He came here from Wyoming and took over a pretty bad Nebraska program after we fired Bill Jennings. We'd had seven straight losing seasons and finished 1961 with a 3-6-1 record, 2-5 in the Big 8.

Devaney went to bowl games in nine of his eleven years coaching at Nebraska, winning six of them, including his last four. He won eight Big 8 conference championships and back-to-back National Championships in 1970 and 1971, and was the coach that recruited legends like Jerry Tagge, Rich Glover and Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Rodgers.

Devaney retired from Head Coaching in 1973, handing the reins to hand-picked successor Tom Osborne, Devaney's Offensive Coordinator during the championship years. Devaney then became our full-time Athletic Director, a position he held until 1993. From 1993 to 1996 he held the nominal title Athletic Director Emeritus.

Bob Devaney died in 1997 at the age of 82. The Devaney Center is named in his honor.

 

[TAKODA]

Look at what Bo is doing. Daring administration to fire him.

It has been said Pelini "dared" the administration to fire him. Pelini did not use the word "dare", but the word has appeared in the media. That word is as much sensationalism as the speculation surrounding Pelini's job security was.

WellllllL, he didn't use the word dare in his post game presser, he pretty much said, ahh heck, here is the link so everyone can listen if they already haven’t already!

 

[TAKODA]

I really don't understand all the Devaney talk.

Bob Devaney was our coach from 1962 to 1972. He came here from Wyoming and took over a pretty bad Nebraska program after we fired Bill Jennings. We'd had seven straight losing seasons and finished 1961 with a 3-6-1 record, 2-5 in the Big 8.

Devaney went to bowl games in nine of his eleven years coaching at Nebraska, winning six of them, including his last four. He won eight Big 8 conference championships and back-to-back National Championships in 1970 and 1971, and was the coach that recruited legends like Jerry Tagge, Rich Glover and Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Rodgers.

Devaney retired from Head Coaching in 1973, handing the reins to hand-picked successor Tom Osborne, Devaney's Offensive Coordinator during the championship years. Devaney then became our full-time Athletic Director, a position he held until 1993. From 1993 to 1996 he held the nominal title Athletic Director Emeritus.

Bob Devaney died in 1997 at the age of 82. The Devaney Center is named in his honor.

LOL,the old days.

Remember when they (older coaches in that era) would smoke on the sidelines Knapp? Bob could tip a few too!

 

[knapplc]

I gotta get a couple of chores done.

@tmfr15 - I really hope you take that response up there in the humorous tone in which it was intended. I'll check back in later for all the laughter and hijinks that probably garnered.

 

[tmfr15]

I really don't understand all the Devaney talk.

Bob Devaney was our coach from 1962 to 1972. He came here from Wyoming and took over a pretty bad Nebraska program after we fired Bill Jennings. We'd had seven straight losing seasons and finished 1961 with a 3-6-1 record, 2-5 in the Big 8.

Devaney went to bowl games in nine of his eleven years coaching at Nebraska, winning six of them, including his last four. He won eight Big 8 conference championships and back-to-back National Championships in 1970 and 1971, and was the coach that recruited legends like Jerry Tagge, Rich Glover and Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Rodgers.

Devaney retired from Head Coaching in 1973, handing the reins to hand-picked successor Tom Osborne, Devaney's Offensive Coordinator during the championship years. Devaney then became our full-time Athletic Director, a position he held until 1993. From 1993 to 1996 he held the nominal title Athletic Director Emeritus.

Bob Devaney died in 1997 at the age of 82. The Devaney Center is named in his honor.

That's just mighty great of you to lecture me about WHO Bob Devaney is.... ummm, I know all of that stuff.

My point is that not many people witnessed it. Did you witness Bob Devaney on the sideline? Do you remember his press conferences?

Please tell me what the public perception of Bob was in 1967 or 68 or 69 or any year he was the coach. Tell me about the atmosphere that exsisted when he got here and what people thought of his notions that he could make Nebraska a great program? I really would like to know. Much of that has been lost to history. And we know that stories, retold years later, often times have, shall we say, additions and subtractions that add to the color of the story.

All we have is second hand 40+ year old stories.

So, unless you were there and saw this happen, you can only guess. You don't know Bob Devaney.

I remember him talking in the Orange Bowl locker room post win over Miami about how proud he was of Tom for finally getting his title. That is about my only memory of Bob.

And so I can hardly say... "Well, Bob was this way, and Bo is just the same as Bob."

 

[tmfr15]

knapplc Oops. Didn't see the humor there. Dang, I got to loosen up, maybe look into getting on some meds. LOL

 

[NUinID]

I don't really remember BD on the sidelines, but in is role as AD I remember him. He also had a show on Saturday morning called the Bob Deveney prediction show. He would come on for a half hour at about 11:00 in the morning and talk about big games of the week and give predictions about them and all the big 8 games that week. Usually the predictions were nothing specific. If OU was playing KU he might say OU would have an easy time of it and should win by 3-4 touchdowns.

Back in the 70's and 80's that was the extent of "college game day". Sports and sports coverage has changed so much since then.

BD to put it lightly was someone who liked to drink a little. I remember the talked to him at halftime of an Orange Bowl in the late 80's. He was obviously very drunk or he had just had a stroke.

 

[RedDenver]

The only thing I didn't understand was how shocked they were that the administration didn't fire Pelini. I don't think he has done anything worth termination. Has he toed the line? Absolutely! But it would have to be egregious, in my opinion, in order to let a coach that wins 9-10 games every year go.

His lack or restraint on the sidelines, his temper tantrums, his tape, his interviews, and all this together leading to NU having a horrible national reputation as a result of Pelini's poor,poor representation of the university indeed warrants his firing.

Living out of state, I encounter fans who, when they see i am an NU fan say "how can you like that program, their coach is a jerk and they are among the scum of college football." It happens all the time. Bo has given NU a very bad reputation based upon his childish, unsportsmanlike conduct.

The results on the field are not the point. The national perspective of NU football as being numbered among the scum of college football (based upon perspectives of guys like Bo, Carl, Suh, Incognito, Dennard --- but, most notably and consistently --- Bo) is why the commentators are shocked (justifiably) that NU did not send Pelini packing.

This is all anecdotal. I also live outside Nebraska, and few even remember who our coach is. Mostly they remember us getting shellacked by Wisconsin last year. My brother lives in Los Angeles and the Huskers are highly thought of there. But we're still just sampling a tiny portion of the college football fanbase.

Of course it is anecdotal. That said, look at the national media and see how NU is portrayed there and, in particular, how Bo is presented. Bo is close to, if not literally, presented in the national sports media as the Poster Child for a childish unsportsmanlike coach. The vast majority of what is presented is direct, or thinly veiled, criticism of what is wrong about NU. It is not good to see NU presented nationally in such light and so widely viewed in such a negative way.

knapp already had a good response. I'll just add that I don't watch ESPN and other national "news" sources, so what the national media thinks is completely irrelevant and unimportant to me.

 

[Whistlebritches]

The only thing I didn't understand was how shocked they were that the administration didn't fire Pelini. I don't think he has done anything worth termination. Has he toed the line? Absolutely! But it would have to be egregious, in my opinion, in order to let a coach that wins 9-10 games every year go.

His lack or restraint on the sidelines, his temper tantrums, his tape, his interviews, and all this together leading to NU having a horrible national reputation as a result of Pelini's poor,poor representation of the university indeed warrants his firing.

Living out of state, I encounter fans who, when they see i am an NU fan say "how can you like that program, their coach is a jerk and they are among the scum of college football." It happens all the time. Bo has given NU a very bad reputation based upon his childish, unsportsmanlike conduct.

The results on the field are not the point. The national perspective of NU football as being numbered among the scum of college football (based upon perspectives of guys like Bo, Carl, Suh, Incognito, Dennard --- but, most notably and consistently --- Bo) is why the commentators are shocked (justifiably) that NU did not send Pelini packing.

This is all anecdotal. I also live outside Nebraska, and few even remember who our coach is. Mostly they remember us getting shellacked by Wisconsin last year. My brother lives in Los Angeles and the Huskers are highly thought of there. But we're still just sampling a tiny portion of the college football fanbase.

Of course it is anecdotal. That said, look at the national media and see how NU is portrayed there and, in particular, how Bo is presented. Bo is close to, if not literally, presented in the national sports media as the Poster Child for a childish unsportsmanlike coach. The vast majority of what is presented is direct, or thinly veiled, criticism of what is wrong about NU. It is not good to see NU presented nationally in such light and so widely viewed in such a negative way.

knapp already had a good response. I'll just add that I don't watch ESPN and other national "news" sources, so what the national media thinks is completely irrelevant and unimportant to me.

Maybe you don't watch ESPN but a lot of other people do, including high school kids and their parents. A lot of people that follow the program know that Bo has made big improvements with his temper but a kid and his parents may completely shutout NU recruiting attempts based on the perception in the media as Bo being a screaming lunatic.

 

[RedDenver]

knapp already had a good response. I'll just add that I don't watch ESPN and other national "news" sources, so what the national media thinks is completely irrelevant and unimportant to me.

Maybe you don't watch ESPN but a lot of other people do, including high school kids and their parents. A lot of people that follow the program know that Bo has made big improvements with his temper but a kid and his parents may completely shutout NU recruiting attempts based on the perception in the media as Bo being a screaming lunatic.

Yep. And they might also look at a message board full of negative posts and do the same thing. Or they might actually meet Bo and find out for themselves. I still don't care and am not sure it matters. Doesn't appear to be hurting recruiting currently.