He’s no John Grisham, but when Tom Osborne comes out with a book, it’s always a good read, complete with compelling insights that the former coach drops in without warning.
Osborne’s latest effort, “Beyond the Final Score,’’ which is released today, is no different. It’s a look at Osborne’s life after coaching, including his run in politics and taking over as NU athletic director.
Some highlights:
• Osborne writes that when he took over the athletic department in October 2007, “I could tell something was not quite right. Some people were ready to quit. Some people had quit already. The first meeting I attended my first day on the job involved two mental health professionals who were offering ideas on stress management to members of the administrative staff. I could sense that there were serious stress and morale issues and that this was more than a casual exercise.’’
• He hired Bo Pelini over Turner Gill because, simply, he felt Nebraska’s defense needed more attention than the offense. “Telling Turner that I was not going to hire him was one of the hardest things I have had to do,’’ Osborne wrote. “I know that Turner wanted the job, understood the culture at Nebraska and was someone who was a great person and a great role model.’’
• Karl Rove asked Osborne in 2004 if he would consider being secretary of agriculture, but Osborne turned down the opportunity because it would mean seeing his grandchildren less often and asking wife Nancy to move to Washington full time. Osborne wrote, “That was hard to do, as a cabinet position is highly sought by many people.’’
• He talks about his legacy at Nebraska being more about how he treated his players than winning. He also writes that, though he’s not sure how long he’ll be athletic director, “there are some things that Nancy and I need to do before we kick the bucket.’’
Writes Osborne: “We do not know when our lives will come to a close. It might be years from now after a long illness that gives us a chance to tie up loose ends and let everyone important in our lives know how much they are loved. Or it might be sooner than we think. Remember Brook Berringer. We can’t control the end results, but we can invest in service, in good work and in relationships while we’re here.’’
This book seems to tie up some loose ends for Osborne. Though with this great career, you never know how many chapters are left.
• Wouldn’t it be great to have high school football or UNO games downtown in TD Ameritrade Park? Don’t hold your breath. MECA President Roger Dixon said the configurations don’t work for football or soccer, and it would have been “too expensive’’ to put the main seat sections on tracks to roll them around to the outfield.
As for finding events for the stadium, Dixon said, “We’re going to make it work.”
“I’m confident we’re going to work something out with Creighton (baseball),” he said. “I know we’ll have some concerts in there. We’re talking to the NCAA about some other things they may want to do besides the College World Series.’’
• ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit announced his preseason “Herbies’’ on Monday and ranked Zac Lee fourth on his list of top first-year quarterbacks, behind Alabama’s Greg McElroy, Clemson’s Kyle Parker and USC’s Matt Barkley.
• I’ll say it again: Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen is responsible for the mess at quarterback. When he interviewed Josh McDaniels for the head coaching job, he had to know how McDaniels felt about Jay Cutler. The fact that McDaniels wanted to trade for Matt Cassel should have sent up a red flag that it could get ugly.
• Speaking of Cassel, misery loves company in the AFC West.
• New coach. New offensive system. And North Dakota State — a team that is hardly afraid of Division I-A opponents, coming to Ames on Thursday night. Hold your breath for Cyclones coach Paul Rhoads’ debut.
• During a media tour of Cowboys Stadium at Big 12 Media Days, someone asked our guide if the video scoreboard above the field would interfere with punts. He said, “No, we tested it, and none of the punts came close. It shouldn’t be a problem.’’
The Jerry Jones scoreboard flap proves that while they do things bigger in Texas, they do not necessarily do them smarter.
• It’s hard to tell which is more embarrassing: Michigan getting caught working the players overtime or going 3-9 while working the players overtime.
Contact the writer:
444-1025, tom.shatel@owh.com
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