Husker N Side

A diving catch like this one helped Alex Gordon win two Gold Gloves.

Vote Here Up to 25 Times for 2013 All-Star Game

By Randy York

Now that Alex Gordon has helped give your favorite university an indoor baseball/softball practice facility at Hawks Field, you can help give one of your favorite Nebraska baseball players a bump in voting for the Major League All-Star Game on Tuesday, July 13 at Citi Field in Flushing, N.Y., home of the New York Mets.

It’s quick and easy to vote for Gordon, who has: 1) Won two MLB Gold Glove Awards; 2) Been named Royals Player of the Year; and 3) Reached Final Vote All-Star candidate status. But he has never been named to the American League All-Star roster, and that drought should end this summer. Why? Because even though the Royals are co-promoting Gordon and 2012 All-Star Billy Butler on their MLB website, Gordon has been more consistently productive this season in all phases of the game. To this point, the Nebraska icon from Lincoln Southeast is clearly the 2013 MVP of the Royals, who Monday night moved into second place in the AL Central standings with their 11th win in the last 13 games.

I voted 25 times using MLB’s link above and then received an email back, reminding me that as a free subscriber to MLB.com, I also could cast 10 additional ballots. It takes a few short minutes to vote 35 times for Gordon, but the effort would help Gordon create some momentum when the next surge of balloting begins on July 3. After identifying 10 solid reasons why the 29-year-old Gordon invested $1 million in his hometown and his alma mater, you also might be interested to know how much respect the former Nebraska All-American has for another former Husker All-American, Darin Erstad.

“Darin brings a lot of experience back to Nebraska,” Gordon told me last month. “He plays the game right and respects the game. I’ve gotten to know him more, and he definitely knows what he’s doing. I think it’s great that he schedules all of those tough teams in the early season, so it can pay dividends when the conference season rolls around and the NCAA is trying to decide who belongs in the tournament.” The Huskers fell one inning short of making the NCAA Tournament this summer when they lost the Big Ten Tournament Championship Game in Minneapolis. Indiana went on to win its Regional and sweep Florida State in its Super Regional. The Hoosiers are 1-1 in this week’s College World Series, and Gordon sees Nebraska returning to that annual classic sometime soon.

In the meantime, a major Husker donor could use some Big Red ballot box passion to enable his first All-Star Game. Alex is one Gold Glove short of Darin’s three fielding awards and while “Gordo” is still seeking that first All-Star honor to grace his resume, Erstad made the American League All-Star Team twice in his 14-year MLB career (1998 and 2000).

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By Randy York

The Nebraska Athletic Department placed 200 time capsules - 100 in each of two vaults - and then buried both Thursday outside Gate 20 – the official entrance into the expanded East Stadium side of Memorial Stadium. Let the record show that Nebraska’s Capital Planning and Construction team lowered the first vault into its underground home, where it will remain for the next 50 years. Both vaults will be opened in the fall of 2062. Nebraska Athletic Director Shawn Eichorst participated in Thursday’s commemoration.

The East Stadium time capsules honor 50 consecutive years of Nebraska football sellouts, and they serve as motivation for the next generation of Husker fans to compare where they are a half century from now with the way they were in 2012. A wide variety of people and organizations, including fans, coaches, players, athletic department staffers and media members, helped fill the time capsules.

Even though the time capsules inspire future Big Red fans to appreciate and honor Husker football history, some used the occasion to accelerate other expectations. Knowing the time capsules would be loaded with books and special media about football, Mike Babcock, Nebraska’s top football historian, chose to include a book about Nebraska basketball history, thinking, perhaps that the school with the most major college football wins in the last half century may be celebrating new heights on the hardwood in the next 50 years.

The Nebraska men’s basketball staff buried an all-red uniform in its time capsule. To commemorate the Huskers’ first sold-out basketball season in history, NU’s staff also buried a retro jersey and a “Rise to the Occasion” tee-shirt that challenged Husker fans to embrace basketball with the same enthusiasm they give football. Nebraska, of course, sold every seat in the new Pinnacle Bank Arena six months before the opening tip. Some see that as a signal, a sign and a statement that Nebraska wants to be known for its basketball history in the next half century as well as its football history.

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John Melton, right, was a fiery, but a fun coach. Lincoln Journal-Star Photo

By Randy York

The most successful Big Ten Conference coach in Rose Bowl history had a recent knee replacement. Despite being dramatically limited in terms of mobility, he was making arrangements late Monday afternoon to fly privately to Lincoln. He refuses to miss Wednesday’s visitation and Thursday’s funeral for one of the most important people in his life … the man who convinced him that Arizona State, Virginia, West Virginia and Wake Forest were good schools, but they were no place like Nebraska.

“John Melton was not a great football mind, but he was a great recruiter and a real character,” Barry Alvarez said in a telephone conversation. “He wasn’t a head coach, but he was one of college football’s most loyal assistants. Don’t get me wrong. He understood the game and knew how to make adjustments during the game. But his best strength, by far, was recruiting. He recruited so many great players, and they all loved him, partly because he was such a character.”

Count Alvarez as the captain of that camp of players after Melton recruited him from the same high school he graduated from in Burgettstown, Pa. Melton was a member of Bob Devaney’s staff at the time and like his Irish boss, “John always had a one-liner that could crack you up,” Alvarez said. “That’s why everyone wanted to watch film when he was giving his analysis. He would tell you what happened, but he would make you laugh every time you took the time to watch.”

Melton Had the Ability to Laugh at Himself

Melton died unexpectedly and suddenly Saturday while working in his backyard in Eagle, Neb. He was 86, but his sense of humor made him seem younger. Nebraska Athletic Director Emeritus Tom Osborne always has appreciated Melton’s ability to laugh at himself, and Alvarez is another big fan of his self-deprecating personality.

“Recruiting was different back in the ‘60s,” Alvarez said. “Coach Melton came to see me and my parents in Pennsylvania the day after Nebraska played in the Orange Bowl. I was just getting out of basketball practice, and a bunch of big snowflakes were coming down. John shivered when he met me and said he forgot how cold it was in Burgettstown. I told him: ‘Coach, the temperature is 32 degrees. That’s why I’m wearing a light jacket. You mean, it doesn’t get cold like this in Nebraska?’”

Alvarez will never forget Melton’s comeback. “It gets cold sometimes,” he told Alvarez. “But in Nebraska, it’s a dry kind of cold, not a wet kind of cold.”

Alvarez became an All-Big Eight linebacker for the Huskers in 1968, a season when the Blackshirts led the nation in total defense. He laughs out loud just thinking about the characters recruited by a character himself. “I mean, John recruited (All-America end) Tony Jeter and (running back) Harry ‘Light Horse’ Wilson,” Alvarez pointed out. “He recruited all those players from Green Bay that played on Bob’s national championship teams – Jerry Tagge, Dave Mason, Jim Anderson and Dennis Gutzman.

Melton Recruited Iowa with Amazing Results

“John owned Iowa when he was recruiting for Devaney,” Alvarez said. “Everyone wanted Roger Craig and Jamie Williams, but John was the one who got their signatures. He was the one who recruited Scott Raridon and Steve McWhirter. He was one of those guys who could list all the positives of Nebraska, and after he did it, he could make you feel something without saying it. He could make you feel like if you didn’t choose Nebraska, you’d be a fool.”

Alvarez remembers how fiery Melton could be as a coach, and, according to Osborne, it didn’t make any difference what the score was. Nebraska could be 40 points ahead, and Melton would still get fired up like the Huskers were behind. Jim Ross was the first assistant to follow Devaney from Wyoming to Lincoln, and Melton was the second. Carl Selmer and Mike Corgan stayed in Laramie to see if either might follow Lloyd Eaton at Wyoming as head coach. They did not, so they joined Devaney’s staff in Lincoln. Devaney also retained Clete Fischer and George Kelly from the existing staff after Bill Jennings was fired, and his last two hires were two graduate assistants - Dallas Dyer and Osborne.

“Nebraska had a lot of excellent coaches, and it’s always sad to see them go,” Alvarez said. “Bob’s gone, Mike’s gone, Clete’s gone, George is gone, Jim’s gone and now John’s gone. Those guys helped put Nebraska football on the map. They’re all important parts of Nebraska history. They worked together, laughed together and won together.”

Laughter: Melton’s Ultimate Sign of Respect

About five years ago, Burgettstown was celebrating a state championship football team and asked Melton to be the featured speaker. Alvarez arranged for private flights to accommodate that request. “John had the whole room laughing and thoroughly entertained,” said Alvarez, who also invited Melton and Margie, his widow, as personal guests for the Nebraska-Wisconsin game in 2011 in Madison. At a luncheon on the Friday before the nationally televised night game, Wisconsin’s Hall of Fame football coach/athletic director introduced Melton to a large room full of Badger fans. Alvarez also allowed the emcee to show a film of him intercepting a pass against Wisconsin when he was a linebacker at Nebraska playing for Melton.

Melton told the emcee it was an easy play for the announcer to describe his runback on that interception. “Alvarez intercepts the ball. He’s at the 40, the 39, the 38,” Alvarez said, laughing. “John was an intense guy, but a funny guy and a creative guy. He always had people laughing.”

Melton’s funeral will be Thursday at 11 a.m. at First Plymouth Church in Lincoln. Poignant memories will be shared, tears will be shed and laughter will be an important sign of respect to honor Melton’s memory. He was, after all, a man who truly felt that a day without laughter was a day wasted.

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Josh Banderas on National Letter of Intent Day. Ted Kirk Photo, Lincoln J-S

By Randy York

At the recent annual Lincoln Downtown Athletic Club Awards Luncheon, Husker fans had a rare top-floor Nebraska Club view. In the background were Pinnacle Bank Arena, Memorial Stadium and Hawks Field and in the foreground were two Lincoln incoming freshmen student-athletes who were smiling and putting their arms around each other. Nebraska football recruit Josh Banderas won the 2013 John P. Perkins Memorial Scholarship Award, but there was also high praise for a high school classmate and a Husker walk-on wrestler who shared the runner-up honors.

It was fun watching the humility that Banderas showed and the way he acknowledged the talents of the other two. It made you understand how and why Banderas, son of former Husker tight end Tom Banderas (1985-86-87), was so successful in his ability to help recruit so many others in Nebraska’s 2013 recruiting class. Check out Banderas on YouTube or take a peek at @bandothemando on Twitter. You’ll see why he’s one young man coaches don’t worry about when he jumps on social media.

Make no mistake. When Banderas signed his National Letter of Intent last February, it may have been Nebraska’s most significant signature, simply because he was a catalyst for so many others to follow suit. The N-Sider believes Big Red fans should know a little more about this “legacy recruit” and why, as the only in-state player in Nebraska’s 2013 class, he had such an influence on the out-of-staters. Please join our quick hitting Q&A with ‘Bando the Mando’:

Q: Have you always been a major player in social media?

A: Not really. I’ve used it to connect with other recruits and try to get them to come here more than anything.

Q: What’s the biggest reason you decided to become a Husker?

A: Nebraska is the best school in the country. It’s my team!

Q: You played in the Army All-American Game in San Antonio and had scholarship offers from Oregon, Kansas State and Iowa, among others. Where else did you actually visit?

A: Vanderbilt and Iowa State

Q: Who were your primary recruiters?

A: Coach (Barney) Cotton & Coach (Ross) Els.  I loved it because they’re both so easy to talk to

Q: Who else influenced your decision?

A:  Coach Bo (Pelini) and JP (John Papuchis)

Q: If you could describe Coach Pelini in two words, what would they be?

A: Straight shooter

Q: Besides football, you’ve won the 110-meter hurdles at the state track meet and lettered in bowling. What’s your most memorable high school moment?

A: My 95-yard Pick 6 (interception return based on a zone read against Lincoln East).

Q: Do you have a role model?

A: My dad … he’s done all of it and had success. Now it’s my turn.

Q: You’re a big Husker fan, too. What’s your favorite memory from the stands?

A: The Ohio State game – the biggest comeback in school history.

Q: Speaking of fans. What about Big Red fans selling out their stadium for 50 straight years?

A: They’re the best ever!!

Q: Give me a junior recruiter’s take on Nebraska’s relentless focus on academics?

A: They want to prepare us for life, not just football.

Q: What did you tell your fellow recruits about Nebraska’s strength program?

A: That we were the first strength program in the country, and we’re still the best in the country.

Q: What kind of a movie does an aspiring linebacker like?

A: Dark Night because of the action and because it’s Batman.

Q: How about your favorite singer?

A: Elvis.

Q: Favorite comedian?

A: Kevin Hart.

Q: Favorite NFL team?

A: The Chiefs because they’re close, and I’ve been able to go to some of their games in Kansas City.

Q: Best advice you’ve ever received?

A: Try harder than everyone else.

Q: Who told you that?

A: My dad.

Q: Ever meet Tom Osborne, your dad’s coach?

A: Yes, a few times, and I think it’s cool that someone like him will take the time to stop and talk to me.

Q: What can you say about his legacy?

A: He’s a big reason why we are the best school in the country.

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Charlie McBride, right, shares a moment on the sideline with Tom Osborne.

Five Unbeatable Ideas for Father’s Day Gifts

By Randy York

Tom Osborne had two public retirement celebrations as Nebraska’s athletic director. The first was glitzy and glamorous and attended by 1,800 loyal Husker fans who were willing to pay from $250 to $1,000 a person to honor a legend at Omaha’s CenturyLink Center. It was a fun, entertaining, memorable evening that netted nearly $400,000 to benefit two causes Osborne devoutly supports – 1) Nebraska’s Expand Their Experience campaign to help Husker student-athletes gain the ultimate competitive advantage, and 2) the TeamMates Mentoring Program that Tom and wife Nancy Osborne co-founded in 1991.

Osborne enjoyed the Omaha gala that included Miami-based dancers and Vegas-like celebrity impersonators who are included in a DVD bundle that would make an affordable Father’s Day gift for $19.95. The Hall-of-Fame football coach and three-term U.S. Congressman, however, felt much more comfortable joining 500 former players, coaches and athletic department staff members at his second retirement celebration at Lincoln’s Downtown Embassy Suites Hotel. There was no singing, dancing, acrobatics or live interviews with Barry Switzer, Barry Alvarez or Bill Snyder and no remembrances from Nebraska’s Johnny Rodgers, Mike Rozier or Irving Fryar. But longtime assistants Charlie McBride and Milt Tenopir, the only two speakers besides Osborne at his second celebration, shared some poignant memories.

This N-Sider focuses on McBride, the defensive coordinator for Osborne’s three national championship teams. At the smaller, but close-knit retirement celebration, McBride found unique ways to define the essence of a head coach who won 255 games, lost 49 and tied 3 in a quarter century of excellence that never included a season with fewer than nine wins. The fiery McBride will never forget one of Osborne’s standard lines before his well-prepared teams would take the field. “Fellas, we don’t have to win this game,” McBride said, quoting Osborne for an audience that came to honor him. “I had just come from Wisconsin, and we didn’t win many games there,” McBride said. “I thought to myself: ‘We’re going to do this again?’”

McBride Knew T.O. Was about More than Winning

McBride’s pause drew a quick laugh before he went on to complete the first Osborne pregame speech he witnessed at Nebraska. “Fellas, we don’t have to win this game, but what we have to do is play every play as hard as we can play, and the score will take care of itself,” McBride said, quoting Osborne. “Coach then went on to say if we do get beat when we play as hard as we can every play, then you get beat by a better team and you have nothing to be ashamed of. Now, I don’t know if that was exactly how Tom worded it, but it’s pretty close. I know, and you know that we worked with and played for someone pretty special.”

A few minutes later, McBride choked up a bit after sharing the dichotomy of Osborne and Switzer, who became friends and had mutual respect for each others’ programs. “I know this, and maybe you guys don’t know this,” McBride said. “Tom took time every day to have a devotion period and have meditation. When Tom prayed for the team in the morning, he prayed for every player by name. To me, that was just astounding that he took the time for every player to be known to the good Lord. So we’re all blessed here to have a person that cared that much for all of you.

“That was the main thing about Tom,” McBride said. “Winning is great and so is all that other stuff, but I think it was the access that all of you guys had with Coach that meant more to him than anything else in the world. He may not say it all the time, but it really does mean so much to him. He cares a lot. He cares a lot about all of us.”

McBride Praises Nancy Osborne’s Impact on T.O.

McBride made sure everyone understood the power, the love and the positive influence that Nancy Osborne had on her husband. Then he mentioned how “a lot of us here in this room have made mistakes, but Tom always stayed with us,” McBride said. “Coach stayed with us the whole time. He never wavered one bit. So on behalf of all the guys here, Coach, they love you. They care, too, and I think if every guy had a chance to come up here, they’d say the same thing … that playing here at Nebraska was so special in every life in this room.”

It was special because Osborne taught, modeled and lived everything he shared with his players and coaches. He knew how the world saw winning, but the scoreboard was not how he measured success. He would always dig deeper, care more and lead every player in the program in a silent but spiritual way … by name, not by position on the depth chart.

McBride knew early on what made Osborne tick, and through the years, he understood why his boss viewed football differently than the vast majority of head coaches. More Than Winning was not just a title on one of Tom Osborne’s books. “Tom lived and coached that way every day,” McBride said.

Husker All-American Trev Alberts, the emcee of Osborne’s final retirement banquet, may have put it best at the end. “Coach, you’ve been a faithful servant,” he said. “You sought God’s purpose in your life and sought to perform it as best you could, and you did it the right way … with integrity. There’s no doubt you brought honor and glory to the God you served, and everyone in this room benefited because Coach was a faithful servant, and we thank him.”

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By Randy York

It’s Tuesday, June 4. Have you bought your Father’s Day present yet? Fear not. We didn’t ask the question without having a simple, online solution in mind. Just read this blog and choose one of five unbeatable ideas for Father’s Day gifts on Sunday, June 16. Once you’ve made up your mind, click the link that becomes top of mind and pull out your favorite piece of plastic. After that, cross this important action off your checklist and get back to whatever you do on a Tuesday night in early June – take a walk, grill a burger or deliberate between baseball and softball on cable versus whatever the major networks are offering. Father’s Day is important, and we’re taking all the hassle out of it for you, so you can give your own father something thoughtful, something substantive and most of all, something that makes him proud to be a Nebraskan. Here’s The N-Sider’s Top Five recommendations: 

IDEA No. 1 – The Ultimate Bundle, featuring two Tribute to Tom DVDs, plus Jack Hoffman’s memorable touchdown run in the Spring Game: Talk about a true blockbuster with an unbeatable price – $19.95. When 1,800 people attended the Tribute to Tom Gala in Omaha, paying $250 to $1,000 a plate, the N-Sider received dozens of emails asking if that salute to Tom Osborne would be recorded for posterity. Well, that “Night of Legends” hosted by ESPN’s Chris Fowler, was indeed recorded. So was the “Tribute to Tom” a few weeks later when 500 players, coaches and staff members gathered in Lincoln for a banquet emceed by UNO Athletic Director Trev Alberts, a Nebraska All-American/Academic All-American. More than three hours of stories, lessons, tall tales, video highlights and poignant remembrances are captured on the two DVDs that honor Osborne’s 50 years as a successful coach, administrator and leader. “Any true-blooded Nebraska native or fan can watch the programs in this bundle and feel proud to be a Nebraskan. I think they’re true treasures of Husker history,” said Mike Osborne, who compiled the DVD set of his father and established an affordable price, so every Big Red fan can enjoy the content. Click here and get a bonus to the two DVD set with the Nebraska Spring Game video making it a trifecta. It all adds up to “five hours of the best of the spirit of Nebraska,” Mike Osborne said, adding that portions of sales of the 295 minutes of video will be donated to the Team Jack Foundation and the TeamMates Mentoring Program. Don’t worry if you already have Jack’s Run and the Spring Game video. You can also buy just the retirement banquets as a set.

IDEA No. 2 – A Men’s adidas Unrivaled Techfit Jersey  We go from one of the greatest bang-for-your-buck gifts I’ve ever seen to a $300 jersey that includes free shipping. Why? Because less than a week ago, only 24 of these historic replica jerseys remained from Nebraska’s 2012 win over Wisconsin in Lincoln – the game that featured Jack Hoffman and the late Isaiah Casillas as part of the Tunnel Walk. Nebraska Equipment Manager Jay Terry told me today that only 17 of these throwback jerseys are available. Remember, this replica jersey is suitable for framing, and a definitive piece of Husker history. Expect those last 17 to sell out soon.

IDEA No. 3 – This 2013 Coaches Sideline Performance Polo is another can’t miss for two reasons: 1) It has ClimaLITE technology and is designed for ultimate comfort; and 2) It’s the same shirt the coaches wear on the field. We all know what happened when Bo Pelini picked out his favorite tan Husker hat or his grey Nebraska sweatshirt. Everyone wanted one just like his.

IDEA No. 4 – I chose a Stuctured Flex Performance Hat not because I have even a clue if our coaches might wear them. I chose this gift as a worthy Father’s Day gift because it will eliminate the glare of the sun, so dad can focus on the action on the field. Not only that, he can be the coolest guy in town and show off on the golf course. Buyers beware, though. You may have to share your secret link with others wanting to order the same hat. 

IDEA No. 5 – Last December, I recommended that Husker fans use my No-Hassle Holiday Shopping, and they did. So, just to make sure that I deliver what I’m promising, I still highly recommend two books that you can buy dad for Father’s Day. He can read either one of them on a lazy, hazy, crazy day of summer when everyone else targets something different. Here’s another tip to buy the book UNBEATABLE: Tom Osborne and the Greatest Era of Nebraska Football, written by Henry J. Cordes, an Omaha World-Herald staffer given major access to Osborne before he retired as Nebraska’s athletic director on Jan. 1, 2013 and became Nebraska Athletic Director Emeritus. Another unbeatable Father’s Day present is the book Tom Osborne on Leadership: Life Lessons from a Three-Time National Championship Coach, written by Pat Williams with insight/editing from Mike Babcock, Nebraska’s most knowledgeable living football historian.

There they are – five unbeatable ideas for a Father’s Day present. You can’t go wrong with any one of the five. Remember, dad gave you something that cannot possibly be repaid – he believed in you, so give him something nice and something he’ll remember.

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Lincoln Journal-Star Editorial: Softball Hits the Big Time

Huskers End Great Year with 15-Inning WCWS Loss

By Randy York

For those who didn’t invest in one of the weekend’s most riveting performances on national television, you missed one of Nebraska’s most memorable athletic moments in any sport. Thank goodness, however, the Huskers have a head coach who could soak it up, appreciate the impact, define the meaning and get lifetime satisfaction from the experience, even though her team lost a 5-hour, 20-minute, 534-pitch softball marathon to the second-seeded team in the NCAA Women’s College World Series.

Rhonda Revelle, the iconic Hall-of-Fame coach who has won more games than any other coach in University of Nebraska athletic history, proved once again that it’s not always whether you win or lose, but how you played the game, and we frame that conclusion in her answer to a post-game question. That question, we should point out, triggered Revelle to go off on a tangent. “You’re getting Rhonda at full force here,” she told the media after making her point.

A reporter in the NCAA post-midnight interviews following Nebraska’s 9-8 loss to Florida late Saturday night started one question this way: “Lots of smiles and laughter up here, but I didn’t expect that. Is that a sign not necessarily of satisfaction, but are you at peace?” Taylor Edwards, who hit a lead-off solo home run in the bottom of the 10th inning to keep Nebraska’s hopes alive, fielded the question with the adrenalin she was still feeling. “It was just exciting,” she said. “I mean we’re all still excited. We just all want to continue playing … we ran out of time. That’s it. We all just feel like we’re going to keep playing … yea, there were some tears, but that game … 15 innings … I mean, who can ask for more fight than that from both teams? It was all extremely fun.”

Veteran Husker Coach Makes an Unsolicited Comment

At that point late in the interview session, Revelle interrupted the process to ask the moderator if she could make an unsolicited comment, feeling, perhaps, that Edwards’ energizing answer might be misconstrued. “I’m going to let you be privy to what I said in the locker room,” Revelle said. “This group of young women has restored and returned Nebraska softball to the national stage. Nebraska has spent a good many years on the national stage, but not in recent years. I just really feel the motivation, the drive and the talent not only put them on the national stage right now, but we can continue to grow that motivation to be better and to return here and take it farther.”

Where some see disappointment or failure, Revelle sees progress and success. As a coach who builds her team with cornerstones of heart and hustle, she can envision what one of her foremost mentors could see so clearly. That’s why she used the press conference to lay down what she described as great layers of culture and tradition. “Bottom line, these are young people here to get an education,” she said. “They’re here to have an experience of a lifetime and make memories that they can never really have anywhere else.”

What a perfect time for a veteran coach with a servant’s heart to remind everyone preoccupied with the destination that in the grand scheme of things, the journey is really what matters. Revelle takes great pride in players leaving their softball experience as happy people and if a head coach can’t take great joy from the longest Women’s College World Series game in 19 years, how can she expect her players to respect their own sense of historical accomplishment? “They’re happy for their experience, and that’s really important,” Revelle said. “I’m just really, really, really proud of this group. I’m proud to be alum of the University of Nebraska, and I think the alumni that have worn the jersey are very proud of this group as well.”

Revelle Credits Mentor Osborne’s Guidance, Wisdom

Revelle credits Nebraska Athletic Director Emeritus Tom Osborne for his guidance and wisdom. “He’s been a mentor of mine for many, many years, my whole coaching career,” she said, pointing out how Osborne believes teams go as far as their seniors lead them. “And I really believe that,” Revelle said, adding how four Husker senior leaders took it upon themselves to get everyone aboard The Energy Bus and help Nebraska regain its stature on the national stage.

Three facts are inextricably linked to Nebraska’s joyful reaction to the disappointment imbedded in a spirited, resilient, character-building performance: 1) knowing the Huskers belong on the national stage, even though they were the lowest seed to make the Women’s College World Series; 2) having the same perspective of all eight NCAA WCWS qualifiers to look at life differently in the midst of death and destruction in Oklahoma City’s tornado alley; and 3) expecting to keep its place on that national stage with the return of seven of Nebraska’s top 10 players, including junior second-team All-America pitcher Tatum Edwards, who plays left field when she’s not pitching, and freshman pitcher Emily Lockman, who handed No. 1 Oklahoma its first loss of the season, 1-0, in Norman.

In addition, the 2014 Nebraska Energy Bus will have important passengers in junior catcher Taylor Edwards; sophomore first baseman Mattie Fowler; freshman second-baseman Hailey Decker, who hit a pivotal home run in Sunday’s marathon; freshman shortstop Alicia Armstrong, a potential future All-American; and sophomore center fielder Jordan Bettiol. It seems equally important to point out that three more Huskers played in one of the most exciting games in WCWS history. Dawna Tyson was a pinch-hitter, and fellow freshman Kiki Stokes was a pinch-runner who played left field. Junior Kylee Muir delivered a hit as a pinch-hitter when the pressure was on.

By now, you probably understand why Revelle remained so positive, even bullish, in a losing locker room. Next year, Tatum Edwards, Taylor Edwards and Muir will be seniors, and their leadership will determine how long Nebraska can last on the national stage now that they’ve found it in two excruciating, one-run, extra inning losses to Washington and Florida. For Revelle’s well-seasoned team, The Energy Bus is a proven philosophy that pulls the team together and enables everyone to drive with purpose and passion, yet makes sure that players have fun, enjoy the ride and can still feel joy, even when they run out of time.

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Huskers in WCWS           Scottsbluff Celebration

Video: NU-Oregon        Revelle Press Conference

By Randy York

Four numbers highlight and define Nebraska’s Super Regional softball win at Oregon last Sunday, including: 7 Nebraska is making its seventh appearance in the Women’s College World Series (WCWS), its first appearance since 2002 and its third under Rhonda Revelle; 11 Nebraska has won 11 games in its final at bat this year. Of those 11 victories, six came with NU trailing heading into its final at bat and five came with the game tied; 21 Nebraska is officially participating in its 21st NCAA Tournament (ranking 10th in NCAA history); 55 Nebraska has won 55 games in the NCAA Tournament, owning an all-time record of 55-43 (ranking 13th in NCAA Division I history).

That history lesson is important because it frames Nebraska’s prominence in the context of NCAA softball. But there also are three spinoffs from the Super Regional triumph – 1) the recruiting value that showcases both talent and spirit from pivotal performers that lived and played in California, Arizona, Oregon, Texas, Arkansas, Kansas and Nebraska; 2) the sense of pride that UNL alums across the country and around the world feel when the Huskers win competitive battles on a national network; and 3) validation from another national audience the Huskers don’t even know they have.

Consider an email Paul Swanson of Redlands, Calif., sent to the N-Sider. “Congratulations on the Nebraska women’s softball team winning the Super Regional in Oregon and going to the College World Series,” said Swanson, a 1958 graduate of the Nebraska’s Dental College. “Winning the series at highly rated Oregon’s home ball park and snapping their 24-game home winning streak was truly a magnificent accomplishment. Our Huskers played with a lot of class, guts and determination. I just want them to know they made all of us Huskers feel very proud! Please extend my best wishes and highest regards and Go Big Red in OKC!”

Consider also a new audience the Huskers have inherited. Mike Jones of Magnolia, Ark., runs an insurance agency. He sent an email our way this morning to congratulate the Nebraska women’s softball team and to thank the N-Sider for an article on how the energetic Huskers are building on their season-long philosophy. Jones found it interesting that Nebraska’s team read and studied a book called The Energy Bus, and he was not surprised to hear the positive results that come from applying the lessons that book teaches. “The book has been an inspiration to me,” he said. Even though he’s an Ole Miss fan living near the Louisiana border, Jones will follow and root for the Huskers in the WCWS in Oklahoma City. “As a matter of fact,” Jones said, “I’m going to use the Nebraska softball team as the topic of discussion for our staff meeting Wednesday morning with our agents,” he said. “I get the newsletter from the author of The Energy Bus, and I saw the fire in Rhonda Revelle on Jon Gordon’s Blog. You can see what the book has done for Coach Revelle and her team. She probably can’t imagine salespeople talking about her team, but maybe we can benefit from the book like Nebraska has.”

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NU Legend Focusing on TeamMates after Retirement

Osborne Plugs Legends’ Voters as Possible Solution

By Randy York

Less than a month after his official “retirement” from Nebraska Athletics, Tom Osborne will be sitting in a chair on the same stage with a friend who is credited with having the most wins in NCAA Division I college football history, plus another colleague and longtime friend who has been the executive director of 12,000 members of the American Football Coaches Association for nearly two decades. Osborne, a true legend/leader in more ways than football, will join Florida State legend Bobby Bowden and Baylor legend Grant Teaff in a Wednesday, July 24, noon roundtable discussion at the Nebraska Coaches Association’s (NCA) annual Multi-Sports Clinic in Lincoln.

Olympic gold medal gymnast Kerri Strug will deliver the keynote address to Nebraska high school coaches the day before those three College Football Hall-of-Famers assemble, and she will certainly set the tone for an inspiring three-day clinic. But even one of the most gut-wrenching performances in U.S. Olympic history from a face that’s been on countless Wheaties boxes, not to mention graced every magazine cover and talk show before she ever attended a class at Stanford, will be hard-pressed to top the impact of Osborne, Bowden and Teaff sharing their interactively collective wisdom.

The goal of this rare discussion was the lure that gained Osborne’s agreement to participate. Teaff’s vision is for all football coaches to take their players “Beyond the Game” and to teach responsibility at the same time they’re coaching X’s and O’s. Osborne and Bowden share Teaff’s vision and are more than willing to discuss how coaches can lead by example and show their players what defines ethics and integrity. All three coaches are authors, motivational speakers and determined to use their knowledge and experiences to help equip today’s coaches with what it takes to handle social issues, understand attitudes and improve behaviors.

If that sounds like inspiring guidance from a unique late July program at Lincoln North Star High School, that’s exactly what Darin Boysen would like to see. The NCA’s energetic but low-key executive director has his roots in coaching and was heavily influenced by coaches who affected him deeply as a person. “Coaching is one of the most noble professions,” Boysen said. “Teaching is coaching, and coaching is teaching. We need to give more coaches more tools to be successful.”

Boysen has done just that with a website and a print and digital magazine that keeps Nebraska prep coaches connected to resources that can help them take their student-athletes “Beyond the Game”. Osborne, Bowden and Teaff will address the consequences of a changed society, the responsibilities required to succeed in it, the power of influence, the keys to success, the need to self-motivate and the skills and traits necessary to turn leadership into action.

The theme falls in line with coaches accepting their roles as mentors and explains why Boston-based MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership announced Osborne as a member of its Board of Directors on Wednesday. Throughout his career, Osborne has led the drive to expand quality mentoring opportunities for young people. He and his wife Nancy founded the TeamMates Mentoring Program, now the largest school-based mentoring program in Nebraska and a leader nationally serving more than 6,200 young people with additional chapters in Iowa and California. The program is proven to drive better attendance, behavior, and achievement as well as identify the natural strengths and talents of young people.  

“The impact a quality mentoring relationship can have on a young person is real and measurable, and it benefits all of us, but right now the programs that exist cannot keep up with the demand to match every child in need,” Osborne said. “MENTOR and its Mentoring Partnership network serve a critical role in driving the quantity and quality of mentoring for young people by providing resources such as evidence-based standards, training and technical assistance, and public campaigns to raise awareness and secure funding. I am proud to join them in this effort.”

“Tom Osborne understands the value of quality mentoring for young people but also for our communities, our culture and our collective success because he has lived it in practice,” said MENTOR President and CEO David Shapiro. “Dr. Osborne was a mentor to thousands of players throughout his years as a coach, building a program to not only achieve at the highest levels but serve the community with rigor and innovation, and as an elected official who advocated for public policies that give young people the support they need to succeed. We are honored that he will bring his passion and expertise to our board of directors.”

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By Randy York

Nebraska Athletics reached a milestone this afternoon, reaching 90,000 followers on Twitter. The Huskers rank No. 1 in followers among all NCAA Athletic Department Twitter accounts. Florida (82,360) ranks second, followed by Alabama (79,503), Georgia (78,797) and Louisville (63,473) in the Top Five. The second five includes Kansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Iowa and Notre Dame. The Nos. 6-10 tweeting schools range from 62,000 to 51,000 followers. “Twitter is a great way to keep up with a person or an organization on a daily basis,” said Kelly Mosier, director of Huskers.com web operations and social media efforts. “We try to engage with our fans on Twitter daily to give them first-hand access to information about what it means to be part of Nebraska Athletics.” 

Tim Miles uses Twitter to his strategic advantage, and Nebraska’s head basketball coach has 46,266 followers of his nearly 3,000 tweets. Bo Pelini has about 1,500 fewer followers than Miles, even though he’s only tweeted 95 times. The heavy tweeters on Bo’s staff are assistants Terry Joseph and Rich Fisher. If you’re interested in following a team knocking on the door of the College World Series, follow Rhonda Revelle. Nebraska’s softball coach, who has more wins than any other head coach in Nebraska athletic history, puts her heart and soul into her Twitter account. She has more tweets than followers, but with Nebraska visiting Oregon this weekend in a Super Regional that will send the winner to the CWS in Oklahoma City, now would be a good time to jump on Revelle’s Energy Bus.

Don’t forget Husker baseball, which is fun to follow on Twitter, even if a game is being carried live on the Big Ten Network, which, by the way, has more than 104,000 Twitter followers of its own. If we haven’t mentioned your favorite sport or favorite program, don’t worry. Check out this comprehensive list of sports, departments, voices, coaches and venues that are actively engaged in Twitter and Facebook. If you want the global view of Nebraska Athletics as a whole, the catch-all place for the names you know while on the go is right here at your fingertips: https://twitter.com/Huskers.Try it and if you like it, join it and help us boost our nation-leading Twitter totals, so we can follow our own new motto … Through These Hashtags (#Huskers & #GBR) Tweet the Greatest Fans in College Football.

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Megan Southworth and Conor McDermott receive $7,500 scholarships.

By Randy York

The Big Ten Conference Thursday honored Husker student-athletes Conor McDermott and Megan Southworth with $7,500 postgraduate scholarships. McDermott, a tight end letterwinner on Nebraska’s 2012 football team, graduated last December with a Bachelor’s degree in Business, Economics and Finance. Southworth, a letterwinning infielder on the Huskers’ 2013 softball team, graduated this month with a Bachelor’s degree in Education and Human Science. Both Big Ten scholarship winners in this inaugural Big Ten program are from Omaha. McDermott graduated from Creighton Prep High School and Southworth from Papillion-LaVista High School.

“This scholarship will provide great assistance to reach my goals,” McDermott said. “I’ve decided to enroll in UNL’s law program, and I want to dual enroll in an MBA program. With my undergrad degrees in law and finance, I can combine my passions with law and business.” A walk-on, McDermott persevered in football and eventually changed to tight end. He worked his way onto the travel roster and ended up playing in every game in his final season as a Husker.

“The Big Ten scholarship will assist me with my first year of postgraduate study and is profoundly important to me in pursuing my Doctor of Occupational Therapy degree at Creighton,” Southworth said. “Within three years, I will complete the academic and clinical work required to earn the highest degree in that field. Creighton is one of three universities that offer this program with the most advanced training available in the School of Pharmacy program.” Southworth also will earn her fourth varsity letter in softball this spring.

One male and one female student-athlete from each of the 12 Big Ten institutions receive the conference scholarships that are based primarily on academic achievements. Southworth, a 2012 Big Ten Distinguished Scholar Award winner, carries a 3.784 GPA. McDermott, a 2012 First-Team Academic All-Big Ten selection, has a 3.664 GPA.

“Conor is an intelligent young man who continually challenges himself to develop leadership skills and achieve academically,” said Dennis Leblanc, Nebraska’s senior associate athletic director for Academics. “Conor is dedicated and determined, and he has good time management skills. He was selected to our Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll nine times during his football career. He did it all while double-majoring in Finance and Economics and still graduated in 4½ years. Conor is well-prepared to handle the rigorous demands of law school.”

Nebraska Softball Head Coach Rhonda Revelle said Southworth is an equally focused and persistent young lady who has strategically mapped out her educational and professional goals. “Megan has balanced the demands of being a Division I athlete with four letters and was still a standout in the classroom,” Revelle said. “Megan is so much more than her grade-point-average and her scholastic honors, though. She’s a very conscientious, dedicated and resilient person who aspires to become the best professional she can be. She’s passionate about serving people, and in particular, people with special needs. Serving and giving back runs deep in her genetic makeup. She has a huge heart and is a true champion for people in need.”

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Senior Courtney Breault’s successful bunt helped Nebraska beat Purdue.

Host Huskers Earn No. 14 National Seed

By Randy York

You don’t see her in the headlines, but you can’t miss her in the box score. Yes, Nebraska has two of the five unanimous 2013 All-Big Ten Conference selections in junior twins Tatum and Taylor Edwards, but there’s another Californian making a steady difference in Nebraska’s high hopes to create momentum in the NCAA Women’s Softball Tournament. Meet Courtney ‘Spark Plug’ Breault (pronounced BREE-alt), one of four seniors on this year’s Husker team. Breault, a 5-9 senior infielder from Roseville, Calif., came to Nebraska by way of Arkansas, where she made the 2010 SEC All-Freshman Team before battling injuries and transferring to Nebraska and earning back-to-back second-team All-Big Ten honors.

Nebraska Softball Coach Rhonda Revelle has nicknames for all four seniors, and three of them are among the top five hitters in Nebraska’s batting order – third-baseman Gabby ‘Momma Bear’ Banda, Brooke ‘Constant Leader’ Thomason and Breault, the team spark plug. Breault and Thomason both have achieved second-team All-Big Ten status two years in a row, and Revelle will be counting on her senior class to be the experienced-based glue that helps deliver a Lincoln regional title next Sunday. No. 14 seed Nebraska (40-13) hosts the University of Northern Iowa (26-24) Friday at 7 p.m. after Stanford (37-19) plays Tulsa (42-14) at 4 p.m. The 64-team 2013 NCAA Softball Tournament field was released Sunday night. The winner of the double-elimination Lincoln regional will move on to the Super Regionals May 23-26 against the winner of the Eugene Regional, hosted by No. 3 national seed Oregon. The eight Super Regional winners will advance to the NCAA Women’s College World Series. Revelle believes all four Big Ten teams in the NCAA Tournament — No. 8 national seed Michigan, Big Ten Tournament champion Wisconsin and Minnesota, which edged Nebraska in the tournament’s semifinals Saturday in Lincoln, have the capability to compete at the highest level. If you’re looking for the classic case in point, remember Nebraska handed Oklahoma its first loss of the season in early March.The Sooners (47-4) earned the No. 1 overall seed in the 2013 NCAA Division I Softball Championship and will host an NCAA Regional in Norman.

Even though the Huskers feature talented younger players, Revelle will ask her seniors to continue to be psychological catalysts. Banda, in season four as a starting infielder, plays her “Momma Bear” role like a fiddle, knowing when to motivate, endure and help relieve stress and reduce pressure. The 5-5 senior from Angleton, Texas, is so tough she played her entire junior and senior seasons with a torn ACL. When the going gets tough, she helps her team get going. Friday, she went 1-for-3 at the plate. Breault went 1-for-2, and Thomason was 2-for-3 with a crucial RBI and a run scored, proving why Revelle considers the 5-8 senior outfielder from Overland Park, Kan., a constant leader. Like Banda, she is in her fourth year as a starter and owns a school record two grand slam homeruns, including an historic shot in Nebraska’s first-ever Big Ten Conference softball game against Northwestern. She hit a solo homerun in the sixth inning and a grand slam to win the game with two outs in the bottom of the seventh.

Revelle is understandably proud of all four senior leaders, and that includes the role Megan Southworth has played. The 5-4 senior from Papillion-LaVista High School in suburban Omaha was recruited as a catcher and made the transition to outfield, starting 28 games as a sophomore. Nebraska’s deep and talented group of outfielders reduced Southworth’s role to pinch-hitting and pinch-running, but make no mistake, she is a superstar in the eyes of her head coach. “Graceful and grateful are the two words that describe Megan,” Revelle said. “She exudes everything good about being a Husker, and she influences this team every day in her own way.” A speech-language pathologist major, Southworth won the Big Ten Distinguished Scholar Award. She is the ultimate team player, and Revelle sees her succeeding in the biggest game of all – life.

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Nebraska: The Birthplace of Strength Training

YouTube: N’Side Interview with James Dobson

By Randy York

When Chad Wade was a 13-year-old living in Weeping Water, Neb., he could not wait for the mailman to deliver what became the highlight of his week – the latest weightlifting program from the Detroit Lions, where his uncle, Gary Wade, was the head strength and conditioning coach. “Gary’s my dad’s brother, and my dad was just as interested in getting that program as I was. We’d both start lifting the day we got it in the mail,” Chad recalled Friday after receiving the highest honor in the strength and conditioning coaching profession – a Master Strength and Conditioning Coach (MSCC) designation from the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association (CSCCa).

As much as Wade prefers to work in the shadows for the benefit of Nebraska football, this honor was one time when he could not avoid the spotlight, especially when the presentation is the annual highlight of CSCCa’s national conference. Nearly 400 people at the Downtown Kansas City Marriott Hotel applauded Wade Thursday night when James Dobson, Nebraska’s head strength and conditioning coach, presented Wade a blue Master Strength and Conditioning Coach jacket.

A year ago, Dobson had received the same MSCC designation to become the second Nebraska strength coach to earn that honor. The only other current Husker coach who has achieved that level is Mike Arthur,director of strength and conditioning at Nebraska. Arthur’s 35-year association in Nebraska’s pioneering strength and conditioning program has been so crucial that he joined Boyd Epley in the first induction class into the USA Strength and Conditioning Coaches Hall of Fame.

“Gary worked for Boyd, and Boyd hired me as a graduate assistant for football in 1996,” recalled Wade, who became a fulltime strength coach for Nebraska basketball from 1997 to 2002 before moving back to Husker football in the spring of 2002. “I feel very fortunate to have worked in this field with so many great people over a long period of time, including Boyd, Mike, Dave (Kennedy) and James. It was humbling to be up there and see people I work with every day –  Willie Jones, Tyler Clarke and Lauren Harris – in the same room.”

“This is an incredible honor for Chad,” said Dr. Chuck Stiggins, CSCCa’s executive director. “Being named a Master Strength and Conditioning Coach signifies a commitment to the student-athlete, the University of Nebraska athletic program, and the strength and conditioning profession. We’re honored to have Coach Wade as a member of our association and to have him join the ranks of our Master coaches. He is truly a model of an outstanding strength and conditioning professional.”

Among the five criteria to earn the Master’s designation is having a minimum 12 years of experience as a full-time strength and conditioning coach on the collegiate or professional level. About 10 percent of the CSCCa members have achieved the Master’s designation.

One of the presenters at CSCCa was Eric Kapitulik, who has been working with Nebraska football over the past two seasons with his Boston-based company called The Program. “He nailed his presentation on shared adversity,” Dobson said. “All 400 people in the room were listening and writing down notes. It was right on target.”

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Patricia Veresova and Mary Weatherholt: Nation’s No. 3 doubles team.

Senior Tribute Video Features Four Huskers at the Finish Line

Huskers Play Wichita State  Tulsa, UNLV Join Regional

NCAA Women’s Bracket      Buy, Print Tickets Here

By Randy York

Nebraska’s Scott Jacobson and Hayden Perez make a productive tandem as tennis coaches just like Husker seniors Mary Weatherholt and Patricia Veresova combine to make one of the best doubles teams in NCAA women’s tennis. The coaches’ shared vision and the competitive commitment of Nebraska’s top two players are fundamental keys for the No. 15-seeded Huskers to make history this weekend in Lincoln. Jacobson and Perez are in lockstep agreement on the mental and physical requirements to defeat Wichita State in Friday’s first-round match. If the Huskers win that, they will play the winner of Friday’s Tulsa-UNLV match to go where Nebraska women’s tennis has never gone before – to the NCAA Sweet 16.

Jacobson is a Minnesota native in year No. 22 as Nebraska’s head tennis coach. Perez, who claims Texas as his roots, is in his eighth year as the Huskers’ associate head coach. The two bring different leadership elements to a diverse group of student-athletes, who are determined to carve their niche in Nebraska athletic history. Jacobson is all about cooperation, compassion and the ability to handle adversity with courage. Perez always links life on the court to life in the classroom, and that’s why he’s so successful as an international recruiter. Perez, who played at Cameron (Okla.) University and coached at Florida State, is a walking billboard for enthusiasm, positive energy and leadership.

The Jacobson/Perez joint leadership team blends, complements and enables the Weatherholt/Veresova team’s rise to a No. 3 ITA national doubles ranking entering this weekend’s 64-team NCAA field. Anyone who can’t see the connection between academic rigor and competitive fire might be interested in a fact that both coaches believe relates to their energy on the court. Weatherholt, a Prairie Village, Kan., native, was named the 2013 Nebraska Student-Athlete of the Year. She graduated a year ago with a 3.873 GPA in Business Administration and has focused this past year on her master’s degree. Veresova has a 3.847 GPA in Business Administration and is on track to graduate in December.

Weatherholt Has No. 11 National Ranking in Singles

Weatherholt has won back-to-back Big Ten Conference Tennis Player of the Year honors. After peaking at a No. 6 national ranking – the highest individual ranking in Nebraska history – Weatherholt will take a No. 11 ITA singles ranking and a 23-1 individual record into the NCAA first-round and second-round matches. With six wins against ranked opponents and an overall 19-2 record, Weatherholt and Veresova qualify as a legitimate contender to win an NCAA National Championship.

Weatherholt is the Big Ten’s automatic singles qualifier and will be among 64 players to compete in singles play. She also joins Veresova as the conference’s automatic doubles qualifier with the No. 3 seed in the 32-pair competition. The NCAA Championships are set for May 22-27 in Urbana, Ill. – a competition that will follow the team portion of the tournament that runs from May 16-21.

But let’s get real here. Jacobson and Perez, like John Wooden and Tom Osborne, never mention the word “win” during their team’s daily workouts, monthly grinds or even throughout this unusually outdoor weather-ravaged season. “It reflects the senior leadership we’ve had all season long,” said Jacobson, who includes Janine Weinreich and Stefanie Weinstein in that senior leadership category with Weatherholt and Veresova. Both have been competitive in singles and rock-solid as the Huskers No. 2 doubles team. The two natives of Germany went 25-1 together and 11-0 in Big Ten doubles, leading their coaches pointing to their combined academic/athletic success. Weinreich has a 3.76 GPA as an International Business Management and Marketing Major. Weinstein has a 3.92 GPA in Business Administration. Is there any wonder why the tennis team won the Herman Award in both 2012 and 2013 for having the highest team GPA among all Husker women’s sports programs?

Nebraska Reinforcing Its International Recruiting Ties

Nebraska’s depth cannot be confused with the loaded lineups from such perennial women’s tennis powers as Florida, Stanford, Georgia and North Carolina. Still, Nebraska’s ability to tap into the international recruiting pipeline has been steady and could be poised to blossom even more. When the Huskers beat Notre Dame, Tennessee and Georgia Tech early in the season, Jacobson remembers coaches from an SEC power and another school with ACC clout asking him directly what Nebraska was doing to emerge in a sport dominated by schools in warmer climates. He also remembers getting emails from at least four different countries recommending potential recruits. Less than a week ago, Jacobson and Perez received a signed National Letter of Intent from Varberg, Sweden native Lisa Andersson,who ranks No. 7 nationally in her age group. That signature will bring Andersson to the top of Nebraska’s tennis roster, which currently has seven of its eight team members having last names that start with V, W or Z.

We should point out, however, that the Huskers will continue to recruit aggressively within its own region. Weatherholt is, after all, the lead catalyst in Nebraska’s tennis renaissance, and she recruited Nebraska just as much as the Huskers recruited her. After taking an unofficial visit to Nebraska during her junior year of high school, Weatherholt targeted Lincoln as the place she most wanted to play before she was 16 years old. When her parents discovered that their already under-aged daughter wanted to graduate from high school a semester early to kick-start her college career, they assumed she not only would have to walk on, but take a redshirt first year so she would not threaten the position of any incumbent players. Their daughter, however, seized an immediate opportunity. She finished 20-2 that spring, was named Big 12 Freshman of the Year and earned a spot on the All-Big 12 Singles Team.

Astute Nebraska fans know the rest of the story. Weatherholt has led Nebraska to unprecedented heights both in the Big Ten and in the NCAA. The Huskers have reached the NCAA second round twice, but lost to Northwestern in 2010 and then to Texas in 2012. This year, Nebraska is a definitive favorite to advance into the Sweet 16 and play the winner of a regional that includes Tennessee, Virginia Commonwealth, South Carolina and North Carolina, the No. 2 overall seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament.

Saturday: First NCAA Tennis Match in Lincoln History

This weekend will be historic because it marks the first time Nebraska will host an NCAA Tennis Tournament. Friday’s first-round match against Wichita State will begin at 2 p.m. at the campus courts at 17th and Vine Streets. Saturday’s second-round match is also scheduled for 2 p.m. If weather threatens outdoor play, the NCAA Tournament will relocate to the Nebraska Tennis Center on 70th Street, a mile north of Cornhusker Highway.

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With runs like this against Missouri, Tommie Frazier finished second in the 1995 Heisman Trophy voting. Omaha World-Herald Photo

By Randy York

Someone asked this morning if I had any good Tommie Frazier stories, and I have three. But I also want to share my first experience with Tommie and thank him for signing an 11x14-inch photograph of his fabled 75-yard touchdown run in the 1995 national championship romp over Florida in Tempe, Ariz. I’m looking at that photo right now in my office, and I will never forget how gracious Tommie was to sign it at a downtown Kansas City event. Here now are my three favorite Tommie Frazier stories, gleaned from interviews I’ve done with him or events I’ve attended:

Story No. 1…a sappy saga: My favorite story was listening to Tommie answer questions for a full hour at Bo Pelini’s late July Football 202 class at the Hawks Center four years ago – the same day I met Rick Burkhead, Rex’s dad. We both loved hearing Tommie talk about his on-the-field conversations with Miami All-America defensive tackle Warren Sapp during the 1995 Orange Bowl that produced Tom Osborne’s first national championship. In that game, Sapp kept baiting Tommie, who was making his first start after missing the previous seven games with a blood clot. When Frazier went back into the national title game to replace the late Brook Berringer, Sapp tried to get inside Tommie’s head. “Where you been Tom? Where you been?” Sapp asked Frazier, who told him his name was Tommie, not Tom. So the next time Frazier came back into the game late in the third quarter, Sapp said: “Where you been, Tommie? Where you been?” Finally, Frazier told the Football 202 class, he turned around, looked squarely into Sapp’s eyes and said: “It’s not where I’ve been … it’s where I’m going, fat a _ _!” Frazier’s punch line brought the house down. So did his animated impersonations of two coaches he played for at the same time – Osborne, his head coach, and Turner Gill, his position coach. For Osborne, the mock conversation was understandably slow, and for Gill, the dialogue became fast and inspired. “It was almost like Coach Osborne was on No Doz for four years, and Coach Gill was on Red Bull, the energy drink,” Frazier quipped. “Try putting up with that for four years!”

Story No. 2 … a hard place to sleep: Most of us have forgotten that one of Frazier’s last games as a freshman quarterback starter was a 38-24 triumph over Kansas State on Dec. 5, 1992, in, of all places, Tokyo, Japan - a mutually agreed upon replacement for a K-State home game, 6,300 miles from Manhattan. “I’ll never forget that 13-hour plane ride from Kansas City to Tokyo - the longest plane ride in my life at the time,” Frazier recalled in an interview “I was sitting between two big offensive linemen - Zach Wiegert and Lance Lundberg. For a while, I thought it would take forever to get there.” Fortunately, though, like all good offensive linemen, Wiegert and Lundberg created some extra room for their quarterback and kept him happy. “Zach wandered off somewhere, and Lance laid down and went to sleep on the floor,” Frazier recalled. When the 6-foot-5, 310-pound Wiegert and the 6-foot-4, 300-pound Lundberg vacated their seats, things opened up for Touchdown Tommie, who put the arm rests down, threw a pillow next to the window and spread himself across three large seats to take a long and well-deserved winter’s nap.

Story No. 3 … mom definitely knows best: Five years ago, when I had the honor to help induct Tommie into the Nebraska Black Hall of Fame at the North Omaha Boys and Girls Clubs, he mentioned the most important life lesson he learned from Priscilla Frazier, his mother, after receiving his award. Frazier remembers how much he struggled when he arrived on UNL’s campus. He also mentioned how difficult it was to go beyond southern Alabama, his previous northern-most location. Not surprisingly, Tommie got so homesick, he finally summoned enough courage to call his mom and ask if he could come home. “You can come home, but you ain’t gonna live here,” Tommie’s mother told him and he made sure he re-enacted the conversation as closely as possible for the banquet crowd that night. “I had no choice. I had to stay in Lincoln,” Tommie said before adding: “But everything worked out okay – in football and in life.”

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Husker offensive coordinator Tim Beck draws a crowd of Nebraska media.

By Randy York

If this is a Monday that deletes winter from spring and delivers sunshine all the way to Memorial Day, then maybe we really can trust that day. This Monday certainly was not everything we hoped it would be, nor was it something we could guarantee, but we still feel rather bullish about these three quick-hitters from an N-Sider’s point of view.

No 1: Congratulations to Nebraska’s Media Relations Team, led by Assistant Athletic Director Keith Mann. That hard-working group was more than worthy of another “Super 11” designation from the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), headquartered in Dallas. Tim Griffin, the FWAA’s 2010 president and chairman of the Super 11 selection committee, says the award represents “the best of the best” sports information departments that support football. Griffin pointed out that Nebraska is the only school that has won a Super 11 honor from two different conferences and told me that is considered no small feat by the selection committee, which admires the NU Media Relations Team’s ability to adapt and adjust to dramatic change. If asked to choose 11 words to describe what fuels ‘Super 11’ status, the first seven would be culture, content, contacts, conduct, criteria, conferences and coaches. The last four would be media access and player accommodation, before and after practices and pregame/postgame. Nobody does it better than Nebraska, which has a long, proud, half-century history of meeting media demands. Of the 11 schools achieving Super 11 status for 2012, nine are first-time honorees in this four-year-old category. Georgia, Nebraska’s New Year’s Day opponent in Orlando’s 2013 Capital One Bowl, has earned Super 11 status in all four years. USC ranks second with three Super 11s and Nebraska is tied with three other NCAA Division I schools with two awards each. Clemson, Utah and future Big Ten member Rutgers are the only other multiple winners. Kudos to Mann’s full-time staff: Jeff Griesch, Shamus McKnight, Jeremy Foote, Matt Smith, Hilary Winter, Scott Bruhn, Annie Wood and Vicki Capazo. Mann’s team is uniquely gifted in the way it integrates the efforts of other full-time staff members and student interns to accommodate the media in every way possible. If Nebraska doesn’t serve the largest media corps that regularly covers a college football program, it would have be close to the largest. The only other three Big Ten Conference schools that have merited Super 11 honors are Minnesota (2012), Michigan State (2011) and Northwestern (2010).

No. 2: Monday’s announcement from Mann’s team that Nebraska will host two BTN primetime games struck a chord here. Love opening the season at home in a 7 p.m. CT nationally televised game Aug. 31 against Wyoming, the school that sent Bob Devaney to Lincoln and Nebraska to immediate and unprecedented heights that include the best record in college football over the last half century and 50 consecutive years of home sellouts at Memorial Stadium. A week later, on Sept. 7, Nebraska will host Southern Miss in another BTN nationally televised non-conference contest. Kickoff for that one is 5 p.m. Hey, maybe we can invite Drew Carey to the game. It will be, after all, a five o’clock world when the whistle blows, and Tim Beck will have his offense tuned up and ready because, one week later, UCLA comes to town for the third of five consecutive home games (followed by South Dakota State and Illinois). By the way, does anyone remember Memorial Stadium ever having a 5 o’clock kickoff? Mann can’t remember one, but that only means the answer will require some research.

No. 3: How do you feel about Nebraska selling out its men’s season basketball ticket allotment six months before Pinnacle Bank Arena opens its doors to big-name entertainment and big-time Big Ten basketball? Stunned is the first word that comes to mind. I mean, I know former players and even loyal donors who were shocked with that development but are only blaming themselves for failing to act. One thing seems certain. If the new season ticket holders are unavailable for just about any game in the upcoming inaugural season, they won’t have trouble finding friends, family or others who want in on the action. Tim Miles was the consummate communicator whenever he had a spare moment, and Husker fans bought what he was selling. The next step, of course, is bigger and decidedly more difficult, and Miles doesn’t sidestep what he wants to see to help hold up his end of the bargain. “I want everybody to show up,” he said. “I want everybody to stand up, and I want everybody to shout at the top of their lungs when they get inside the arena.” The fans who shared Miles’ vision will be the ones sitting in their precious new seats. Now I know what Nebraska Chancellor Harvey Perlman meant when he said Husker fans seized this opportunity to get in on the ground floor. “You know how we’ve all watched for a long time those people who bought 50-yard line tickets to Memorial Stadium in the 1920s and how successful that’s been as an investment,” Perlman said. “It’s like buying an insurance policy for future success.”  

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Graduation lineup: Jeremiah Sirles, Dennis Leblanc and Lora Evenstad.

By Randy York

As different as Nebraska’s student-athlete speakers looked for Saturday’s luncheon to celebrate spring commencement exercises, Dennis Leblanc could not have selected more appropriate spokespeople to frame up what life is like as a Husker. Nebraska’s senior associate athletic director for Academics, Leblanc selected Lora Evenstad to represent UNL’s female graduates and Jeremiah Sirles to represent the male graduates. Talk about incongruity. The diminutive 5-foot-3 Evenstad is a good 15 inches shorter than the 6-foot-6 Sirles. She’s also roughly one-third his size, if that. Here’s the kicker though. Football is Evenstad’s favorite sport to watch, and it looks like the Husker All-America gymnast just might end up living in Nebraska, along with her parents, who are strongly considering moving from Grand Forks, N.D., to Lincoln when they retire.

In her short speech to fellow graduates Saturday, Evenstad thanked God, her parents, Chance Unger, her family, Tom Osborne, Shawn Eichorst, her coaches and teammates and NU’s incomparable staff support in Life Skills, Academics and Compliance. She congratulated all student-athletes who embraced Nebraska’s holistic approach to academics, athletics and life and then went on to describe her Nebraska Experience and the impact it has on the promising future she has systematically carved out.

Evenstad will marry Chance Unger, a former Nebraska student athletic trainer, in August. While she works to become a registered dietician, he will begin his University of Nebraska Medical Center journey in Omaha to become a doctor. Evenstad may be tiny, but she dreams big, competes big and delivers big. The Grand Forks, N.D., native has the same passion for Nebraska as Darin Erstad, a Jamestown, N.D., native who fell in love with Lincoln and moved back after spending 14 years in Major League Baseball. Erstad, of course, is now Nebraska’s head baseball coach.

Evenstad’s Parents Never Missed a Competition

“I love Nebraska,” said Evenstad, who can’t wait to apply her passion for nutrition and wellness in one of the state’s two largest cities. In Saturday’s speech, Evenstad pointed out how her parents, Dean and Vicky, never missed seeing her compete from 7-years-old through her final competition as a Husker – more than 200 meets in all.

“We have a map at home with pins stuck where we’ve watched Lora compete – from California to Florida and from Washington to Pennsylvania,” Dean said. “We’ve been all over the country, but there was no place like Lincoln.”

Evenstad pointed out how she first dreamed of competing for the Huskers when she was a sixth-grader. She attended Nebraska camps in the summer and competitive meets in the winter. Lora and her parents remember how exciting it was to see Lincoln’s skyline after a 500-mile drive from North Dakota.

“I call Lincoln a mini-metro,” Lora said, “because it has a metropolitan flavor but still feels like the right size of city … smaller and friendlier.”

Her dad agrees. “Vicky and I have grown to love Lincoln,” he said. “Our goal is to retire here. It’s an unbelievable city … a very progressive city. We’ve always liked it.”

For Evenstad, Life at Nebraska More than Winning

As much as Lora grew up loving Nebraska, she was encouraged to take recruiting visits so she could compare Nebraska with other top-tier gymnastics programs. She had all kinds of options and ended up taking official visits to NCAA powers Michigan, Nebraska and Utah and also checked out Oklahoma, Arkansas, Iowa State and North Carolina State.

“We never took it for granted that Lora was going to come here,” Nebraska Head Women’s Gymnastics Coach Dan Kendig said after listening to Evenstad’s speech on Saturday. “I think the more she looked around, the more it confirmed what she had felt all along. She knew what she wanted to do. She knew how to do it, and she knew how to get others to help get it done. Faith played such a big role in her life as a student and an athlete. She’s one of the most talented young ladies we’ve ever had here. She led us to the last Big 12 championship and the first Big Ten championship in back-to-back years.”

In her speech, Evenstad talked about her recruitment and how “Tom Osborne blew me away” with the dramatic transformation of Nebraska’s gymnastics facilities. “We went from tin lockers, magnetic shelves and bean bag chairs to 2,000 more square feet of training space that included carpet, a lounge, TVs and TiVos,” she said. “It definitely takes the recruiting game up a few notches. We’re right there with anybody on a national basis and our student-life complex is the best in the country. We’ve always been a great program, but it just keeps getting better every year. I expect great things.”

Evenstad takes one more chapter out of Osborne’s book. “Competing at Nebraska is about so much more than winning,” she told her fellow graduates. “For me, it became an opportunity to impact the community and prepare for the future. Having the opportunity to be a student-athlete at Nebraska was such an honor and is so much more than becoming a national champion, winning conference titles or being named an All-American. It’s an opportunity to impact others, and each step of the journey has definitely prepared me for life after gymnastics.”

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May 2013 Nebraska Women Student-Athlete Graduates

Evenstad, Lora (Women’s Gym) - Grand Forks, N.D. (Dietetics/Nutrition, Exercise & Health Science)

Furlan, Jessica (Track & Field/Cross Country) - Regina, Saskatchewan (Environmental Studies)

Hagemann, Ashley (Softball) - Elkhorn, Neb.(Elementary Education/Coaching)

Hamik, Erica (Track & Field/Cross Country) - Kearney, Neb. (Nutrition Science)

Harmon, Kailey (Swimming & Diving) - Bothell, Wash. (Nutrition, Exercise & Health Science)

Hubl, Paige (Volleyball) - Lincoln, Neb. (Business Administration)

Keiser, Katie (Women’s Golf) - Gothenburg, Neb. (Sociology)

Kim, Joyce (Rifle) - Gilbert, Ariz. (Textiles, Merchandising & Fashion Design)

Larson, Kelsey (Swimming & Diving) - Newport Beach, Calif. (Biochemistry)

Mickelson, Kristi (Bowling) - Bellevue, Neb. (Criminology & Criminal Justice/Psychology)

Moore, Lindsey (Women’s Basketball) - Covington, Wash. (Communication Studies)

McNeal, Allison (Volleyball) - Schulenberg, Texas (Elementary Education)

Southworth, Megan (Softball) - Papillion, Neb. (Speech-Language Pathology)

Weinreich, Janine (Women’s Tennis) - Tespe, Germany (Marketing/International Business)

Weinstein, Stefanie (Women’s Tennis) - Much, Germany (Business Administration)

White, Katie (Track & Field/Cross Country) - Broken Bow, Neb. (Nutrition Science)

Woltersdorf, Katelyn (Rifle) - Battle Ground, Wash. (Art)

Workman, Haley (Softball) - Easley, S.C. (Psychology)

Wright, Kirby (Softball) - Cortlandt Manor, N.Y. (Marketing)

Husker offensive lineman Jeremiah Sirles received his diploma Saturday from Donde Plowman, Dean of Nebraska’s College of Business Administration.

By Randy York

Jeremiah Sirles would be a model commencement speaker, but Nebraska’s second-team All-Big Ten offensive lineman settled for something he considers more intimately important and meaningful memorable. The 6-6, 310-pound Lakewood, Colorado, native who still dreams of winning a Big Ten and national football championship this fall, represented 37 Nebraska senior male graduates Saturday afternoon in an Athletic Department reception on the third floor of Memorial Stadium. In his short speech, Sirles, a Management major, covered the emotion, passion and sense of self worth Husker student-athletes feel when they reach the finish line of their academic and athletic journeys.

“I want to thank (Nebraska Senior Associate AD) Dennis Leblanc and everyone in Academics for allowing me to get up here and speak on behalf of the male athletes in the class of 2013,” Sirles said. “There are so many people that have helped me become the man that stands here today. My parents have supported me since I first put on a helmet and looked like one of those little bobble heads out there running around. Nebraska instilled a work ethic in me that truly showed me that I am a student before an athlete. I thank Coach (Bo) Pelini and his entire staff for giving me the great opportunity to come here and become a part of the Husker family, and I thank my teammates for making my experience here one that I will never forget, both on the field and off the field.

“Most of us here probably remember the long hot walks from Selleck Quad to workouts in the mornings, or the cold dark winter walks to workouts at 6 a.m., or the countless number of times we’ve made the walk from the parking lots to class and back just to wake up and repeat five days a week,” Sirles said, pointing out how every football player listened to fellow classmates talk about how tired they were in a 9:30 a.m. class. “I remember looking at them and thinking how I’ve been up for about four hours, just like every football player,” he said. “But we keep it to ourselves knowing that’s just what we do.”

They Say You’re Tired; They Mean You Look Awful

Sirles said his all-time favorite memory of Nebraska was people looking at him and saying: “You look tired. Are you okay?” He remembers thinking what they really wanted to say was: “You look awful. What happened?”

“Little do they know that my weight-lifting session ran long, and I had to sprint to class so that’s why I look a little tired,” Sirles said. “We all have our own personal little memories that make this place special for each one of us, and that’s mine.”

Sirles’ fellow graduates who had received their diplomas before the athletic department luncheon all laughed because they could all relate. Describing his years at Nebraska as “full of ups and downs and good times and hard times,” Sirles said: “All of these experiences have shaped us to go out into the world and excel in everything that we do. As athletes, we’ve overcome things in college that other students haven’t even dreamed of. We know what it means to balance a schedule and how to have our priorities in order. Because if we didn’t, let’s face it. None of us would be sitting here today with a diploma in hand.

“So I say congratulations to everyone! We’ve made it!” Sirles said. “We’ve withstood the test that the Big Red has thrown at us, and we’ve won and become part of a legacy that will forever follow us in our journeys. As they say: ‘Once a Husker, always a Husker!’”

(Sunday’s blog will feature 2013 spring NU women student-athlete graduates and their athletic department speaker, gymnast Lora Evenstad)

37 Nebraska Male Student-Athlete Spring Graduates

Almeida, Andre (Men’s Basketball) - Sao Paulo, Brazil (Ethnic Studies/Sociology)

Ankrah, Jason (Football) - Gaithersburg, Md. (Child, Youth & Family Studies)

Aumueller, Christopher (Men’s Tennis) - Bayreuth, Germany (Economics/Marketing)

Blatchford, Justin (Football) - Ponca, Neb. (Nutrition, Exercise & Health Science)

Barrefors, Bjorn (Track & Field) - Stockholm, Sweden (Computer Science)

Christensen, Chad (Baseball) - Cedar Rapids, Iowa (Finance)

Coffey, Jesse (Football) - Denton, Texas (Civil Engineering)

Dean, Jase (Football) - Bridgeport, Neb. (Fisheries & Wildlife)

Fisher, Sean (Football) - Omaha, Neb. (Business Administration)

Fox, Mike (Men’s Basketball) - Beatrice, Neb. (Mathematics Education)

Gillick, Kevin (Men’s Golf) - Lincoln, Neb. (Finance)

Grande, Ross (Wrestling) - Palatine, Ill.(Dietetics/Nutrition, Exercise & Health Science)

Grieb, Brett (Track & Field/Cross Country) - York, Neb. (Biological Sciences)

Hirsch, Zach (Baseball) - St. Charles, Ill. (Finance)

Ingram, Cole (Track & Field) - Lincoln, Neb. (Criminology & Criminal Justice)

Jean-Baptiste, Stanley (Football) - Miami, Fla. (Sociology)

Johnston, Dan (Baseball) - Papillion, Neb. (Business Education/Cooperative Education)

Kiley, Ridge (Wrestling) - Eagle Grove, Iowa (Marketing)

Killeen, Michael (Men’s Gymnastics) - Olathe, Kan. (Landscape Architecture)

Klinginsmith, Michael (Wrestling) - Kearney, Neb. (Biological Sciences)

Koehn, Tyler (Wrestling) - (Pittsburg, Kan.) - (Business Administration)

Mangieri, P.J. (Football) - Peoria, Ill. (Business Administration)

Niemann, Christopher (Men’s Basketball) - Kuhlungsborn, Germany (Computer Engineering/Computer Science)

Onwiler, Tim (Track & Field) - Panama, Neb. (Fisheries & Wildlife)

Osborne, Steven (Football) - Garland, Texas (Economics)

Phipps, Chris (Track & Field) - Patterson, N.J. (Psychology)

Polacek, Nate (Track & Field) - Kearney, Neb. (English Education)

Qvale, Brent (Football) - Williston, N.D. (Nutrition, Exercise & Health Science)

Reinertson, Jordan (Men’s Golf) - Gibbon, Neb. (Finance)

Shapland, Taylor (Men’s Track & Field) - Waterloo, Neb. (Construction Management)

Sirles, Jeremiah (Football) - Lakewood, Colo. (Management)

Stucky, Sam (Baseball) - McPherson, Kan. (Agricultural Economics)

Sutterfield, Erik (Track & Field) - Highlands Ranch, Colo. (Psychology)

Ubel, Brandon (Men’s Basketball) - Overland Park, Kan. (Broadcasting)

Videtich, Brandon (Men’s Tennis) - Lincoln, Neb. (Business Administration)

Walford, Teran (Track & Field) - York, Neb. (Nutrition Science)

Zimmerman, Austin (Men’s Golf) - Lincoln, Neb. (Accounting)

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Nebraska’s new downtown basketball arena is now sold out for the men.

Pinnacle Bank Arena Waitlist Has Started

By Randy York

Lane Grindle had the tweet of the day Friday when he heard a sold out sign is needed six months before Nebraska plays its first basketball game at Pinnacle Bank Area. 

How many schools in America have a wait list for season tickets in Football, Volleyball & Men’s Basketball? Husker fans are unreal!

— Lane Grindle (@lanegrindle)

May 3, 2013

Grindle, one of the voices on Husker football and baseball, makes a compelling point.

Football has been sold out for an NCAA record 50 consecutive years, but will have 6,000-plus new seats this fall with the East Stadium Expansion Project increases Memorial Stadium capacity to 92,000-plus.

Volleyball has been sold out for 12 consecutive years – the longest sellout streak in the history of NCAA women’s sports. The Huskers will increase their venue capacity by 3,000-plus this fall when they move into a renovated Devaney Center.

The real shocker in this triple crown sellout achievement is men’s basketball joining those two legendary Nebraska programs. The Huskers have sold out their new 15,000-plus seat home in the downtown West Haymarket Area.

“I truly am surprised that we sold out the arena this quickly,” Nebraska Coach Tim Miles told me early Friday evening. “I think we’re blessed with tremendous fans. I think they want to see a winner, and I think they’re excited about their new surroundings.”

Miles Asks Fans to Show Up, Stand Up and Shout

As excited as he was, Miles reminds everyone he wants more than just a sold out sign to keep Husker fans motivated. “I want everybody to show up. I want everybody to stand up, and I want everybody to shout at the top of their lungs when they get inside the arena.

“This is just the first step in a whole bunch of steps that we need to be a championship-level type team. That’s the goal,” Miles emphasized. “Selling out is very important in my book, but it’s just part of getting the wheels to turn up on that hill that we will all start climbing together.”

Selling out a season for the first time in Nebraska basketball history “is a great thing for our program,” Miles said. “It says a lot about our fans. It says a lot about the excitement of Pinnacle Bank Arena. It’s a positive sign for everyone associated with our basketball program. I give a lot of credit to our administration for making tickets affordable, so people can get inside that building and become an important part of the experience.”

Fans Make Their Statement with a Sold Out Sign

Marc Boehm, Nebraska’s executive associate athletic director in charge of basketball, said NU’s administrative team set an aggressive goal of selling 11,000 season tickets for the Huskers’ first year in the arena. “This is a great statement for our fans,” Boehm said. “But it’s also a testament to our people who have worked hard behind the scenes to make all this happen.”

Nebraska’s Marketing, Ticket Office, Husker Athletic Fund and Media Relations teams worked closely together to pull off a preseason upset. “I have to say our social media played a big part in this success, too,” Boehm said. “Tim’s one of the best and most creative coaches in the country. He knows how to communicate just like he knows how to coach. It’s going to be a lot of fun filling that place up. It’s a new era, and there’s a lot of excitement that comes with it.”

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Strength Coach James Dobson is always looking for ways to improve the team.

Cross Training: Imani is a Natural Leader

The Program Video: Unique Highlight Reel

Huskers Give Marine the Michigan Game Ball

By Randy York

“The Program” has pulled off something difficult to accomplish – worked its way into the Nebraska football vocabulary. The two-word catch phrase has become a four-minute video that showcases the Huskers’ high-level off-season challenges. James Dobson, Nebraska’s head strength coach, oversees Nebraska’s relationship with the Boston-based training experts.

Eric Kapitulik (pronounced Kappa-too-lick), the founder and CEO of The Program, is so immersed in helping Nebraska develop a combat-like mindset that he has the full endorsement of Bo Pelini. Nebraska’s sixth-year head coach paid The Program his ultimate tribute last fall when he presented Kapitulik the game ball after the Huskers stopped Michigan in its tracks, 23-9, in Lincoln. Earlier in the week, the N-Sider asked Dobson for an update on The Program and a broader view of Nebraska’s involvement with Kapitulik and his dynamic organization.

Q-1: In a nutshell, what is The Program?

A: For our players and our team, The Program is another way to develop leadership through shared adversity. The Program had the same message as last year but they presented it in a different way. Hopefully, the change in presentation got the message across to guys that didn’t get it the first time around and reinforced it to those who did get it.

Q-2: Who benefits most – the older guys or the younger guys?

A: Both benefit.  Anytime you can bring in legitimate people from the outside with a different approach to things everyone can benefit from that. The older guys have been through this process once and will get reinforcement about The Program’s message and the young guys will get that message for the first time. We all benefit from facing the adversity that The Program presents.  

Q-3: How good is the U.S. Military?                                              

A:  They’re great! I have a tremendous amount of respect for our armed forces. They are the best and the most successful armed force in the world. They have legitimacy the minute they walk in the door. They’ve had to cope with every stressful thing you can imagine. They can do things that normal people can’t do. We take more from their message than just how you can be a better player. It will make you a better person.

Q-4: Why is it so hard to be a good teammate these days?

A: I believe we live in a very selfish world for the most part and being a good teammate means that you have to be very selfless. It is hard to be selfless in times of adversity. It is at these times when a good teammate truly worries about the guy next to him and not himself. The Program stresses the importance of this. Their code of honor addresses the team higher than themselves. That’s the essence of The Program … team first in every case.

Q-5: After losing an early conference road game in 2012, Coach Pelini said his team had to win the next six, and he was going to do everything possible to make that happen. Was The Program imbedded in that?

A: You would have to ask Coach Bo. I wouldn’t be surprised that The Program’s message had some influence but Coach Bo has always had and continues to have high expectations for this team academically, athletically, and socially. Coach Bo has always challenged the team and the staff to meet those expectations. Coach has promoted and nurtured this environment since I’ve been a part of his staff. I don’t think anyone in this football program would have it any other way.

Q-6: I know you prefer not to name names, but some leaders from last week’s training have to move to the front of your mind. Even at the risk of missing some, can you throw out a few names for some quick kudos?

A: The Program is about the “Team”. The team did well with the training, and I am positive that the team will produce leaders that we can all be very proud of.

Q-7: What does “It’s not about me” really mean?

A: To me, it means that every day you need to be a good teammate. It’s about the guy next to you and not yourself. To be a good teammate, you have to set high expectations and hold each other accountable to meet those expectations. In order to do this, trust becomes very important. The minute you start to trust each other, you’re on your way to become a better team.

Q-8: Kenny Bell emerged last year as a team leader. Is he still leading?

A: Yes. I think that Kenny has his own type of leadership skills that he applies with his teammates. I believe he would be the first to say that The Program has helped him with these skills and how he can be a good teammate.

Q-9: The sign on your wall quotes Dan Gable, the Olympic wrestling icon. It says: “They have options. You don’t.” What does that mean?

A: It means if you want to become a champion, you have no options.Period.

Q-10: Last question. How would you describe Bo’s take on The Program?

A: You would need to ask Bo about that one, but I know that Bo would not put people in front of this team that he didn’t believe in. I believe Bo wants to develop the guys on this team to be great men and set them up for a successful life, and I think that The Program has a message that will help in that pursuit.

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