How refreshing is it that a decision was (apparently, anyway) made by an administrator at a large university based on the feelings, well-being, and futures of actual people. He listened to those who said that (according to an article in the LJS this morning) SP lead by fear, intimidation, and secrecy, and got rid of him. Money, buildings, and other corporate whore bait was put on the back-burner and a decision was made based on how he adversely affected the most valuable resource: people.
Especially due to the fallout that you may have created for yourself in regards to a dismissal right after a contract extension and the loss of millions, I say congrats on your fortitude, Mr. Pearlman!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: SlvrHwk,

Good post.

Football was the catalyst for SP's firing, but not the main issue.

SlvrHwk... Yours is a good post with good thoughts, and we all would like to believe what was said...

I am not a Husker fan, by any stretch of the imagination... My loyalties lie within the Big (Eleven) Ten.

However, we live in a real world, with real issues and sad, but true, the bottom line is all that matters, even in college athletics. So, when the chancellor based the decision on the feelings of actual people, my guess is that he strategically withheld the fact that those people were donors, trustees and other disgruntled fans who pump a great deal of money into UNL.

The corporate whore bait was there, we just didn't hear about it.

"Corporate whore bait"??? I gotta write that one down...

Great move by Perlman to bring Osborne in as interim AD. Brings instant credibility and quality leadership to the department, something that was sorely lacking with Pederson.

It will be interesting to see what he does with Callahan and Co. after the season.

Well NWI, I think the sell out streak is a little safer with TO heading the Athletic Dept.

Maybe your daughter will get that chance!

Anarchist-
Can't say I totally disagree. I will say that many of those people were disgruntled because of gross mismanagement by SP, which I'd like to think played a huge role in HP's decision--I know, money was more than likely an issue.

What kind of an A.D. invites a NC team for a reunion, then puts them in folding chairs behind the team bench? What kind of AD puts Vince Ferragamo in row 98? What kind of AD lies about not being in Arkansas, when there are pictures of him there?

On another note, and I might be reading too far into this, but did anyone catch T.O.'s comment regarding BC's job status:
"He still has five games left." Not, this season, not to prove himself, five games. Period.

How about Callahan's response toward whoever the athletic director might be? This guy really doesn't have a lot of respect for Husker tradition, does he?

No, he doesn't. Why T.O. never did have an office in the Tom Osborne Complex is absolutely beyond me. I suppose that had a lot to do with S.P. He should have learned from what Oklahoma did to embrace History.

Jason Peter brought up an interesting point on "The Spread." When you have a team full of Jucos, you get people that will only play there for two years. What can they possibly learn about the tradition of NU football/athletics? Aside from Zach Taylor, who knew because his dad played for OU, I don't see how they can foster (among Juco players) the type of culture that understands the sacrifices other teams went through to give the current players what they have in terms of a name, facilities, etc.

I do agree with BC, however, when he reminds us all of the fact that these coaches are human, they make mistakes, they have families. Kevin Cosgrove's son is a junior here at LSW, and I guess (I wasn't there, but heard from a teacher who was) there were a bunch of fans who chanted "Fire Cosgrove." I guess it destroyed Connor, so I see where BC is coming from. Despite that unfortunate event, things need to, and will change.

Five short weeks, and this will all be over.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Red Rocker,

Actually, it's six (week off between KSU and CU)...but it will be over before we know it.

I think the thing we need to do, as Husker fans, is take a step back and look at the big picture. I said this 10 years ago during the last national title run, but what I thought we needed back then was to experience some of what we're going through right now.

We have become so demanding and so fickle when it comes to Husker football that we seem to forget what it's like to be on the bottom looking up as we are now. We've become so accustomed to being among the best that it's driving us insane to deal with the crappy football we're seeing these days.

Can you remember the days when the Huskers were the whipping boy of the Big Six/Seven/Eight? Unless you're T.K., Frank Ryan or somebody in the AARP crowd, the answer to that is no, because you weren't even AROUND when the Huskers were this horrid. Remember, Bob Devaney showed up in 1962 after we had endured five seasons of Bill Jennings as coach, and he was arguably possibly the worst coach in Nebraska history (MUCH worse than Callahan, in case you're wondering...at least B.C. has a winning record in his four years here).

In fact, from about 1943 to 1961, the Huskers were losers much more often than they were winners. In 1943, three teams scored 40 or more in a game against Nebraska, something that didn't happen again until earlier this season. We had a seven-game losing streak (under Jennings) and, with a couple of rare exceptions, played our final game of the year in November, usually a good beat-down by Oklahoma.

I'm very optimistic that Osborne will do what is needed to get the football program turned around. If that means firing B.C. and his staff, then it will happen. Hopefully he can hire a Bob Stoops-like individual who is a talented coach, knows how to recruit, and embraces the history and the culture that is Nebraska football.

If that happens, the Huskers will -- like Oklahoma in 2000 -- be back on top and we'll all be happy again. Hopefully, though, we will all have a newfound appreciation for what it took for Devaney, Osborne and Solich to build and maintain what we know as Husker Football.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by NWI:

Can you remember the days when the Huskers were the whipping boy of the Big Six/Seven/Eight? Unless you're T.K., Frank Ryan or somebody in the AARP crowd, the answer to that is no, because you weren't even AROUND when the Huskers were this horrid. (Quote)

In 1956 our high school football made the trek from Corning, IA to Lincoln to see the Huskers play Oklahoma. We paid $0.50 to sit in the knothole section, which was the grassly slope off to the side of the bleachers that were set up in the south end zone. At the end of the first quarter we moved into the empty seats on the east side. We were about 20 rows up on the 35 yard line. At halftime many of the "fans" were tired of watching the OU halfbacks in the split T, Tommy Mc Donald and Clendon Thomas, race up and down the field. So they abandoned their 50 yard line seats and we moved again and claimed squatter's rights. If only I had seen what was coming 10-15 years later and bought season tickets for those seats.

McDonald made all of the All American teams that year and Thomas made a few. Their other All American was their center, Jerry Tubbs. He was a huge man for that time, about 6'1", 220 lbs. I couldn't believe it the first time I saw him pull and lead the sweep.

The biggest change in college athletics in those 50+ years is the position of Athletic Director. In those days 99% of AD's were former or current coaches. Their main function was to shake hands and to smooze the fans and donors, ala Bob Devanney. Then big TV contracts changed all of that. And a new breed of MBA/CEO types began to take over the position. Most of them have never straddled a jock but they know how to negotiate the TV deals, shoe contracts, and all of the other horse pucky that goes with the position. Unfortunately they have forgotten the athletes and loyal fans. Can you imagine the reaction if a 3 piece suit from a TV network had told a coach/AD like Bud Wilkinson, Frank Broyles, or Darrell Royal to move a game to 11:00 AM or Thursday night. They would have pulled out the Bible and showed him where it says football will be played on Saturday afternoon. Rockne 12:6-10.

If I'm not mistaken (and I usually am mistaken) Barry Alvarez is the last person to be a head coach and AD at the same time in a DI school. And he's probably one of 10-12 current AD's who can tell a jockstrap from a nose guard.

"They would have pulled out the Bible and showed him where it says football will be played on Saturday afternoon. Rockne 12:6-10."

Is that in the New or Old Testament??? I know somewhere in Genesis it says, "And on the eighth day, God created the Nebraska Cornhuskers. And he saw that it was good..." -- can't quote chapter and verse on that one, but I know it's there somewhere...