In the
wake of Tom Osborne announcing his retirement as University of Nebraska
athletic director, the speculation of who will be Osborne’s replacement has
begun in earnest.
You might
replace Osborne in body but his impact and legacy will never be replaced. As a
head coach from 1973-1997, Osborne compiled a 255-49-3 overall record, piloting
Nebraska to three National championships. As an athletic director from
2007-present, he restored trust and order to a fractured fan base, oversaw
various facility upgrades and steered Nebraska’s move into a more stable
conference, the Big Ten. While the conference has taken its hits because of the
mediocrity on the field, it does have more stability and reverence for
tradition than the Big 12.
University
Chancellor Harvey Pearlman has said that he will go on a “national search” to
find Osborne’s replacement. That statement is significant because there are
three people within the athletic department, Jeff Jamrog (assistant athletic
director for football), Paul Myers (associate athletic director of
development), and Jamie Williams (associate athletic director of leadership and
diversity initiatives) that are also believed to be potential successors to
Osborne.
Jamrog is
a former walk on (three year letter winner) that compiled 66 tackles, 13 for a
loss and eight sacks as a senior. Myers has a sentimental favorite notion in
him. It was Meyers’ brief departure from the
department in October that added a significant subplot to the Steve Pederson
saga, and it was his return only four weeks later that was met with jubilance
by some major donors. Now, some of those contributors are in tune that Meyers
would be a fine choice to follow Osborne as Nebraska’s AD.
Williams
is a former Husker tight end who also spent 11 seasons in the NFL, one of which
he contributed to the San Francisco 49ers Super Bowl championship team in 1989.
The Omaha World Herald theorized various other potential
possibilities. There’s Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione, who has
always expressed a fondness for Nebraska and Osborne. Perhaps going to the Big
Ten and washing his hands of Texas politics will be an appealing motivator.
There is also Iowa State AD Jamie Pollard, who even though he
operates on a limited budget has made some good coaching hires. He also has Big
Ten ties, having been deputy athletic director for three years at Wisconsin.
There is also Arkansas AD Jeff Long,
who was also previously an associate D at Michigan. Long has had to calm some
rocky seas at Arkansas, most notably the troubled behavior of former head coach
Bobby Petrino.
There is also former Arizona AD Greg
Byrne, who is the son of former Nebraska AD Bill Byrne. The younger Byrne is
considered to have rising stock in the Pac 12 as well as nationally. However,
the name carries baggage with Nebraska fans. While Bill Byrne’s legacy is more
appreciate now after Husker fans endured Pederson, Byrne was also a polarizing
figure in his own right.
There is also Louisville AD Tom
Jurich, who has had a solid 15-year run with the Cardinals but maybe he is
ready for a career move considering the murky future of the Big East.
There is also Florida State AD Randy Spetman, who is a native of
Council Bluffs, Iowa. Spetman has become widely respected but considering the
acrimonious departure of legendary coach Bobby Bowden, Spetman has made enemies
in Tallahassee.
University of Nebraska-Omaha AD Trev
Alberts might be a possibility. Though Huskers fans have fond memories of him
as an All-American linebacker, he has drawn a lot of criticism for his role in
UN dropping football and wrestling. Even though those decisions were made at a
higher level that perception will be hard for Alberts to overcome.
Based on past experience, Osborne will push for the
in-house candidate like he did in hand-picking Frank Solich to be his successor.
Osborne also gave a Pederson a strong recommendation as AD. When Osborne he
replaced the deposed Pederson in 2007, he dismissed Bill Callahan at the end of
the season as football head coach and hired then former Husker defensive
coordinator Bo Pelini. When Osborne dismissed Mike Anderson as Husker baseball
coach, he hired Nebraska legend Darin Erstad. The only head coaching hire
Osborne made that did not involve Nebraska ties was Tim Miles as men’s
basketball head coach to replace Doc Sadler.
Pearlman might be publically saying he will conduct a
national search but you can bet Osborne will strongly recommend Jamrog, Meyers
or Williams. I just
don’t see Dr. Tom handing the keys to his Rolls Royce to somebody without
spending a lot of time with the person first.
However,
national searches or in-house hires come with no guarantees and before anyone
rants about “keeping it in the family,” just remember that after Bill Byrne
left as Nebraska athletic director in 2002 for Texas A&M, many Nebraskans
viewed Pederson as the ideal hire. Pederson had 2 ½ years of experience as
Nebraska’s Associate Athletic Director as well as Director of Football
Operations. Plus, he was a North Platte, Neb., native.
At the
time, the hire made sense but would have known that five years later he would
become the most loathed man in the state. If anything, he made Nebraskans long
for the Byrne era.
It’s just
so hard to tell what you’re getting, as everything seemed to point in the right
direction for us, but just happened to be in the wrong direction. I’m no
Pederson fan or apologist by any means, but he worked right under our own roof
for so long, yet we didn’t really know the guy as well as we thought.
Most
people will point to Pederson’s firing of Frank Solich and subsequent hiring of
Callahan as the beginning of his demise which is true to a degree but it was
not the ultimate reason why he got fired. Pederson’s management style as it
pertained to those working under him as well as his arrogance with the Husker
fan base was the reason he got fired. Pederson probably would have survived the
Callahan hire if not for his poor management skills.
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