TO not about to give himself a TO as Nebraska AD

A Christmas present arrived on June 10, 2009, for Nebraska football fans. Well, Nebraska athletic fans. How is that possible might you ask?

Well, the Huskers didn’t win a National championship. Getting rid of Steve Pederson and his sorry Kool-Aid sipping ass on October, 15, 2007, sure felt like. Appointing legendary Husker football coach Tom Osborne as his replacement felt like an early Santa Claus arrival. In fact, it made me believe in Santa Claus again. The 72-year old Osborne signed a contract set to expire in October 2010. As of Wednesday, Osborne has agreed to stay “indefinitely” in his role.

Now, NU chancellor Harvey Perlman and Osborne will explore his status year-to-year.

"Tom originally agreed to come in temporarily and get the department moving in the right direction,” Perlman said. “He clearly accomplished that. I believe he now feels comfortable serving on an ongoing basis and I certainly feel comfortable having him do so.

“I am delighted that Tom has agreed to stay in harness for an indefinite period. The department faces some real challenges and opportunities as we move forward and Tom brings a breadth of experience that can serve the university well.”

Said Osborne: "I want to thank Chancellor Perlman for the opportunity to serve as athletic director for a period of time that we both feel comfortable with. I enjoy working with student-athletes, coaches, and other athletic department personnel and hope that together we can serve the people of Nebraska and the university well."

When Nebraska does choose a new athletic director, Perlman and Osborne agreed, it will be via search committee, and while Osborne would have significant input, he wouldn’t necessarily be hand-picking his successor.

Since former Nebraska linebacker Trev Alberts took the job at UNO, it has been speculated he’s the AD-in-waiting. Other Husker greats such as Dave Rimington and Ed Stewart have had their names mentioned as eventual replacements for Osborne. However, I think it would be foolish to dismiss Jeff Jamrog as a legit candidate. Jamrog is the Assistant Athletic Director for Football Operations. Don’t underestimate Jamrog. For one, he’s in house and acts like he genuinely wants to be there.

In a blog entry earlier this offseason, http://napavince.blogspot.com/2009/04/finding-osbornes-successor-as-ad.html, yours truly stated the importance of finding an eventual replacement for Osborne so as not to experience the Pederson debacle again. I still think picking the right guy is important. Going through the Pederson experiment was cruel and unusual punishment. Oh well, he’s your problem now, Pittsburgh.

Osborne does not have a specific time frame as far as how long he wishes to continue in his role. However, Osborne added he'd like to see the completion of the Student Life Center, which he expected to take a little more than a year to finish. He'd also like to see through any basketball facility upgrades, which he expected to probably, take a little bit more than two years.

So how much longer can we realistically expect Osborne to remain in the Captain’s Chair? I’d say at least five years. He is in good health so why not stay a few years longer than expected? Plus, he has given a lot to the University as an assistant coach and coach and to the state as a politician.

Osborne, however, represents Nebraska. And we’re not just talking a simple “N” on the side of the helmets. He represents common sense. Why buy a brand new Lexus every year when a 2005 Toyota Four-Runner or 2005 Chevy Impala will do just fine?

While Pederson was running the program afoul, yes he left it in good financial shape but the moral within the building and among the fan base was fractured.

What does it mean for Husker football?

It could mean a potential dynasty is now in place with Coach Osborne as A.D and Bo Pelini as head coach. As long as this combination remains, football will once again become a storied tradition at Nebraska. This is the best news we could ever receive. Infact, the whole athletic program will benefit from the indefinite retention of Coach Osborne.

I can not express how thrilled I am that Osborne will be the AD at NU for quite some time. What a breath of fresh air compared to the previous AD – make that SOB.