dailu nobrasbon s
Devaney
eyes third
national
title
by Gary Seacrest
A late night plane had just brought
Bob Devaney, the nation's winningest
college football coach, home from
Florida and the American Football
Coaches Association's annual convention.
Flanked by well-wishers, he appeared
exhausted and troubled from the trip.
For in Florida, not only was Devaney
bypassed again as coach of the year by
his fellow coaches, but more important
he admitted he was thinking of retiring
after 10 incredibly successful years as
head football coach at Nebraska.
The outcry from the state over
Devaney's possible retirement was quick.
It was not easy for the football crazy
state to comtemplate the retirement of
the man who had put Nebraska on the
map through his winning football teams.
Gov. J. J. Exon and NU President D. B.
Varner both encouraged the 56-year-old
Devaney to continue as coach for at least
one more season. Devaney was also
flooded by letters from admiring fans
urging him to stay on as head coach.
One letter from Columbus read: "We
hope and pray that you'll continue as our
One and Only Coach of the Year, year
after year." A Omaha fan wrote another
typical letter: "I want to personally
thank you for giving our state some pride
in itself for the first time. You are No. 1
in the hearts of all Nebraska."
Devaney didn't disappoint the fans.
Last Monday, in announcing he would
remain as head coach for one more season
before retiring to become full-time
athletic director, Devaney said the
ordinary fan influenced his decision as
much as anyone.
But there were other factors that
influenced his decision. "One of the
factors was that I had made commitments
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to some of the players when we were
recruiting them," he said. "Another
factor was the challenge of trying to win
a third consecutive national
championship."
Like a king leaving his throne, the head
coach named his heir. Devaney said he
would recommend that 34-year-old Tom
Osborne, a member of his staff since
1962, replace him as head coach.
During the decade that Devaney has
been at Nebraska he has compiled an
amazing record of 92 wins, 18 losses and
one tie. His teams won consecutive
national championships in 1970 and 1971
and haven't been beaten in their last 32
games.
Sitting in the "Big Red" leather chair
that adorns his office, Devaney recently
discussed why he wants to retire after the
1972 season.
"I'm sure I'll miss coaching," he said.
"But I would like to quit before they tell
me to."
Another reason for his upcoming
retirement is a desire to help upgrade all
sports at Nebraska as a full-time athletic
director.
"I feel that although I like to coach,
I've got much to do as athletic director. I
would like to follow up on the fieldhouse
project and other parts of the athletic
program that need more emphasis."
Gymnastics coach Francis Allen is one
minor sport coach who is looking forward
to Devaney becoming full-time athletic
director. "I hate to see Devaney retire as
football coach," Allen said, "But onoe he
becomes fjll-time athletic director the
minor sports will move, because he's a
winner."
Devaney certainly demonstrated that
he is a winner during the 1971 football
season as his team went undefeated in 13
games, climaxing their record-breaking
season with a devatating 38-6 Orange
Bowl victory over previously undefeated
Alabama.
In winning their second straight
national championship, Nebraska
accomplished "the modest stunt of taking
Bear Bryant and Alabama and making
them look like your neighborhood Texas
A&M with a little dash of Oklahoma
State thrown in," according to a Sports
Illustrated writer.
One Orange Bowl committeeman,
noting that the Cornhuskers will return
11 starter for next season and may be
well-stocked for the next few years,
remarked, "We might as well sign a
five-year t tract with them. . . they're
going to I mighty strong for a long
time."
Even Devaney, a noted pre season
pessimist, admitted that his 1972 squad
should be "sound," which spells trouble
for opponents. But he cautioned against
over-optimism:
"That we can win a third straight
national championship is improbable, but
not impossible. No one has ever done
that, but I'd like to be a part of trying to
accomplish it."
i mm
y
' It's time again for students
to put on their dirty sneakers
and head out to the basketball
courts for the continuation of
the men's intramural basketball
season. The action gets back
into full swing this week with
the first games scheduled for
Tuesday.
Coordinator of Intramurals,
Phil Sienna will conduct a
referee clinic for all the old and
any new referees at 6:30 p.m.
tonight at University High.
Anybody who is interested in
refereeing intramural
basketball games this season is
urged to attend this clinic to
learn procedures and study
films.
Sienna would also like all
team managers to check their
mail boxes in his office for
basketball schedules.
Nebraska Assistant Coach
Mike Corgan and Sports
Information Director Don
Bryant substituted for Devaney
at two different sites Saturday
night where Devaney was
honored as coach of the year.
Corgan accepted the award
for Devaney at the Washington
Touchdown Club banquet in
Washington, D.C. In addition,
Nebraska's All American
defensive tackle Larry
Jacobson was honored by the
Touchdown Club as College
Lineman of the Year.
Bryant accepted coach of
the year honors for Devaney at
the Walter Camp Dinner in
New Haven, Conn, where
Nebraska players Johnny
Rodgers, Willie Harper and
Rich Glover were also honored
as members of the Walter
Camp Ail-American team.
Devaney was unable to
attend the two functions
because of a prior commitment
to participate in a coaching
clinic in California.
The Cornhusker swimming
team was routed by Kansas and
Missouri in a triangular meet in
Lawrence, Kan., Saturday.
The Jayhawks won all the
events, defeating the Huskers
95-18. Missouri beat the
Nebraskans 81-32, but lost to
Kansas in their dual.
. The Nebraska swimmers are
now 1-2 for the season.
Ill
Wh
en youYe out of Schlitz, you're out of beer.
Calvert-Beyer Dist. Co. 800 S Street Lincoln. Nebraska
PAGE 12
THE DAILY IMEBRAS KAN
MONDAY, JANUARY 24, 1972
