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o easy act
to follow
'Soorne
r7s sror was written in the spring of
J 973 by Steve Strasser. At that time he
was employed by the Daily Nebraskan.
Strasser was awarded a William Randolf
Hearst Scholarship National Award for
the story, which appeared in newtyapers
across the nation. He is now a reporter
for the Miami Herald.
By Steve Strasser
Among the; dark suits of the Methodist
Men's Club, he stands out in a red blazer.
His close-cropped hair is the auburn of an
Irish setter's coat.
His 6-3, 205 pound frame is about the
same build he had 10 years ago as a
professional football player.
you're just not expected
to lose"
This man has a Ph. D. in Educational
Psychology and Measurements, and he
wrote his doctoral dissertation on "The
Fffprts of Instructions on Situational
Anxiety Level and Examination
Performance."
He prefers to be called "Coach. And
now Nebraskans will start calling "The
Coach." because on Jan. 3, 1973, Tom
Osborne inherited the University of
Nebraska football machine from its
creator, Bob Devaney.
It won't be an easy act to follow,
Osborne said. Devaney has built the
University's football program into many
Nebraskan's ideal of success: a force that
turned a mottled prairie state red on
Saturday afternoons in the fall.
Osborne will be expected to continue
the tradition in a state where "you're just
not expected to lose." And at least in the
near future, the shadow of Devaney will
hang over Osborne's every act as head
coach.
"It's going to be difficult to follow
Bob," Osborne says. He's probably the
best in the business, and comparisons are
going to be made." But not by Osborne
just yet: "I can't make a comparison
between us because I've never been a
head coach before."
There are at least superficial
differences between the two men:
Devaney the round faced Irishman in
(jaggy pants will be replaced along the
sidelines this year by a tall, square-jawed
Osborne in creased, double knit slacks.
Devaney has a little leprechaun in his
eyes; Osborne has a little John Calvin in
his.
Before audiences, Devaney is loose on
grammar and long on his patented brand
of dry wit. Osborne has to force a little
humor into his speech and offers to
"interact" with the audience aftei his
talk.
Osborne speaks to groups like the
Methodist Men's Club in a measured,
paced tone. He stands erect and still,
hands behind his back. The questions are
routine, the answers matter-of-fact.
Devaney has a little leprechaun
in his eyes; Osborne has a little
John Calvin in his.
"How do you get the team up for a
game?"
"We really don't try to get them up,"
Osborne answers. "We just try to prepare
them. There's no artificial way you can
pump them up."
And so on. But when it's time to leave,
Osborne hesitates, and another side of
him shows through, a side that doesn't
have much to do with coaching football.
"I'm glad to see groups like this get
together," he says, picking up his few
notes. "One of the things about coaching
is that you get so tied up in athletics that
you think it's the most important thing in
the world."
: --"4 "
'N.
t -
Head football coach Tom Oslxrne confers with NU trainer Paul Schneider during one of the Huskers' practices.
