vs. Virginia Tach
"71 Samuel leaves a winner
Former NU coach
builds Aggie staff of
, former Huskers.
By Mitch Sherman
Senior Reporter
MIAMI — As he walked off the
battered, green grass into a tunnel to
ward the Comhusker locker room at
Pro Player Sta- M
dium, Tony H
Samuel took a
piece of Mjffl&t
Nebraska’s foot- |V'!!,■ ■
ball program with I
him to New I
Mexico State.
But the 11th
year coach of
NU’s outside line
backers left an SttllllSl
even bigger part of
himself behind for the Huskers to carry
back to Lincoln.
Samuel, who accepted the head
coaching position at New Mexico State
on Dec. 13, coached his final game at
Nebraska on New Year’s Eve, a 41-21
win over Virginia Tech.
After the game, Samuel headed to
Las Cruces, N.M., where his new
coaching staff assembled a week later,
sporting a red glow and a winning his
tory. Eight of Samuel’s nine assistant
coaches have Nebraska roots.
Back in Lincoln, Samuel’s legacy
remains.
“Not only is he a great coach, he’s
been a great friend over the years,” NU
Defensive Coordinator Charlie
McBride said. “I’m going to really miss
the guy.”
Samuel said little to his players in
the locker room before the Orange
Bowl, only asking them to stay in
touch.
“I promised him that I would do
that,” said Grant Wistrom, the latest of
Samuel’s All-Americans, “because
he’s a great man. He made me the
player I am today. It's going to be a
big loss for the Nebraska football pro
gram.”
Nebraska’s loss may be New
Mexico State's gain. Samuel and his
Husker disciples bring a winning tra
dition to the sagging Aggie program,
which has won 22 games in the last
seven seasons.
Joining Samuel’s staff are former
Huskers Barney Cotton (offensive co
ordinator), Jeff Jamrog (defensive co
ordinator), Rich Glover (defensive
line), Gerry Gdowski (quarterbacks)
and Steve Stanard (rush ends and re
cruiting coordinator).
Samuel, who split his time between
Las Cruces, Lincoln and Miami in the
weeks leading up to the Orange Bowl,
also hired three coaches with experi
ence as NU graduate assistants:
Kendall Blackburn (offensive line),
Bill Busch (secondary) and Clayton
Carlin (receivers).
“My mind is already going for
ward,” Samuel said. “I’ve got a lot to
do. I’ve never been in a situation like
this. It’s been a strange experience, and
now I’ve got to lock down on one
thing.”
In 1996, both of Nebraska’s start
ing rush ends — Wistrom and Jared
Tomich — earned All-America recog
nition. In addition, Jamel Williams,
also coached by Samuel, led Nebraska
in tackles from the Sam linebacker
spot.
Seven of Samuel’s former NU pu
pils currently play in the National Foot
ball League. Williams and Tomich are
nearly certain to join the league next
season, and Wistrom, projected as a
first-round draft pick, passed up the
NFL this year to return to NU.
One of Nebraska’s budding defen
sive stars, Mike Rucker, also credits
much of his improvement to Samuel.
«
He made me the
player I am today.
It's going to be a big
loss for the
Nebraska football
program”
Grant Wistrom
NU rush end
The 6-foot-6 sophomore recorded
seven sacks and 15 tackles behind the
line of scrimmage while backing up
Wistrom this season.
“We have gotten a little bit closer
this year with me playing more,”
Rucker said. “I’m sorry to see him
leave. But on the other hand I’m happy,
because he’s doing something he’s al
ways wanted to do.”
Samuel knows his staff’s Nebraska
ties will not ensure success at New
Mexico State. Building a program re
quires years of work, he said, but his
time at Nebraska will help him through
the difficult days and push him to reach
the top.
And through it all, he won’t forget
Nebraska.
“I got attached to the players,” he
said. “Whenever you coach a guy and
they lay it on the line, you get a spe
cific attachment.”
McBride said several candidates
have already interviewed with the
Husker staff to fill Samuel’s position.
“We would like a person who has
coached the position before,” McBride
said, “but we’re not in a hurry. We are
just going to feel our way through this
and try to get the right person.”
Photos by
Scott Bruhn
Clockwise from left:
SCOTT FROST scrambles from Virginia
Tech’s Pierson Prioleau in the Dec.
31 Orange Bowl. NU Coach Tom
Osborne said Frost had his best game
of the year against the Hokies.
JIM DRUCKENMILLER is wrapped up
by defensive tackle Jason Peter for
a 9-yard loss. Peter, who had two
tackles, returned a fumble 33 yards
for a touchdown in the second
quarter.
BRENDAN HOLBEIN wrote No. 25 on the
tape around his wrist in honor of
suspended wingback Jon Vedral.
OSBORNE watches his 10th Orange
Bowl as Nebraska’s head coach. He
is 3-7 in Orange Bowl games but has
won two straight in Miami.
I l
Football Foils
Associated
Press Poll
Coaches' Poll
Team Record Prev.
"" 11-1 4
4. ArizonaSL 11-1 2
6. Nebraska 11*2 6
8. Colorado 10-2 8
10. North Carolina 10-2 13
12. Virginia Tech 10-2 9
14. Miami 9-3 19
16. Northwestern 9-3 11
18. Iowa 9-3 21
20. Michigan 8-4 17
22. Wyoming 10-2 23
24. Army 10-2 24
