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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 4, 1997)
EDITOR Paula Lavigne OPINION EDITOR Matthew Waite EDITORIAL BOARD Erin Gibson Joshua Gillin Jeff Randall Julie Sobczyk Ryan Soderlin I Our VIEW Respected coach Osborne impresses fans for 25 years After the fireworks, after the media inter views, after winning his 250th game, after etching just another spot in the history of col lege athletics, where is a man to go? For Tom Osborne, it’s back to work. Back to practice Monday. Same as ever. He’s had the same job for 25 years - impressive for any job, let alone the top job at a football powerhouse school in a football crazed state. Nebraska has student athletes that last longer than coaches at lesser programs. And he did what only 10 other football coaches have ever done. Tom Osborne won 250 games in only 25 years - an unparalleled feat. Lavished in fireworks, HuskerVision shows, and cheering fans, Osborne did what he does best - deferred the glory to others. “I’ve been a small part of this, and I really mean that,” Osborne said Saturday. We could have predicted as much from him. His mannerisms are as predictable as his game plans. But like his football, Osborne is going to run his modesty right at you - see if you can stop yourself from respecting him. Osborne has been described as “Football’s Father Flanagan” among other such lavish titles (GQ magazine called him God). And for all the criticism his program has received the past few years for harboring less-than-perfect citizens, it’s a testament to his character that he should walk away with such a title. ' Osborne has endured much in 25 years, from criticism to expectations to crime to tragedy. From the top of the nation two years in a row to cry-baby fans weeping over a sea son with two losses. But year after year, the loyalty of his play ers is never questioned. Defensive end Grant Wistrom said winning Saturday’s game was about no one but Osborne. “Nobody wanted to be the person to let Coach Osborne down,” Wistrom said. But Mr. Wistrom’s words beg a question. How long can Tom Osborne go? How many more 10-plus win seasons, bowl games, spring practices and recruiting trips does he have in him? At a time when college basketball is reel ing from North Carolina legend Dean Smith hanging up the towel because he lost the desire, how is Osborne’s desire? At 60 yeafs old, Osborne would be in the twilight of his career if he were a banker, a businessman, a bus driver. But he’s not that. He’s Tom Osborne. Father Flanagan. God. Despite our differences in the past with the coach (l^e did kick us out of practices because of some editorial cartoons), he has never lost our respect. And he has our support for another 25 years as the only title he ever asked for. Coach. Editorial Policy ^ Unsigned editorials are the opinions of the Fall 1997 Daily Nebraskan. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Nebraska-Lincoin, its employees, its student body or the University of Nebraska Board of Regents. A column is solely the opinion of its author. The Board of Regents serves as publisher of the Daily Nebraskan; policy is set by the Daily Nebraskan Editorial Board. Tne UNL Publications Board, established by the regems, supervises the production pf the paper. According to policy set by the regemy^sponsibility for the editorial comem oftn9wigaper lies solely in the hands of its student employees. . - _ Su Letter Policy The Daily Nebraskan welcomes brief letters to the editor and guest columns, but does not guarantee their publication. The Daily Nebraskan retains the right to edit or reject any material submitted. Submitted material becomes property of Nebraskan and cannot be Anonymous submissions will not be published. Those who submit letters must identify themselves by name, year in school, major and/or group affiliation, if anv. Submit material to: Daily Nebraskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 R St. Lincoln, NE. 68588-0448. E-mail: letters@unlinfb.unl.edu." ' ‘ r Haney’s VIEW /forty CAtf' UM / I —* • * . _ _ DN LETTERS More due credit Dear Mr. Fredregill, I would like to thank you and all of your fraternity brothers for helping out around campus and around Lincoln. In this same light, I would like to thank: Bob Reynolds, a mechanic, for picking up a stranded driver outside Waverly; Alice Schmidt, a housewife, for shoveling her elderly neighbor’s driveway in Waterloo; David Abbott, a physician, for clearing fallen branches out of a neighbor’s yard in Omaha; and the entire Army National Guard. Can you see where I am going with this, Jason? You see, helping others in times of need, whether you know them or not, is a big part of being a Nebraskan. Our service stems from our proud heritage of bam raising and harvest times. We help one another out and expect that they would do the same for us in return if situations were reversed. I cannot believe you, a resident of Nebraska, would stoop to asking for thanks. Hundreds of thou sands of people across the state vol unteered to help those in need only because they were in n^ed, not because they wanted “due credit”-* Should Gov. Nelson thank each one individually? ' * >„ Hunt this As a sometime hunter, I was quite offended by Mr. Haney’s cartoon in Monday’s DN. While Mr. Haney may be quite sincere in his belief that hunters are either stupid or blood thirsty, he is also quite mistaken. The vast majority of hunters are out there to (1) put food on the table and (2) enjoy being outdoors in nature. We are far more aware of how easy it is to get meat from the store, but we choose the hard way because it gets us outdoors and a chance to par take in the more natural environment away from cities and towns. Has Mr. Haney ever experienced just how dif ficult it can be for us clumsy, noisy, deaf and sniff-challenged humans to outwit a whitetail? I’d guess not. Myself, I haven’t gone hunting this year, and I’ve killed one deer my entire life (out of a good number of years trying). The kill is NOT the important thing to me - being out there in the woods is. If I’m success I ill I llllllll— ful in killing a deer to take home to the freezer, great. If not, I still count every trip a success. As for “Bambi,” now there is a wonderfully unbiased example of ecology and wildlife management. Humans are the evil slaughterers, while the cute, little, woodlands crit ters are the innocents. Yeah, that makes for a really good scientific basis of maintaining a healthy, sound, wildlife population. If Mr. Haney thinks this is good, he should come to Fontenelle Forest in Bellevue and see the effects of a major population explosion amongst the protected deer. It’s not pretty. I know there’s little chance Mr. Haney will change his mind, but I firmly believe that the DN should in fairness print the other side of the story, just to counter Mr. Haney’s ability to put his own opinions out every single day. James F. Cornwall graduate student, Lnk S^ther sophomore biological chemistry , ' • ' ' ' ".I*"'- ' lU So what is it? Why is Barb Churchill so mad about contract marriages? It’s just a proposed option, not a change in cur rent marriage laws. She’s mad at Don Stenberg because he won’t validate her depression, and now he won’t let her feel good about her divorce. Ugh. For what cause is she fighting? I’ve been reading all semester and I still can’t figure it out. The biggest prob lem with her writing is that it’s all reaction, no facts. All “pity me” and no self-reflection. I was 100 times more moved by the Waffle House col umn. Victoria Kovar Lincoln PS. w ~ braskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 "R" St., Lincoln, . ~ . .. ... fax to (402) 472-1761, or e-mail <letters@unliBfo.antedu. ~ must be signed and include a phone number for verification ■ - mmi' v ^ ;,M'8'.‘",vjir v .. .. .. *-f.... - ■ ■ • ~ V