JOSH MOENNING is an
advertising and political
science major and a Daily
Nebraskan columnist
A sense of despair overtook me
last Wednesday when I learned of my
assigned topic for this week. After
my editor pronounced the words uni
versity-related issue, my initial reac
tion was disappointment. As the
biggest presidential scandal since
Watergate slowly unfolded before the
nation’s eyes, I was left to pick over
the university news dumpster of clos
ing fraternities and embezzling secre
taries.
I recently overheard a story that
could possibly supply me with a lead,
however. This is a story that involved
Tom Osborne attempting to access
the Campus Recreation Center some
time last week, and subsequently
being denied access because his ID
card had since expired after his retire
ment as head coach. (Let me remind
you right now that this is a rumored
story, and that I have no evidence that
it actually took place. But, because of
a lack of any journalistic integrity on
my part whatsoever, I am willing to
assume it did.)
Either the guy at the desk was
some kind of football-despising art
___ »»m/mjuL/ni, x uimumvi t, ■ i/rnui nuoxuiaxvnn ■ x nuu u
Land of Oz
Nebraska, UNL indebted to Dr. Tom
major, or he thought he was simply
doing his job. Whatever the circum
stance, a poor decision was (alleged
ly) made. When arguably the greatest
coach in college football history
wants to use his university’s rec cen
ter, you let him in, expired card or
not.
The purpose of including the
alleged incident in this column? I
thought it was exponentially more
interesting than anything the
Association of Students of the
University of Nebraska is currently
manipulating, and it also serves as a
lead, although an incredibly indirect
one, to a university-related issue that
is actually worth exposing: the over
all greatness that Osborne brought to
this school and state.
Now this isn’t going to be about
football. Anyone with even a passing
interest in the sport is already aware
of the incredible numbers and numer
ous records Osborne and his teams
have accomplished throughout his 25
years. All of these things are devas
tatingly impressive, but what may be
most impressive about the man are
the things he’s done off the football
field. The things he’s done not only as
a coach but as a great man.
His record of giving back to the
community is particularly impres
sive. In 1991, he and his wife Nancy
developed the Husker Teammates
program, which is a type of big
brother program pairing Husker foot
ball players and local junior high stu
dents. The financing for this program
comes from The Osborne
Endowment for Youth, a fund estab
lished by Osborne that also helps pre
vent junior high and middle school
youths from (hopping out of school
and encourages them to continue
their education.
In 1994, $250,000 was raised for
the endowment during a banquet
honoring Osborne for his 200th
career win. The former coach annual
ly donates $10,000 out of his own
pocket to the endowment.
In addition, Osborne has been an
active member of the Fellowship of
Christian Athletes and has served as a
spiritual guide and father figure to so
many of his players.
“I believe most of the players
look at Coach Osborne as a type of
father figure, and he fills that void....
He treats you like a son, and that
means a lot,” was former Husker
Calvin Jones’ description of the
retired coach.
The graduation rate for players
Osborne coached was never less than
74 percent, continuously the highest
in die nation. There have been 44
first-team Academic All-Americans
a
Tom Osborne served as one of the greatest
representatives a university; community and
state could ever askfor. While his job was to
win football games, he took it as his respon
sibility to do much more.”
who have passed through Osborne’s
program. This number is especially
impressive when you consider that
the program second to Nebraska in
this category, Notre Dame, has accu
mulated 38 of these players in 44
/ears while Osborne coached 44 in
25 years.
In addition to winning 13 confer
ence championships and three
national championships, Osborne has
won numerous awards recognizing
nis continuous community service,
lust a few of these include the Father
Flanagan Award for Service to Youth,
the National Football Foundation and
College Hall of Fame Distinguished
American awards, and the
Distinguished Nebraskalander
\ward.
Tom Osborne served as one of the
greatest representatives a university,
community and state could ever ask
for. While his job was to win football
games, he took it as his responsibility
to do much more. He served his God,
his players and his community with
an excellence that is not often wit
nessed in this day and age. His career
should serve as a model for anyone
who wishes to become a strong and
honorable leader.
In spite of all of this, Coach
Osborne must find a new place to
jog. Even if the rumored story is not
true, he will not be eligible to enter
the recreation center of his own free
will once he is officially not a univer
sity employee.
Someone at the rec center should
be ashamed.
God is good |
Despite abuses, Christianity spreads message of love
KATYA OVCHARENKO is a
freshman English major
and a Daily Nebraskan
columnist,
“God is dead! We have killed him,
you and I!” said German philosopher
Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche almost a
century ago.
By “killing God” he meant that we
do not accept him, we do not believe in
him, we do not trust him. He^ dead for
us - but not all of us. Christianity is
alive, and it is this belief that is hased
on faith in the living God, Jesus Christ,
who had changed thejiistoiy of
mankind by rising from the dead
This great and powerful but
defenseless faith was used many
times to take political con
trol of whole countries.
European history
swarms with such
sorrowful exam
ples.
vjicgory vn in
the 11* century /
organized the well- I
known Crusades to 1
the holy land.
Knights marched
and spread blood
shed on their way.
These bloody wars
woe led in the
name of Christ, the
Lord of Peace!
Another example
is the Inquisition. In
1231, Pope Gregory IX
established die papal
Inquisition because of
growing outbreaks of
heresy. The Spanish
Inquisition (in the 15th and
16*" centuries) was particu
larly terrifying. The most
famous parts of it were the
punishments and tortures used
to gain confessions. The vic
tims even confessed to deeds f'
they’d never done. The church
handled trials for spiritual mat
ters. They saved sculls and killed
people, destroying “sinful flesh.”
By taking verses from Bible out of
their context and putting diem into
another context, interpreting diem and
manipulating them according to others’
wishes, some people tended to control
others. Seizing political power is only
one side. In feudal England, for exam
ple, lords used Bible verses (with die
help of the church) to maintain a hold
upon their peasants obedient:
“Servants, be submissive to your mas
ters with all fear, not only to the good
and gentle, but also to the harsh,”( 1
Peter 2:18).
Another aspect-the most scary
side - is the possibility of psychologi
cal pressure on people, again in Christ’s
name. In Ukraine about five years ago,
a sect called “White Brotherhood”
appeared. Its leader claimed to be
Christ himself, who came for die sec
ond time. Many young people followed
him. They were leaving their families,
stealing money and living in poverty.
The “Christ” was arrested and is now
enjoying himself in a jail, leaving
behind broken families and broken
hearts of those teenagers whom he
fooled.
The Mind are leading the blind in
reality. False prophets are mentioned
often in die Bible: “Beware of false
prophets, who come to
you in
i::W ‘ •>. x
sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are
ravenous wolves,” (Matt 7:15). “The
Christian” means “the one, who fol
lows Christ” Christ never told anyone
to kill and to hate; he teaches LOVE,
and everything that is not done in love
by so-called Christians comes not from
God, but from... there’s no need to
mention him here.
Some people consider it to be so
important to make distinctions between
denominations! Christians believe in
one God, they became one in him. “For
by one Spirit we were all baptized into
one body-whether Jews or Greeks,
whether slaves or free - and have all