Tom Osborne

Thomas William Osborne (born February 23, 1937) is a former American football player, coach, college athletics administrator, and politician from Nebraska. He served as head football coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers from 1973 to 1997 (25 seasons). After being inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1999, Osborne was elected to Congress in 2000 from Nebraska's third district as a Republican. He served three terms (2001–2007), returned to the University of Nebraska as athletic director in 2007, and retired in 2013. Osborne played college football as a quarterback and wide receiver at Hastings College, and soon after finishing his brief NFL career he was hired by Nebraska head coach Bob Devaney as an assistant. Osborne was named Devaney's successor in 1973, and over the next 25 years established himself as one of the best coaches in college football history with his trademark I-formation offense and revolutionary strength, conditioning, and nutrition programs. He retired with a career record of 13 conference titles, and three national championships. He coached 53 All-Americans, including 1983 Heisman Trophy winner Mike Rozier. Early life Born and raised in Hastings, a town in rural central Nebraska, Osborne was a star athlete at Hastings High School in football, basketball, and track. As a senior in 1955, he was named Nebraska High School Athlete of The Year by the Omaha World-Herald. He graduated from Hastings College with a BA in history in 1959. Osborne earned a Master's degree in educational psychology in 1963 and completed his doctorate in 1965, both at Nebraska. Osborne's first job at the university was counselor in the Selleck Quadrangle, where he oversaw a floor of freshmen football players. He also served in the Nebraska Army National Guard from 1960 to 1966. Playing career At Hastings, Osborne quarterbacked the football team and became the first male athlete in Nebraska to be named both the high school (1955) and college (1959) athlete of the year by the Omaha World-Herald. He was also the 1958 recipient of the Emil S. Liston Award, which was given annually to the most outstanding National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics NAIA junior basketball player who displayed high athletic and scholastic achievement.