CECIL HURT: Games against Tide sowed seeds of success for Cornhuskers

University of Alabama fans like to think that the Crimson Tide occupies uncrowded space in the college football universe. It’s a fair supposition — few teams have achieved what Alabama has attained in the past and few are more fervent in their wishes for the future.

There are a few other programs, though, where one can see similarities, if not exact parallels, to Alabama. One such similar program: the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

There is the same long history of excellence, the same “football school” perception, the same fierce loyalty from the fan base. In fact, in a state where no other college plays Division I football, thanks in part to the state legislature, there almost isn’t any other choice.

But, as it is at Alabama, all those factors haven’t prevented a long, tough period of transition at Nebraska, one that may have bottomed out in 2007. Thus, Nebraska administrators called on a former coach with a handful of national championship rings to serve as athletics director and help to sort it all out. That’s another similarity — not an identical one, for Tom Osborne served as a head coach while Mal Moore was an Alabama assistant during his career, but the concept was the same. Bring in a steady hand and get things fixed.

Osborne, head coach at Nebraska from 1973-97, was in Tuscaloosa on Wednesday to speak at the 10th annual West Alabama Leadership Prayer Breakfast. After his public speech, he visited the UA football complex, meeting coaches, administrators and media, reminiscing and sharing his views on college athletics.

Obsorne remembers his meetings with UA in the Paul “Bear” Bryant years, three bowl games when he was an assistant to Bob Devaney and two memorable regular-season games when he was a young head coach in 1977 and 1978.

He said that the 1960s games against Alabama actually sowed the seeds that became the famous Nebraska strength program, perhaps the most renowned such program in all of college athletics.

“It really goes back to when we played in the 1960s,” Osborne said. “Alabama beat us pretty badly at the end of the ’65 season and again in ’66. At that time, Alabama was using smaller, quicker linemen, around 190 pounds. A 210-pounder was a big guy for them. But what we really picked up on at the time was that Alabama was involved in an offseason program. When we ended the season, we just sort of went home and didn’t do anything except spring practice until the next season. But we knew Alabama was working in the offseason.

“We tried the experiment with smaller, quicker lineman and that didn’t work out too well for us. But we had a coach there at the time named Boyd Epley. He was working with the track team and he was developing these pole vaulters who weighed around 220 pounds. They would break the poles, so the track coach didn’t like that very much. But he came to us and told us he could make these players bigger and better in the offseason. That was the beginning of it, and it started showing with that 1971 team [an undefeated Cornhusker national championship team that rates with the best of all time].”

Nebraska had three decades of success, but has hit hard times recently. The culmination of events was Osborne’s recall out of retirement to serve as interim athletic director – a role that has been made permanent through 2010 – and the firing of coach Bill Callahan.

“I received what you might call a battlefield promotion,” the 71-year-old Osborne said. “You don’t really expect to take on a new role at this point in life, but the chancellor called and my wife and I talked it over and decided to accept.”

Clearly, Nebraska football needed a fix. The vaunted Cornhusker defense was giving up points at a record rate – 40 or more in six of 12 games, including 76 to Kansas and 65 to Colorado – and confidence in Callahan was at zero.

“I didn’t want to make a coaching change as essentially my first act, but circumstances seemed to warrant it,” Osborne said with gentlemanly understatement.

Bo Pellini, a former Nebraska defensive coordinator, was brought in from LSU, where he was serving in a similar capacity. He was a popular choice in Nebraska, thanks to his prior stint in Lincoln, but Osborne preached patience at the prayer breakfast, for both Nebraska and Alabama.

“It takes time,” Osborne said. “Fans seem to be in a three-year cycle, that if this or that guy doesn’t go undefeated in three years, it’s time for a change. That’s not really right. It takes four or five recruiting classes after a coach is established before you can judge, in most cases.

“[Tradition] cuts both ways. Alabama just had a large crowd for its spring game. Our spring game is already sold out. We’ve sold out every home game since 1962. That’s attractive to recruits and is a great foundation. But with that devotion and attendance come high expectations. Sometimes those can be a little unrealistic. It takes time, and hopefully people in Nebraska can be patient. And I hope the same thing in Tuscaloosa.”

The conversation did seem to demand one last question. The Crimson Tide and Cornhuskers haven’t met on the field since that 20-3 Alabama win in September of 1978. Is it time to talk renewal after 30 years?

“It could be,” Osborne said. “I haven’t really thought about it. I think we are more apt to see each other in a bowl game than on the field any time soon, because our non-conference schedules are done nine or 10 years (in advance) right now. But we might take a look at that.”

It’s a look that might be a little bit like glancing in a mirror – which might be another reason it could be worth looking into.

Cecil Hurt is Sports Editor of The Tuscaloosa News. Reach him at cecil.hurt@tuscaloosanews.com or at 205-722-0225.