This was posted in Living Well magazine – Summer 2023 by Aging Partners

Even as one of history’s most recognized people in college football, Tom Osborne says he never intended to coach. However, he found great purpose through serving others; and his coaching experience helped give him a platform to inspire and encourage countless people on and off the field. Born at the end of the Great
Depression, Osborne’s most memorable childhood moment was Dec. 7, 1941, sitting in his grandparent’s living room when word came over the radio that Pearl Harbor had been bombed.

“My dad jumped out of the chair and said, ‘I’m going to get into this thing,’” Osborne said. “He didn’t have
to go — having a wife, two kids and being well-beyond draft age, but he was patriotic and wanted to go.”

A month after that, his father would leave to serve in the military, returning home five years later when
Osborne was 9 years old. Seeking his father’s approval, and knowing his father enjoyed athletics, Osborne
threw himself into sports. “I thought if I was good enough, he would approve, even though my dad wasn’t the type of guy who wanted to give his approval — it was my perception,” he said.

Osborne excelled at football, basketball, baseball and track; earning Nebraska basketball and football scholarship offers, but decided to attend Hastings College where he was able to play both sports.

Key Moment

A Fellowship of Christian Athletes camp in Estes Park, Colorado, after Osborne’s sophomore year set him on a new course for his purpose in life. Scripture from Matthew 16 particularly impacted him: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.”

“It resonated with me that whatever you put most of your time and energy in was how you were going to save your life,” Osborne said. “Athletics was the most important thing in my life, but the scripture said it wouldn’t last. I knew there would be a time when the body will get old.”

Osborne reframed his thinking, choosing to honor God in his activities and serve others. “The timing was right, and I said ‘OK, this is what I’ll do,’” he said. “It didn’t mean I became a perfect person, but that was the place when I began to chart my course. I’ve never given up on my faith nor turned from it, but that was the direction I went. I think the course of your life you decide to take makes a big difference when it comes to the end.”

Charting a New Course

Osborne graduated from Hastings College in 1959 with a history degree. After a short time in the NFL, he went on to earn his master’s degree in educational psychology from the University of Nebraska in 1963, later earning a doctorate in 1965.

Although he had planned to be a college administrator, Osborne found himself missing athletics. He approached Bob Devaney in 1962 about becoming a grad assistant for the football team. Devaney didn’t have any positions for him but offered an unpaid counselor role in the Selleck Quadrangle to oversee a floor of freshmen football players.

“I broke up some fights and settled them down; and by the time spring ball came around, Devaney thought maybe he could use me,” Osborne said.

One thing led to another, and Osborne set a new course which would lead to his storied career.

“I didn’t plan to be a coach,” he said. “It was never on my radar. But I loved athletics and found that working with young people was important — not just making better football players but helping them grow into people with character.”

In 1968, Devaney named Osborne offensive coordinator, and he immediately overhauled the offense switching to a balanced attack operated from the I formation. This propelled the 1970 Cornhuskers to the first national title in program history, and another in 1971.

Following the 1972 season, Devaney stepped down and named Osborne his successor. He served for 25 years at the helm of the Cornhusker football program until his retirement in 1997.

During his time as head coach, Osborne’s teams modeled consistency — never winning fewer than nine games per season. The Cornhuskers were known for their powerful rushing attack and strong defense, which led them to national championships in 1994, 1995 and 1997 and 13 conference championships. Osborne’s 255-49-3 record acquired him the best winning percentage among active coaches at the time of his retirement at 83.6 percent.

Refocused

In 1985, at the age of 48, Osborne noticed difficulty in jogging with other coaches during a San Diego recruiting trip.

“I had a chest cold and tightness in my chest after running a couple miles. It eventually loosened, and I didn’t think much about it,” he said.

After returning home, an angiogram found a 95 percent blockage in his left anterior descending artery, also known as a “widow-maker.” Double bypass surgery left Osborne finding it necessary to decrease his load of 100-hour workweeks, speaking engagements, recruitment, TV shows and other commitments.

“Normally, six to eight years after a double bypass surgery the artery will reblock — but that was 38 years ago,” he said. “I’ve been fortunate; I was given another shot at life. Reorienting my life made me better as a coach.”

Osborne was able to continue building relationships with his players, the most valuable part of coaching to him.

“There are some trophies in the Nebraska Athletic Department that I was part of — two as offensive coordinator and three as head coach — people get excited about that. I didn’t win those trophies; the players did. But as I look back on those trophies, they’re in the distant past. I’m glad we won them, but I can say they’re nothing I think about much. What is important is the relationships with those players, my wife, kids, grandkids and my faith.”

Osborne could often be found talking with players during stretching and in the weight room.

“I think over time we got to know each other well,” he said. “You can have the greatest impact if youth know where you are coming from. Hardly a week goes by that I don’t hear from several players. We’ve been through a lot together. The fact that they care, and I care is important.

Osborne’s desire to serve others is the underlying key to where he put his time and energy. He encouraged students to live their lives in a way that was worth doing and find purpose in all they did.

“I’ve come to understand the most important thing I did in coaching was trying to serve those players,” he said. “It didn’t mean I was warm and fuzzy — we had tough practices, and at times we had to discipline them — but we tried to do what we felt was in their best interest.”

Greatest Life Lesson

Osborne considers discovering that adversity is a good teacher as being the most valuable life lesson.

“Most of the things I think that have been meaningful have been a result of taking adversity on; when things are difficult, then everything is on the table,” he said. “When you’re on a winning streak, you don’t change. But when life throws you a curve and you’re really hurting or struggling, you’re apt to look deeper at the situation. You can react to adversity three ways: you can blame circumstances, find someone
to be the scapegoat, or look at it as an opportunity to learn and get better.”

Osborne faced adversity with three resets in his coaching career. In 1968, a 47-0 loss to Oklahoma made Nebraska the first school to have a strength coach.

“That changed our offense completely and out of that came a couple of national championships and changed our recruiting philosophy,” he said.

A second reset occurred in the late 1970s, with the realization Nebraska was having difficulty with quarterbacks who could run. Nebraska had good quarterbacks who could pass, but running added a dimension that made it difficult for the defense. A similar reset in 1992 resulted with a good run in the 1990s and a couple of championships.

“If we hadn’t encountered adversity, we probably wouldn’t have made those changes,” Osborne said. “It’s not just football, but so true in many things. Adversity is a great teacher. You have to react to it in a way where you’re open to learning something.”

End of an Era

Retiring from coaching in 1997, Osborne looked to serve in another way. In 2001, he was elected to the House
of Representatives District 3, where he grew up, and served until 2006. He campaigned for governor but lost.

He then returned to the University of Nebraska as senior lecturer at the College of Business Administration, teaching leadership and business ethics.

“Once I lost the governor’s race, I went back to teaching and was perfectly happy with that,” he said. “But I was called by Chancellor Harvey Perlman to be athletic director in October 2007.”

As athletic director, Osborne made many impactful decisions for the University of Nebraska, including the move from the Big 12 to the Big 10 Conference and redevelopment of athletic facilities — the expansion of Memorial Stadium, new baseball and softball practice facility, renovations to the Devaney Center for women’s volleyball and encouraged the construction of the Pinnacle Bank Arena, where basketball is played.

Osborne resigned in January 2013 and put his full attention to his family and the TeamMates Mentoring Program.

Building Up Youth

In his years coaching and recruiting, Osborne took notice of changes in family structure, which concerned him. Students went from living in two-parent homes to living in single-parent homes, two different homes or, in some cases, were living with a grandparent.

This concern paired with an idea from Nancy Osborne is what spurred the creation of the TeamMates Mentoring Program in 1991.

“I asked my players how many of them would be a mentor to a middle school boy within Lincoln Public Schools — 22 hands went up,” he said.

Players were matched with students and met once a week. Of the 22 original mentees, 21 went
on to graduate from high school and one left school early to pursue a successful motocross career; and 18 of the original mentees obtained some type of postsecondary education. Osborne considered that there was something to providing extra support.

“My major concern for young people is the number of kids growing up without both parents,” he said. “We have a lot of single parents struggling to keep up; and so many kids are less anchored because they don’t have that family support. Kids face so many pressures from society today. What we can do is provide a mentor, another person who cares and is consistent and will be there week after week. That can make a big difference and is why we do what we’re doing.”

Since its inception, TeamMates has expanded across Nebraska and into Iowa, Kansas, South Dakota and Wyoming with volunteers mentoring 10,000 K-12 students in 191 school districts. Students involved in the program see a positive impact on attendance and behavior at school, resulting in a 98 percent graduation rate.

“In 85 percent of our matches, we find kids are more hopeful about their future,” Osborne said. “Not having hope is powerful, and life gets really hard. But if you can show some light at the end of the tunnel and a path to walk through — that their current circumstances are not necessarily permanent — that’s the best thing a mentor can do.”

Osborne himself still mentors two students, and he encourages others to demonstrate purpose in their lives through volunteering.

“In my case, working with TeamMates has been very significant,” he said. “I think everyone has something they can contribute. Even simply visiting people in a nursing home or hospital. There are a lot of opportunities out there. It’s worthwhile to find a way to give back to others.”

There are many organizations with ways to serve others. Just because people have reached a certain age does not mean they stop being active or not have anything to contribute.

“I think sometimes lifespans are shortened significantly when individuals feel they no longer have anything to give or live for,” Osborne said. “Spend time on things that make a difference. That’s one of the issues with retirement, because so often people get meaning and significance from their job or raising children. We see with our volunteers; they find meaning and significance in doing something for someone that on the surface can’t do anything for them. In reality, it’s beneficial to our mentors just as much, or more than the mentees.”

For more information on TeamMates, visit teammates.org.

Reflection

Osborne is thankful for his wife, Nancy, for her support through the years along with his family. He enjoys spending more time now with his three children and five grandchildren.

“When I look back on my life and the things I’ve done — I am most proud of my family, and Nancy

has been a major part of the way things have turned out,” he said. “My children and grandchildren are people of faith with good character. I am very proud of them.”

Osborne is thankful for a platform that allows him to share his life experiences with others, and he continues to find ways to serve others.

“Sometimes I can better see God’s hand in things in retrospect — past relationships, past decisions that seemed almost random — probably turned out to be more significant than I had imagined they’d be. I think you have to try to set a certain course in life, and what I’ve tried to do is honor God in what I’ve done. Sometimes I’ve done it better than other times. If you try to do that and that’s your general objective, it may take you in a lot of different paths. But hopefully, it doesn’t take you too far afield from what you’re called to do. Just do the best you can one day at a time.” LW

* All photos pages 4 to 7 courtesy of Husker Athletics.

It’s worthwhile to find a way to give back to others.”

– Tom Osborne