Articles by Paul Koch

Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/LOVE & PROVIDENCE

3/18/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 104, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Continued….   Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/LOVE & PROVIDENCE   WHY the Great 60 & 3 Success was achieved:  LOVE “If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels… and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains,…

Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/THE NEBRASKA SYSTEM

3/17/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 104, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Continued….   Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/THE NEBRASKA SYSTEM THE SYSTEM/SUMMARIES Wrapping up this “how it all happened” portion of this concluding chapter, we’ll end with a few thoughts, theories, summaries, and short statements about the “system” that comprised Nebraska Football during…

Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/ PRACTICE INTENSITY/COMPETITION

3/16/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 104, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Continued….   Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/ PRACTICE INTENSITY/COMPETITION   PRACTICE INTENSITY/COMPETITION We’re now keenly informed and quite aware of: 1) the coaching staff’s diversity, fairness, preparation skills, methods of feedback and personal attention, 2) the three equally important modes of play…

Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/HUSKER POWER & PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

3/15/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 104, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Continued….   Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/HUSKER POWER & PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT   THE HUSKER POWER PROGRAM/PLAYER DEVELOPMENT It appears that peer leadership played its most primary role not on the field of play, but instead in the preparation for those practices and…

Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/LEADERSHIP ELEMENTS

3/14/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 104, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Continued….   Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/LEADERSHIP ELEMENTS   LEADERSHIP ELEMENTS (Author's note: Today's segment of the final chapter is quite large. That in itself should be a good indicator of the vast leadership roles played by so many during the 90's…

Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/PLAYER SKILL & TALENT

3/13/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 104, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Continued….   Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/PLAYER SKILL & TALENT PLAYER SKILL/TALENT What made this gathering of young men different? Unique? What kind of dynamic existed among them? Was it a smorgasbord of individuals or one, big, amorphous congregation? Was it merely…

Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/DEDICATION & DEVOTION

3/12/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 104, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Continued…. Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/DEDICATION & DEVOTION DEDICATION/DEVOTION Along with those goals mentioned yesterday -or “vows”, per se-  among the coaches, staffers and student-athletes came the dedication and devotion fueled by the multitude of those motivations. This is another key point…

Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/GOAL SETTING

3/11/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 104, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Continued….   Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/GOAL SETTING   GOAL SETTING Branching off of the whole spectre of motivations listed just previous, the team’s next logical step was to annually set their sights on some goals. They went about it by arriving…

Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/MOTIVATIONS

3/10/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 104, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Continued….   Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/MOTIVATIONS   MOTIVATIONS Now that we’ve exhausted the most tangible, measurable items telling us how that era came to be, we now move from the physical to the abstract to find what motivated them, moved them,…

Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/UNITY COUNCIL & TEAM BONDING

3/9/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 104, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Continued….   Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/UNITY COUNCIL & TEAM BONDING UNITY COUNCIL/TEAM BONDING Drawing on the community-minded and rugged, undying individual spirit of the Nebraska scholarship and walk-on players, what at first began as small position-based cliques among the linebackers, the…

Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/IN-STATE PLAYERS & THE WALK-ON TRADITION

3/8/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 104, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Continued….   Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/IN-STATE PLAYERS & THE WALK-ON TRADITION   IN-STATE PLAYERS/THE WALK-ON TRADITION Anyone familiar with college football has surely heard of the famed Nebraska Walk-on Program. If one were lucky he received a scholarship offer, but for others…

Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/TELEVISION & BOWL GAMES

3/7/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 104, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Continued….   Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/TELEVISION & BOWL GAMES TELEVISION & BOWL GAMES Expanding a bit more on the concept of tradition, there were also the recurring nemeses’ and what they did for Cornhusker Football. Three schools throughout the years fielded…

Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/TRADITION & LEGACY

3/6/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 104, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Continued….   Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/TRADITION & LEGACY   TRADITION/LEGACY Part and parcel to the fan base, there was also the proud tradition of past Husker players and their personal & team accomplishments to measure up to. No one dared disappoint…

Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/THE FANS

3/5/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 104, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Continued….   Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/THE FANS   THE CORNHUSKER FOOTBALL FANS On the opposite end of the spectrum, an age-old component always remained fixed in the players’ consciousness: The Cornhusker Football Fans themselves. What impact did the so-called “Greatest Fans…

Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

3/4/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 104, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Continued….   Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY   It may not sound very sexy, but TECHNOLOGY played a part: Then something groundbreaking occurred in 1992. It was a perfect commingling of football smarts with high-tech, having finally arrived via Dave Finn,…

Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/DAVE ELLIS

3/3/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 104, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Continued….   Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/DAVE ELLIS   Eminence Outlier #2, the Team Performance Nutritionist and Body Composition guru, Dave Ellis (Omaha’s addendum): I hired Dave Ellis to be the nutritionist. I think he did a tremendous job giving Nebraska an…

Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/DR. JACK STARK

3/2/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 104, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Continued….   Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/DR. JACK STARK   THE EMINENCE OUTLIERS Then there were the last additions to the staff, the two native Nebraskans who –I firmly believe- put the finishing touches on the organization’s getting over the hump, who…

Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/KEITH ZIMMER & DENNIS LEBLANC

3/1/19 | Paul Koch
  Excerpted from Chapter 104, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Continued….   Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/KEITH ZIMMER & DENNIS LEBLANC Reversing course in the bowels of Memorial Stadium, we head back to the West Stadium’s Hewit Center and Boekel Academic Center to find the Number 3 Eminence Inlier in Academic…

Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/GEORGE SULLIVAN & JERRY WEBER

2/28/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 104, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Continued….   Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/GEORGE SULLIVAN & JERRY WEBER   Along with Doak Ostergard were the other, key athletic trainers who played a large part and had a daily hand in the student-athletes’ lives. Here we read about the special…

Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/DOAK OSTERGARD

2/27/19 | Paul Koch
  Excerpted from Chapter 104, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Continued….   Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/DOAK OSTERGARD Moving from the West Stadium Strength Complex to the South Stadium Training room there was the Number 2 Eminence Inlier in Athletic Trainer/Top Secret Reconnaissance Man, Gothenburg native Doak Ostergard: …the training room…

Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/BRYAN BAILEY

2/26/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 104, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Continued….   Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/BRYAN BAILEY Then there were the BIG THREE of the support staff (all native Nebraskans), those individuals who seemed to hold a certain something extra, something special, some extraordinary method of inuring themselves to the kids…

Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/BOYD EPLEY

2/25/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 104, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Continued….   Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/BOYD EPLEY Focusing now on a few of those key, individual support people, you had the Godfather of Collegiate Strength Training himself: Boyd Epley. A visionary with big dreams and a knack for motivating, goal setting…

Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/Support Staff

2/24/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 104, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Continued….   Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/Support Staff SUPPORT STAFF Alongside and supplementing the Football Coaching Staff’s various modes of feedback, instruction, and mentoring came help from the shadows, if you will. Perhaps the upcoming names may not ring a bell to…

Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/ ATTENTION/FEEDBACK/PERSONAL TOUCHES

2/23/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 104, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Continued….   Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/ ATTENTION/FEEDBACK/PERSONAL TOUCHES   Speaking of communication flowing up and down the hierarchy of the organization, what cemented player/coach relationships and bonded them as one were the various instances and ways the staff showed caring &…

Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/THE FAIRNESS FACTOR

2/22/19 | Paul Koch
    Excerpted from Chapter 104, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Continued….   Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/THE FAIRNESS FACTOR THE FAIRNESS FACTOR During recruitment a young athlete was never promised anything more than a reasonable opportunity to prove themselves and contribute, what’s often known as “getting a fair shake.” That’s…

Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/PREPARATION

2/21/19 | Paul Koch
  Excerpted from Chapter 104, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Continued…. Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/PREPARATION PREPARATION Knowing what we know about the practice session efficiency, even more telling was the way in which the staff prepared not only the team, but also themselves in advance of a contest. From the…

Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/ PRACTICE ORGANIZATION

2/20/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 104, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Continued….   Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/ PRACTICE ORGANIZATION   PRACTICE ORGANIZATION You think Saturday afternoon Husker game days were full of action? That was nothing compared to Monday through Thursday inside Memorial Stadium, at the grass infields of the Ed Weir…

Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/The ‘Coaches’ Behind the Scenes

2/19/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 104, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Continued….   Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/The ‘Coaches’ Behind the Scenes   THE FORGOTTEN COACHES: ANOTHER SPECIAL TEAM We wouldn’t be doing this summary justice without emphasizing the young coaches toiling behind the full-time staff. I’m talking about the Graduate Assistants and…

Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/SPECIAL TEAMS

2/18/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 104, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Continued….   Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/SPECIAL TEAMS   THE NEBRASKA SPECIAL TEAMS It’s amazing how often the concept of special teams is overlooked when one thinks about football success. But for a coaching staff who didn’t have the benefits of a…

Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/The Blackshirt Defense

2/17/19 | Paul Koch
  Excerpted from Chapter 104, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Continued….   Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/The Blackshirt Defense   THE NEBRASKA DEFENSE DEFENSE: a word whose Latin root means “a forbidding,” is an apt description for the Nebraska Blackshirts unit. Built around a front line and rush ends who were…

Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/THE HUSKER OFFENSE

2/16/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 104, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Continued….   Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/THE HUSKER OFFENSE   THE NEBRASKA OFFENSE Focusing now on the offensive scheme employed, Nebraska differentiated itself from many pro-style offenses by employing a multi-faceted run game, which in turn led to play-action passing culled from…

Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/THE COACHING STAFF

2/15/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 104, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Final Chapter/THE COACHING STAFF   There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better, for worse, as his portion;…

Anatomy of an Era: Kent Pavelka, Part 2

2/13/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 103, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Kent Pavelka, Part 2 Continued…. Q: Do you recall the very first Nebraska game you attended? KP: No, I don’t. It was pre-Devaney, though. It was the Jennings era. I remember watching Pat Fischer play quarterback and defensive back…

Anatomy of an Era: Kent Pavelka, Part 1

2/12/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 103, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch   I’ve just gotta tell you: If Nebraska is the “offense of the 50’s”, they must be referring to the average score… -Kent Pavelka, Nebraska Radio Play-by-Play Announcer, 1996 Fiesta Bowl   Arriving at our final interview, my affinity for the work of…

Anatomy of an Era: Bryan Carpenter, Part 3

2/10/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 102, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Bryan Carpenter, Part 3 Continued…. Q: We were pretty much ahead of the curve with the quality of technology in comparison to other schools, weren’t we? BC: Oh, yeah. At Nebraska we were. There was an NFL team along…

Anatomy of an Era: Bryan Carpenter, Part 2

2/9/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 102, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Bryan Carpenter, Part 2 Continued…. Q: Did you guys also do the pre-game psych-up videos the players began seeing? BC: Yeah, we did. We did those all the way up until when HuskerVision came in, and they were a…

Anatomy of an Era: Bryan Carpenter, Part 1

2/8/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 102, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch   The real good time to learn was both by watching yourself and watching other guys in the film review session after every game and every practice. Everything you did the day before, you really learned a lot by watching. You’d find out…

Anatomy of an Era: Bill Doleman, Part 2

2/7/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 101, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Bill Doleman, Part 2 Continued…. Q: Any other coaches from that era leave any lasting impressions on you? Conversations in passing? Interactions? BD: Looking back, the thing that strikes me about that staff was how unique the personalities were.…

Anatomy of an Era: Bill Doleman, Part 1

2/6/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 101, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch “It was a terrible year, and it was a great year," Osborne said.” I take my spiritual life pretty seriously, and there were some times when I was running on empty. Very frankly, I relied on my faith more than I ever have…

Anatomy of an Era: John Livingston, Part 2

2/3/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 100, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: John Livingston, Part 2 Continued…. JL: But I tell you what, one thing I’ll never forget, and I’ll take this to my grave: Coach Osborne was the most incredible person -next to my position coach- the most incredible person.…

Anatomy of an Era: John Livingston, Part 1

2/2/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 100, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch   We had a good, healthy fear in Coach Brown. Our fear was not playing. The guy was really tough on us. But I tell you what, it paid off: when we got on the field I was super-focused on the ball. I…

Anatomy of an Era: Riley Washington, Part 3

1/31/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 99, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Riley Washington, Part 3 Continued…. RW: Actually, what happened, too, when I’d won it all in high school I didn’t even remember the (100 meter) race, because I blacked out. It was the day before the race, and I’d…

Anatomy of an Era: Riley Washington, Part 2

1/30/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 99, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Riley Washington, Part 2 Continued…. RW: Aaron Davis… I was hanging out with him one night during two-a-days and he had a girlfriend here in town. Anyway, we went to her mother’s house and it must have been about…

Anatomy of an Era: Riley Washington, Part 1

1/29/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 99, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch   When Crew and Captain understand each other to the core, It takes a gale and more than a gale to put their ship ashore. -Rudyard Kipling, Together   Innocent until proven guilty? Yeah, right. We’re talking about reality here, and Lancaster County’s…

Anatomy of an Era: Ahman Green, Part 3

1/27/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 98, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Ahman Green, Part 3   Continued….   Q: Let me delve into your pro experience as well as college for this next question. You‘ve been in the same huddle with not only Tommie Frazier -a hell of a warrior…

Anatomy of an Era: Ahman Green, Part 2

1/26/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 98, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Ahman Green, Part 2 Continued…. Q: Now, your freshman year was the year Lawrence Phillips was out for a while because of his off-field issue. So what was it like for a freshman to be playing college football so…

Anatomy of an Era: Ahman Green, Part 1

1/25/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 98, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch   It was so fun going against (our offense and) Tommie. Us, on defense, going against them guys… when we went against them what happened? It made both of us better. Because we felt like if we could stop our offense we could…

Anatomy of an Era: Calvin Jones, Part 3

1/23/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 97, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Calvin Jones, Part 3 Continued…. Q: Delving even further, it’s becoming apparent to me that it takes a diverse group of individuals merging together into a top notch team rather than a singular, homogeneous mix of guys. You had…

Anatomy of an Era: Calvin Jones, Part 2

1/22/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 97, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Calvin Jones, Part 2 Continued…. Q: When you say ‘college running back’ I think of a stud, a thoroughbred. I’ll take it a step further and say ‘First String Nebraska Running Back,’ which I equate to the highest echelon.…

Anatomy of an Era: Calvin Jones, Part 1

1/21/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 97, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch   Gentlemen, it is better to have died a small boy than to fumble this football. -John Heisman   Like most American grade-schoolers learning by rote the succession of America’s Presidents down through the years, Nebraska fans young and old can quite accurately…

Anatomy of an Era: Gerald Armstrong, Part 2

1/19/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 96, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Gerald Armstrong, Part 2 Continued…. Q: Did you ever find yourself wishing you had one more year? GA: I didn’t, oddly enough. I really left it on the field. I was pretty much done mentally. It took me probably…

Anatomy of an Era: Gerald Armstrong, Part 1

1/18/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 96, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch   At the base of it was the urge, if you wanted to play football, to knock someone down. That was what the sport was all about, the will to win closely linked with contact. -George Plimpton, Paper Lion: Confessions of a Last-String…

Anatomy of an Era: Mark Gilman, Part 3

1/16/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 95, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Mark Gilman, Part 3   Continued….   Q: Do you have a favorite or most memorable off-field occurrence? MG: I’m gonna wrap them up into one. I’ll take a thousand off-field experiences and wrap them into one off-field experience:…

Anatomy of an Era: Mark Gilman, Part 2

1/15/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 95, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Mark Gilman, Part 2 Continued…. Q: I don’t think I’ve ever met a man of Coach Osborne’s demeanor. Especially someone who has also been so successful in his chosen field, which by and large doesn’t seem to cater to…

Anatomy of an Era: Mark Gilman, Part 1

1/14/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 95, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch …So please, be tolerant of those who describe a sporting moment as their best ever. We do not lack imagination, nor have we had sad and barren lives; it is just that real life is paler, duller, and contains less potential for unexpected…

Anatomy of an Era: Aaron Graham, Part 3

1/12/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 94, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Aaron Graham, Part 3 Continued…. Q: (laughs) Any one game stand out to you more than another from your whole collegiate career? And if so, for what reason? AG: For me there were so many good battles. You might…

Anatomy of an Era: Aaron Graham, Part 2

1/11/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 94, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Aaron Graham, Part 2 Continued…. Q: What about Coach Tenopir and Coach Young? AG: You know, I look at it this way (and you might want to check the stats on this), but Coach Tenopir introduced me at my…

Anatomy of an Era: Aaron Graham, Part 1

1/10/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 94, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch   Traditionally, we give a great deal of authority and, accordingly, much responsibility to the leader for the success of the team. This is just plain wrong. Over the long haul, a team will not be successful if the leader carries the sole…

Anatomy of an Era: Christian Peter, Part 2

1/9/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 93, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Christian Peter, Part 2 Continued…. Q: Charlie McBride’s methods of feedback were quite interesting, no? CP: Well, listen, I don’t know if the statute of limitations has run out on some things -I don’t want to specifically go into…

Anatomy of an Era: Christian Peter, Part 1

1/8/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 93, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch   The “Red Death” had long devastated the country. No pestilence had ever been so fatal, or so hideous. Blood was its Avatar and its seal –the redness and the horror of blood. There were sharp pains, and sudden dizziness, and then profuse…

Anatomy of an Era: Troy Branch, Part 3

1/6/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 92, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Troy Branch, Part 3 Continued…. Q: So, again, going to back to that '90 season, what do you think created that ‘folding’, per se? Was there a different mindset at that time? TB: I just think it was an…

Anatomy of an Era: Troy Branch, Part 2

1/5/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 92, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Troy Branch, Part 2 Continued…. Q: What other coaches stand out to you from your time there? TB: Me, I didn’t spend a ton of time up in the coaches’ offices and stuff like that. I was really self-sufficient…

Anatomy of an Era: Troy Branch, Part 1

1/4/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 92, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch   From strength to strength go on, wrestle and fight and pray, Tread all the powers of darkness down and win the well fought day.  -John Wes­ley, quoted by Charles Wes­ley, Char­ac­ter of a Meth­od­ist   Word on the street has it that…

Anatomy of an Era: Toby Wright, Part 2

1/3/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 91, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Toby Wright, Part 2 Continued…. Q: So you arrived on campus and Coach Darlington was your position coach, right? Tell me about your experience with George. TW: (laughs) You know what, Coach Darlington –and I laugh about it now…

Anatomy of an Era: Toby Wright, Part 1

1/2/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 91, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch   Life is a grindstone. Whether it grinds you down or polishes you up depends upon what you are made of. -Josh Billings   You’ve heard his name mentioned a few times previous, and with relentless diligence I finally tracked down a Blackshirt…

Anatomy of an Era: Jon Pedersen, Part 3

1/1/19 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 90, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Jon Pedersen, Part 3 Continued…. Q: Any other coaches stand out to you as special or unique? JP: Well, Charlie McBride… come on. He was the biggest character of them all. Him and his fake teeth, the guy was…

Anatomy of an Era: Jon Pedersen, Part 2

12/31/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 90, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Jon Pedersen, Part 2 Continued…. Q: So the idea that Nebraska was just a football factory -in your experience that doesn’t hold water? JP: Yeah. (Coach Osborne) was always just, “If you’re going to do it, do it right.”…

Anatomy of an Era: Jon Pedersen, Part 1

12/30/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 90, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch   Football is a rough sport. You encounter 11 people on the other side of the ball trying to make you fail. They’re trying to block you, strip the ball from you, slam you into the turf. (Players) expect to experience a certain…

Anatomy of an Era: Professor Ken Dewey, Part 2

12/29/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 89, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Professor Ken Dewey, Part 2 Continued…. Q: Let me ask you, when it comes to thunderstorms, I believe you once said that there’s more energy in one thunderstorm than all the exploded bombs of World War II combined… KD:…

Anatomy of an Era: Professor Ken Dewey, Part 1

12/28/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 89, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch   Every thing seems colossal on this great continent; if it rains, if it blows, if it thunders, it is all done fortissimo; but I often felt terror yield to wonder and delight, so grand, so glorious were the scenes a storm exhibited…but…

Anatomy of an Era: Mike Anderson, Part 3

12/25/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 88, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Mike Anderson, Part 3 Continued…. Q: Obviously you were around when there was the ‘Unity, Belief, Respect’ mindset being pushed. Was that an outgrowth of the Unity Council or was that a separate thing? MA: I don’t remember off…

Anatomy of an Era: Mike Anderson, Part 2

12/24/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 88, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Mike Anderson, Part 2 Continued…. Q: So tell me, what about that game stands out? What is fresh in your mind about that game yet today? MA: One of the things that always stands out to me is: you…

Anatomy of an Era: Mike Anderson, Part 1

12/23/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 88, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch   Bonding within the organization takes place as one individual and then another steps up and raises his or her level of commitment, sacrifice, and performance. They demand and expect a lot of one another. -Bill Walsh (with Craig Walsh and Steve Jamison),…

Anatomy of an Era: Sonya Varnell, Part 2

12/21/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 87, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Sonya Varnell, Part 2 Continued…. Q: Did you have a lot of contact with Coach Osborne and other assistant coaches at the time? SV: Coach Osborne would come and talk to me occasionally if there was a situation and…

Anatomy of an Era: Sonya Varnell, Part 1

12/20/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 87, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch   “You(‘re) dealing with so many issues," Osborne said. ”You have more than 100 young guys that have a lot of energy and come from diverse backgrounds and you do the best you can to make sure they are good students, good athletes…

Anatomy of an Era: David Alderman, Part 3

12/18/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 59, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: David Alderman, Part 3 Continued…. Q: Do any one of (Coach Osborne’s talks) stand out to you in particular? DA: I know the other one… He told the story about, “There’s a football player on a team, maybe not…

Anatomy of an Era: David Alderman, Part 2

12/17/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 59, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: David Alderman, Part 2 Continued…. Q: Who would you find yourself going up against in practice? DA: Well, I remember going up against (Brendan) Holbein, Brett Popplewell, some of those guys. Q: Any special memories or events stick out…

Anatomy of an Era: David Alderman, Part 1

12/16/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 85, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch People seek activities where they can pursue three essential things: they want autonomy in their work, they want to develop a mastery in their performance of the work, and they want to take on and play a part in something bigger than they…

Anatomy of an Era: Gary Fouraker, Part 2

12/15/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 84, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Gary Fouraker, Part 2 Continued…. Q: I was talking to Damon Schmadeke and he mentioned flying back from that game in Tokyo, talking about those big linemen and how they snuck a little guy in between all of them,…

Anatomy of an Era: Gary Fouraker, Part 1

12/14/18 | Paul Koch
Although the dust storms and raining grasshoppers frightened me I felt bad for the hungry men and poor (Nebraska) farmers… Only later did I appreciate the thrift that the Depression enforced with a harsh hand, the lesson of never, even in the bad times, spending more than you earned. And in the good times, you saved and saved. -Peter G.…

Anatomy of an Era: Brandon Hamer, Student Manager, Part 2

12/12/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 83, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Brandon Hamer, Part 2 Continued…. Q: Do you recall your first game on the sidelines? BH: Actually, it was the first year even though we were only volunteering. We each got one game where we got to be the…

Anatomy of an Era: Brandon Hamer, Student Manager, Part 1

12/11/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 83, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch   Where the willingness is great, the difficulties cannot be great. -Nicolo Machiavelli, The Prince   Frank Phillips, founder of a little oil and gas outfit by the name of Phillips Petroleum Company, was born in Scotia, Nebraska in 1873. At one time…

Anatomy of an Era: Coach Dan Young, Part 2

12/9/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 82, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Coach Dan Young, Part 2 Continued…. Q: I suppose it’s pretty difficult to simulate the old Orange Bowl environment, eh? Not many chances to kick a field goal off of sand, is it? DY: No, (laughs) that was a…

Anatomy of an Era: Coach Dan Young, Part 1

12/8/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 82, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch   I think about him every day…From the time I lost him and growing up through grade school, through high school, and in college, it hasn’t gotten any easier. The part of missing him has gotten worse. But my dad was a very…

Anatomy of an Era: Matt Shaw, Part 3

12/7/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 81, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Matt Shaw, Part 3 Continued…. Q: What about the grading process? Feedback? What sticks out to you there? MS: I think the real good time to learn was both by watching yourself and watching other guys in the film…

Anatomy of an Era: Matt Shaw, Part 2

12/6/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 81, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Matt Shaw, Part 2 Continued…. Q: Matt, what do you think set the Nebraska program apart at the time? MS: I think we just had superior character on that team. My class saw the extreme ends of how things…

Anatomy of an Era: Matt Shaw, Part 1

12/5/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 81, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch   And kid, cut out this fancy stuff -go in there, low and hard; Just keep your eye upon the ball and plug on, yard by yard, And more than all, when you are thrown or tumbled with a crack, Don't sit there…

Anatomy of an Era: Tom Sieler, Part 2

12/4/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 80, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Tom Sieler, Part 2 Continued…. Q: Take me into the mind of a 17-year-old, 18-year-old kid at the time. Was your goal to earn a scholarship? Was it to achieve something? Beat your personal best? Notoriety? Girls? What? TS:…

Anatomy of an Era: Tom Sieler, Part 1

12/3/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 80, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch   It was just a given (on wanting 4th down offensive play-calls). We wanted every chance we could to keep that ball out there. And to take a field goal or punt? We just did not want to have that happen. -Fred Pollack,…

Anatomy of an Era: Darin Erstad, Part 2

12/2/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 79, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Darin Erstad, Part 2 Continued…. Q: Any fond memories of Coaches Charlie McBride or Kevin Steele? Any good yarns or occasions come to mind when you think of those guys? DE: When I think of Coach McBride -outside looking…

Anatomy of an Era: Darin Erstad, Part 1

12/1/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 79, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch BOB DYLAN: …and the next thing I know I'm in Omaha. It's so cold there, by this time I'm robbing my own bicycles and frying my own fish. I stumble onto some luck and get a job …out at the hot-rod races every…

Anatomy of an Era: Jason Peter, Part 2

11/30/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 77, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Jason Peter, Part 2 Continued…. Q: Was there anyone behind the scenes that some folks wouldn’t be aware of? Someone who played a huge role in making those teams special? JP: There’s a lot of them, from the academic…

Anatomy of an Era: Jason Peter, Part 1

11/29/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 77, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch   Nearly every boy can run, jump, swim, play a passable game of tennis, or hit a golf ball, but not every boy can play football. The game calls for an extraordinary amount of physical courage and combativeness…demands a certain type of intelligence,…

Anatomy of an Era: R. Scott Clark, Theologian

11/28/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 76, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch   The valiant men are in scarlet. ..They jostle one another in the broad roads; They seem like torches, They run like lightning. ..And the defense is prepared. -Nahum 2:3-5, The Holy Bible, The Reformation Study Bible, New King James Version, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1995…

Anatomy of an Era: Ed Stewart, Part 3

11/26/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 75, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Ed Stewart, Part 3 Continued…. Q: Speaking of the linebacking corps, tell me about Coach Kevin Steele. Fill me in on the guy… ES: Intense. In-tense. Was an excellent coach as far as excellent teacher and strategist about what…

Anatomy of an Era: Ed Stewart, Part 2

11/25/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 75, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Ed Stewart, Part 2 Continued…. Q: Do you recall any differences between Chicagoans and Lincolnites? ES: It was different coming from the big city as an African-American male, growing up in the city on the South Side of Chicago…

Anatomy of an Era: Ed Stewart, Part 1

11/24/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 75, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch   “Come to the edge.” “We can’t. We’re afraid.” “Come to the edge.” “We can’t. We will fall!” “Come to the edge.” And they came. And he pushed them. And they flew. -Guillaume Apollinaire, French poet, 1880-1918   It’s been claimed that a…

Anatomy of an Era: Mike Mason, Part 2

11/23/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 74, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Mike Mason, Part 2 Continued…. Q: You talked about confidence among the team. Would you say they were cocky or confident? MM: They weren’t really cocky. But just the way they carried themselves, you knew they meant business out…

Anatomy of an Era: Mike Mason, Part 1

11/22/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 74, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch   I never remember feeling tired by work, though idleness exhausts me completely. -Sir Arthur Conan Doyle   Who doesn’t love a good behind-the-scenes yarn? A glimpse into the secret sanctuary, a peak behind the Wizard’s curtain, a place where things really happen…

Anatomy of an Era: Aaron Penland, Part 2

11/20/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 73, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Aaron Penland, Part 2 Continued…. Q: Any memorable practice experiences? Aaron Penland: (chuckles) Yeah, I’ve got many of those, but I don’t know if I want to share ’em. (laughs) I used to get in a couple of fights…

Anatomy of an Era: Aaron Penland, Part 1

11/19/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 73, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch   In football everything is complicated by the presence of the opposite team. -Jean-Paul Sartre   Wedgebuster. It’s an odd word, full of action. It jumps off the lips like a firecracker. The sound of it erupts from somewhere deep down in the…

Anatomy of an Era: Coach Charlie McBride, Part 3

11/18/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 72, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Coach Charlie McBride, Part 3 Continued…. Q: Do you think coaching Kenny Walker challenged you to be a better coach? Do you think having Kenny on the team affected guys on down the line in future years? Charlie McBride:…

Anatomy of an Era: Coach Charlie McBride, Part 2

11/17/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 72, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Coach Charlie McBride, Part 2 Continued…. Q: You mentioned kids having good work habits: Persevering Nebraska walk-ons? Charlie McBride: I can’t think of this kid’s name -I think he was from Central City- but what happened was, he was…

Anatomy of an Era: Coach Charlie McBride, Part 1

11/16/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 72, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch   Inigo Montoya: Who are you? Man in Black: No one of consequence. Inigo Montoya: I must know... Man in Black: Get used to disappointment. -William Goldman, The Princess Bride   Alexander the Great: World conqueror joining East and West, history’s maverick integrator…

Anatomy of an Era: Larry Townsend, Part 2

11/15/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 69, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Larry Townsend, Part 2 Continued…. Q: Going back to what you said about knowing you were going to win because of the work ethic and everything, what percentage of that do you think came from the coaching and what…

Anatomy of an Era: Larry Townsend, Part 1

11/14/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 69, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch   "Football is violence and cold weather and sex and college rye." -Roger Kahn   By now I would like to think we have a well-informed grasp of how the Cornhuskers did it, although our upcoming man of mystery, Charlie McBride, is just…

Anatomy of an Era: Jared Tomich, Part 3

11/13/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 71, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Jared Tomich, Part 3 Continued…. Q: Did your folks get to see many games? Jared Tomich: They did, yes. They would always make it out to quite a few. And it was cool because we’d play Michigan State, which…

Anatomy of an Era: Jared Tomich, Part 2

11/12/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 71, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Jared Tomich, Part 2 Continued…. Q: Did the Nebraska people strike you as any different from the area you grew up? Jared Tomich: You know what? Not a whole lot different. Because, fortunately, Chicago has really good fans as…

Anatomy of an Era: Jared Tomich, Part 1

11/11/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 71, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch   “Fire is the test of gold; adversity, of strong men.” -Seneca, Moral Essays. On Providence   We’ve notably seen the Nebraska-effect as well as the Chicago-, Texas-, California- and New Jersey-effect that some of the players brought to the amalgamation that was…

Anatomy of an Era: Jason Scott Jenkins, Part 2

11/9/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 70, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Jason Scott Jenkins, Part 2 Continued…. Q: Do you recall any first impressions of the tunnel walk and the home crowd? Jason Scott Jenkins: I’ll never forget those memories, they will last a lifetime. I would have the cold…

Anatomy of an Era: Jason Scott Jenkins, Part 1

11/8/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 70, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch   “Be everywhere, do everything, and never fail to astonish the customer.” -Macy’s motto   College football? Check. Undefeated, 2-time National Champion? Check. Pro football? Pro boxing? Model? Bodyguard to the rich & famous? Hollywood actor? Hollywood producer? Check, check, check, check, check,…

Anatomy of an Era: Jacques Allen, Part 3

11/7/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 68, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Jacques Allen, Part 3 Continued…. Q: I’m not sure if I’ll be interviewing Tyrone Williams, as he’s been hard to get ahold of, but would there be anything unique you’d say about going up against Tyrone in practices? JA:…

Anatomy of an Era: Jacques Allen, Part 2

11/6/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 68, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Jacques Allen, Part 2 Continued…. Q: Any other comedy bits that you were known by in those days? Any other one-liners worth sharing? Jacques Allen: I used to do impressions. I used to do skits before meetings, stand up…

Anatomy of an Era: Jacques Allen, Part 1

11/5/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 68, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch   We show up to Missouri that year (in 1997) and they tell us that we can’t practice on their field… And Osborne’s not real happy about the whole deal -because obviously he likes to do the walk-through on the field that we’re…

Anatomy of an Era: Lance Gray, Part 3

11/2/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 67, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Lance Gray, Part 3 Continued…. Q: So bring us into present day. What have you taken from being in the Nebraska Football system? What are the greatest benefits from that experience? Lance Gray: The most important thing I got…

Anatomy of an Era: Lance Gray, Part 2

11/1/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 67, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Lance Gray, Part 2 Continued…. Q: What about Charlie McBride? Lance Gray: Oh geez, he was the greatest guy in the world. Marvelous motivator and one of those things where he would give a pep talk before the game,…

Anatomy of an Era: Lance Gray, Part 1

10/31/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 67, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch   …he came West a young boy…and took a job as a driver for a freighting company that carried supplies across the plains from Nebraska City to Cherry Creek, as Denver was then called. The freighters, after embarking in that sea of grass…

Anatomy of an Era: Eric Stokes, Part 3

10/30/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 66, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Eric Stokes, Part 3 Continued…. Q: What stands out after that ’94 Florida State/Orange Bowl game where you say things changed? What stands out to you the most? Eric Stokes: Just the focus that the team had that next…

Anatomy of an Era: Eric Stokes, Part 2

10/29/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 66, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Eric Stokes, Part 2 Continued…. Q: What about any of the other defensive coaches? Anyone else in particular stand out to you as far as the staff dynamic from those days? Eric Stokes: Of course, Charlie McBride stands out.…

Anatomy of an Era: Eric Stokes, Part 1

10/28/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 66, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch   In the workplace, diversity as equal opportunities is perceived to have many economic advantages in terms of maximizing the human resource potential: good recruitment and retention, improved working relationships in an atmosphere of inclusion, free from fear and allowing for personal development…

Anatomy of an Era: Michael Booker, Part 3

10/26/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 65, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Michael Booker, Part 3 Continued…. Q: The Blackshirts were mean and nasty? Michael Booker: Grant Wistrom, Jared Tomich, the Peter brothers, they were ruthless. But these guys off the field were just a bunch of teddy bears. We all…

Anatomy of an Era: Michael Booker, Part 2

10/25/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 65, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Michael Booker, Part 2 Continued…. Q: And Coach Osborne, what stands out about him? Michael Booker: Well, one thing about me and Lawrence Phillips, we got into a lot of confrontations. Me and Lawrence got into it about three…

Anatomy of an Era: Michael Booker, Part 1

10/24/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 65, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch   “I am a part of all that I have met.” -Alfred, Lord Tennyson   Making Ohio, California, Nebraska, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas and North Carolina his home during various stages in life, Michael Booker is a well-traveled man. I had a hard time…

Anatomy of an Era: Bill Humphrey, Part 3

10/23/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 64, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Bill Humphrey, Part 3 Continued…. Q: Speaking of that game versus Miami, are there any specific matchups or plays against those guys that you remember most? Bill Humphrey: The one thing I remember most was that Sapp had a…

Anatomy of an Era: Bill Humphrey, Part 2

10/22/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 64, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Bill Humphrey, Part 2 Continued…. Q: So then you go to the other side of the ball with Milt Tenopir and Dan Young on offense. How did that switch go physically, mentally, emotionally? Bill Humphrey: Well, I think it…

Anatomy of an Era: Bill Humphrey, Part 1

10/21/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 64, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch   “We want big kids who like to hit people.” -Bob Devaney   Big kids, fast kids, smart kids. Scholarship kids, walk-on kids. Nebraska kids, out-of-state kids. Spunky kids, tough kids. Myriad kids. Kids, kids, kids. No, this isn’t my attempt at one-upping…

Anatomy of an Era: Trumane Bell, Part 3

10/19/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 62, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Trumane Bell, Part 3 Continued…. Q: Is there anything you wish you had the chance to do over? Trumane Bell: I thought I worked pretty hard at school. I thought I worked hard on the field. Sometimes I think,…

Anatomy of an Era: Trumane Bell, Part 2

10/18/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 62, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Trumane Bell, Part 2 Continued…. Q: Do you recall the very first game you played in? Trumane Bell: Oh yeah, it was the very first game after my redshirt year. I can remember, it was me, Kareem Moss and…

Anatomy of an Era: Trumane Bell, Part 1

10/17/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 62, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch   How precious a thing is the human family. Is it not worth some sacrifice in time, energy, safety, discomfort, work? Does anything come forth without work? …Unity and diversity. Form and freedom. Togetherness and individuality. A family. -Edith Schaeffer, What is a…

Anatomy of an Era: Phil Ellis, Part 3

10/16/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 62, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Phil Ellis, Part 3 Continued…. Q: Any practice event that sticks out in your mind? Phil Ellis: Oh, there was one night. I remember, it was dark, you couldn’t see anything. And coaches were all fired up and we…

Anatomy of an Era: Phil Ellis, Part 2

10/15/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 62, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Phil Ellis, Part 2 Continued…. Q: Phil, I’m of the mindset that many people just expected -for lack of a better term- expected you guys to run out there on Saturdays and dominate and win, yet don’t have an…

Anatomy of an Era: Phil Ellis, Part 1

10/14/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 62, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch   One winter his cattle had perished in a blizzard. The next summer one of his plow horses broke its leg in a prairie-dog hole and had to be shot. Another summer he lost his hogs from cholera, and a valuable stallion died…

Anatomy of an Era: Aaron Davis, Part 2

10/12/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 60, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Aaron Davis, Part 2 Continued…. Q: Aaron, do you have a favorite game or game-time moment? Aaron Davis: You know, I sometimes joke about it, but Saturday was a day of rest for me. (laughs) I always say I…

Anatomy of an Era: Aaron Davis, Part 1

10/11/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 60, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch   “The thing about football –the important thing about football- is that it is not just about football.” -Terry Pratchet, Unseen Academicals   Competing with Sir Mix-A-Lot’s Baby Got Back in 1992, the top song of the year was Boyz II Men’s End…

Anatomy of an Era: Ben Rutz, Part 2

10/10/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 59, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: Ben Rutz, Part 2 Continued…. Q: So then you become a Kansas Jayhawk after your JUCO year. Your first day on campus there, was there anything that stood out to you? Any difference between the Kansas program and Nebraska?…

Anatomy of an Era: Ben Rutz, Part 1

10/9/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 59, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 2 by Paul Koch   The conductor of a great symphony orchestra was once asked which was the most difficult instrument to play. ”Second violin,” he answered. ”We can get plenty of first violinists. But to get someone who will play second violin with enthusiasm – that…

Anatomy of an Era: Vol. 1 Exhibits

10/8/18 | Paul Koch
  Excerpted from Exhibits, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 1 by Paul Koch   “For one who reads, there is no limit to the number of lives that may be lived, for fiction, biography, and history offer an inexhaustible number of lives in many parts of the world, in all periods of time.” -  Louis L'Amour…

Anatomy of an Era: John Reece, Part 3

10/5/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 58, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 1 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: John Reece, Part 3 Continued…. Q: Watching the Florida State game the other night, I never felt so bad as I did when Toby (Wright) bumps into that receiver when they make that pass to the endzone, where the…

Anatomy of an Era: John Reece, Part 2

10/4/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 58, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 1 by Paul Koch Anatomy of an Era: John Reece, Part 2 Continued…. Q: So after the Florida State game you got drafted by the Rams? JR: I actually got drafted by the Arizona Cardinals. (laughs) I kid with people all the time that I left heaven…

Anatomy of an Era: John Reece, Part 1

10/3/18 | Paul Koch
Excerpted from Chapter 58, No Place Like Nebraska: Anatomy of an Era, Vol. 1 by Paul Koch   “I like to believe that my best hits border on felonious assault.” -Jack Tatum   Born to a prostitute mother and pimp father in Austin, Texas in 1928, Dick “Night Train” Lane was ditched into a back alley dumpster a few short…