FORMER CONGRESSMAN AND UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA FOOTBALL COACH TOM OSBORNE IS THE FIRST LIVING PERSON IN THE STATE TO BE NOMINATED TO THE NEBRASKA HALL OF FAME.
GOVERNOR JIM PILLEN SPOKE ON BEHALF OF THE NOMINATION OF OSBORNE WEDNESDAY.COMMISSION MEMBERS VOTED UNANIMOUSLY IN FAVOR OF OSBORNE’S INCLUSION, WHERE HE WILL JOIN 27 OTHER DISTINGUISHED NEBRASKANS WHOSE BUSTS ARE DISPLAYED INSIDE THE STATE CAPITOL.
UNDER THE PREVIOUS RULES, A PERSON WAS REQUIRED TO HAVE BEEN DEAD FOR AT LEAST 35 YEARS TO BE CONSIDERED FOR INDUCTION.
ACROSS 25 SEASONS COACHING THE HUSKER FOOTBALL TEAM, OSBORNE COMPILED A LEGENDARY 255-49-3 RECORD, CAPTURED 13 CONFERENCE TITLES, AND BROUGHT HOME THREE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS IN 1994, 1995, AND 1997.
ORBORNE EARNED HIS DOCTORATE IN EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY AND SERVED AS A TUTOR FOR FORMER HUSKER COACH BOB DEVANEY.
WHAT BEGAN IN 1991 AS A LOCAL INITIATIVE WITH JUST 22 HUSKER FOOTBALL PLAYERS MENTORING MIDDLE SCHOOLERS IN LINCOLN EXPANDED INTO THE TEAMMATES MENTORING PROGRAM, BECOMING THE LARGEST SCHOOL-BASED MENTORING INITIATIVE IN THE NATION.
THE PROGRAM NOW INCLUDES MORE THAN 140 CHAPTERS ACROSS 130 COMMUNITIES AND HAS SERVED MORE THAN 50,000 STUDENTS ACROSS THE MIDWEST.
Osborne photo courtesy Huskers.com
