[Husker] Leadership = Success

[richards todd]

(Me too) emails to the list are usually a not desired.
 In this case though, I must say that Scott from
Georgia wrote a hell of a post.  Me too.

Todd in Tennessee
--- scottbuff at earthlink.net wrote:

> As a long-time Husker fan and lurker (mostly) on
> this list, I have 
> followed with great interest the rise and fall of
> our beloved 
> football program. This program has lost its roots,
> its vision and at 
> the risk of sounding overly dramatic, its soul.
> 
> I'm a native Georgian - not a Nebraskan. In fact,
> I've only been in 
> the state twice. But my draw to this team dates to
> the mid-70s and 
> the very essence that Tom Osborne  epitomized. His
> tenure embodied 
> values that I hold myself as priorities: pride,
> workman-like 
> perseverance, humility, and yes, faith. Nebraska has
> always had a lot 
> of good players and a few great players but the team
> has always been 
> fueled by efforts above and beyond what natural
> talent we had. We may 
> not have always had the best players but we always
> got the most out 
> of good, solid players. Nobody outworked Nebraska.
> It's that almost 
> blue-collar attitude toward finishing the job that
> won titles and 
> respect.
> 
> This attitude was reflected by the leadership of
> Osborne. By most 
> accounts, he was the driving force behind the
> quarter-century of 
> success. But he's gone. Yeah, I know he's back as AD
> but ultimately 
> it's the long-term leadership skills of the head
> coach that's going 
> to bring back success on any regular basis. At this
> point in Husker 
> history, TO can only taxi the plane. What we need is
> a good pilot.
> 
> Solich tried to carry on the tradition by staying
> the course but 
> Osborne's shoes were apparently too big to fill. So
> the university 
> brought in Callahan, who wanted to bring wide open, 
> gotta-pass-the-ball-more football to Nebraska. To do
> that, we were 
> told we had to recruit different style players. That
> hasn't worked 
> out so well either. Probably not so much due to the
> style of offense 
> he brought in so much as the style of coaching and
> recruiting he 
> brought.
> 
> Several years ago, I heard former Husker asst. coach
> Dave Gillespie 
> speak and he said then that Nebraska had to recruit
> a special kind of 
> player. He said the glitz programs offered great
> football, along with 
> spotlight, fame, beaches and glamor. But, he said,
> the kind of kids 
> Nebraska were looking for were kids that were a bit
> more grounded. He 
> said they looked for kids who liked to play football
> and..... believe 
> it or not.... study. We are an academic institution
> first, he said. 
> Plus, "there's not many beaches in Nebraska." I
> don't know anything 
> about recruiting but I'm betting that's a tall order
> to fill and 
> requires matching a special recruiter with a special
> kid.
> 
> And that's what Nebraska is going to have to find to
> get back to 
> greatness - a coach that understands Nebraska
> football, has the 
> skills to recruit for Nebraska football and the
> leadership to gain 
> the respect of Nebraska fans and players. Callahan
> leaving Big Red 
> country in short order is a given. But getting that
> "doable" coach is 
> also a tall order. Osborne may be the only person
> who can do that. 
> Time will tell.
> 
> And time is what's going to have to be given once
> that coach is 
> found. I'd really hate to see us follow the same
> route as schools 
> like Alabama, who has gone through a bunch of guys
> trying to regain 
> prominence, or Oklahoma who went through a decade of
> 
> less-than-mediocre and three coaches after Switzer
> left. Bama's 
> latest employing of hired gun Saban looks like a
> move of desperation 
> to me. He's a great coach but I group him in the
> same area as other 
> evil geniuses like Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer. I
> just don't see 
> this type coach working out at Nebraska. Too slick.
> 
> Guys like Pete Carroll and Jim Tressel definitely
> are able and 
> inspire their players but they remind me too much of
> the Neuheisal 
> guy that was at Colorado for a while.... that glitz
> and glamor thing 
> again....  too much Hollywood. (Whatever happened to
> Skippy? Haven't 
> heard of him in a while.)
> 
> Nor do I think a Phillip Fulmer, a Charlie Weis or a
> Ron Zook would 
> work out in Huskerland. Really, now.... can you see
> the Nebraska 
> embracing a head coach whose persona is like these
> guys? Wrong 
> personalities, wrong styles. Plus, Weis is in worse
> shape than 
> Callahan at this point.
> 
> And any perceived win-at-any-cost coaches, like a
> Jim Leavitt or Pat 
> Hill wouldn't fit either. Nebraska wants to win but
> these guys strike 
> me more as brawlers than boxers. 
> 
> Guys like Bob Stoops or Mack Brown are closer to
> what we need. So is 
> a Frank Beamer or a Jeff Bower or Mark Richt. Maybe
> even a Bo Pelini 
> or Turner Gill. They seem to have the personality
> mix, the 
> enthusiasm, the maturity, the ability to connect
> with players, the 
> recruiting prowess along with the pigskin grey
> matter needed to fit 
> the bill.
> 
> Still, regardless of who is brought in, it's gonna
> take time. We've 
> got to find that bowl of porridge that's just right
> and eat it for a 
> while before we're back in top-25 form.
> 
> Just my opinion.
> 
> Scott
> Jefferson, Georgia
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