| Still curious about Rutgers-Nebraska | | | | district. That year, he became the first |
| comparisons, I stumbled on a short biography | | | | college football coach to receive the Jim |
| of former Nebraska football coach Tom Osborne | | | | Thorpe Lifetime Achievement Award. Presented |
| in a book I just finished called 100 Heroes: | | | | by the Jim Thorpe Association without |
| People in Sports Who Make This a Better | | | | consideration of athletic accomplishments, |
| World. | | | | the award recognizes a lifetime of |
| | | | achievement by people who "set the living |
| It led me to collect a little more | | | | examples that influence others to strive for |
| information about this Hall of Fame coach, | | | | the highest goals and leadership of men, and |
| which I'd like to share with the online | | | | who blaze the trails of accomplishments which |
| audience. The Rutgers 1000 really picked the | | | | leave behind the pathways of tradition for |
| wrong school to pick on. | | | | others to follow." |
| | | | |
| First, are Osborne's football | | | | Osborne is one of only seven men and women |
| accomplishments, after 25 years as head coach | | | | who have received this award since the |
| at the University of Nebraska. | | | | Association was founded in 1986. |
| | | | |
| Â- Two undisputed national titles | | | | Only 40, Rutgers' coach Greg Schiano is a |
| | | | young man; he has plenty of time to build an |
| Â- 25 Top 15 rankings | | | | equally impressive resume. He is well on his |
| | | | way, not only because he has helped turn |
| Â- 12 Big Eight Conference titles | | | | around a football program, but also because |
| | | | he is well aware of the students and the |
| Â- 1 Big 12 Conference title | | | | community around him. |
| | | | |
| Â- 255 career wins | | | | Being a Rutgers football season ticket |
| | | | holder, I can give one small example. At the |
| More interesting were his accomplishments off | | | | close of last week's game, a decisive win, |
| the field. Osborne came to Nebraska in 1960, | | | | Coach Schiano brought his team over to the |
| not only as an assistant coach, but also as | | | | student section of the stadium to join their |
| the team's first academic counselor. Thirty | | | | classmates and the chorus in the singing of |
| years later, his teams had compiled an 82 | | | | "On the Banks of the Old Raritan," Rutgers' |
| percent graduation rate; that's higher than | | | | alma mater. It meant a lot to see our team |
| the regular student bodies at most colleges | | | | celebrate the win with their fellow students, |
| and universities in the country, let alone | | | | as if they were a "12th man" on the field. |
| football players. Nebraska has graduated 65 | | | | This is only one of the small details I've |
| Academic All American football players since | | | | seen since Greg Schiano became our coach, and |
| 1962, an outstanding performance as well. As | | | | it's only on the football field. I know other |
| of 2006, nine years since Osborne's | | | | fans know more. |
| retirement from coaching, Nebraska football | | | | |
| had an 88 percent graduation rate, best in | | | | Rutgers took a chance on Greg Schiano, much |
| their conference. | | | | the same as Nebraska did with Tom Osborne. |
| | | | They brought on a young man who understood |
| Osborne and his wife Nancy also started a | | | | the importance of having quality people put a |
| statewide mentoring program called Husker | | | | quality product on the field. According to |
| TeamMates, which has 73 active chapters and | | | | the American Football Coaches Association, |
| neighboring Iowa. TeamMates started in 1991 | | | | Rutgers has posted a three-year NCAA Academic |
| when twenty-two Husker football players met | | | | Performance Rate (APR) of 971, the best mark |
| with middle school students in the Lincoln | | | | of any state university nationally as well as |
| Public Schools. Coach Osborne felt that the | | | | the top mark of any school in its conference. |
| athletes in his program could make an impact | | | | |
| on the middle school students. | | | | I hope the Rutgers 1000's Hubie Cornpone |
| | | | award died when the organization did. |
| According to its website, TeamMates has | | | | Nebraska provides a model for the kind of |
| successful partnerships with local school | | | | football program most universities, and their |
| districts from the largest urban schools to | | | | community, would love to have. They deserve a |
| some of the smallest and most isolated rural | | | | lot more than to be the butt of stupid and |
| schools, matching a student with an adult | | | | ignorant comments such as those that were |
| volunteer mentor to provide one hour of | | | | made by my fellow members of the Rutgers |
| individual mentoring each week during the | | | | community. |
| school year. Activities during the mentoring | | | | |
| hour range from homework assignments to | | | | New Jerseyans, more than others, should |
| sharing common interests or simply engaging | | | | appreciate what it feels like to be the butt |
| in conversation. This year, over 3,000 | | | | of jokes. I know I've heard "which exit?" and |
| youths, grades 4-12, have mentors through | | | | comments about dirty factories a few times |
| TeamMates. | | | | too often. |
| | | | |
| In 2000, Osborne was elected to Congress with | | | | If you live in the Garden State, I'm sure you |
| 80 percent of the vote from his Lincoln | | | | have too. |