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Timeline
Tom Osborne's career through the Daily Nebraskan archive. -
Devaney recruits Osborne for coaching staff
In 1962, Nebraska football coach Bob Devaney asked Osborne to join his staff as an unpaid graduate assistant. -
Tom Osborne's first game as offensive coordinator
Bob Devaney's Huskers lost their season opener to Southern Cal 31-21 in Lincoln. Larry Frost, Nebraska's premier back, rushed for 44 yards on five carries, including a 36-yard dash to set up a touchdown in the second quarter. -
Osborne leads offense during "Game of the Century"
NU Offensive Coordinator Tom Osborne led the Huskers to 362 yards of total offense in Nebraska’s legendary game against Oklahoma. Nebraska went on to win its second consecutive national title that season. -
Tom Osborne’s first game as head coach
Osborne led Nebraska to his first win as Nebraska’s head coach against UCLA in Lincoln. The Huskers beat the Bruins 40-13 with the help of I-back Tony Davis’ 147 yards and 105 passing yards from quarterback Steve Runty. -
Tom Osborne’s first bowl win
Osborne led the Huskers to his first bowl win in a 19-3 rout of Texas at the Cotton Bowl. The Huskers trailed after the first quarter but scored 13 in the third to edge out the Longhorns in Dallas. -
Osborne wins first Conference title
The Huskers rolled through Big Eight competition but stumbled against Oklahoma on the road. It was still good enough for the Huskers to earn their first Co-Big Eight Championship. -
Osborne wins coach of the year awards
Osborne’s Huskers were co-Big Eight champions and Osborne won the Bobby Dodd National Coach of the Year Award and was also the AP Big Eight Coach of the Year. -
Tom Osborne beats Oklahoma for the first time
Osborne’s Huskers were able to get the Sooners off their backs in a 17-14 win in Lincoln. Kicker Billy Todd nailed a 24-yard field goal at the 11:51 mark in the fourth quarter to seal NU’s victory. -
Nebraska beats Oklahoma 37-14 for Osborne’s first outright conference title.
The game seals Osborne’s first outright conference title as head coach. Mike Rozier and Roger Craig each went more than 100 yards rushing in the game. -
No. 2 Nebraska is upset by No. 8 Penn State, 27-24.
The Huskers came into the third game of the season riding high. They had just won Osborne’s first conference title in almost a decade and were among the national title contenders. The Nittany Lions cut the Huskers down with Todd Blackledge’s touchdown pass with four seconds to go. -
(1983) Arguably Osborne’s greatest offensive team nicknamed the “Scoring Explosion”
The 1983 Nebraska team broke many of the existing national offensive records. Most of them have been broken in the decades since, but quarterback Turner Gill, running back Mike Rozier and receiver Irving Fryar are remembered by fans still. -
Nebraska beats Penn State, 44-6
Nebraska extracts a little revenge for its loss to the Nittany Lions a season prior in this thrashing. Penn State likely cost the Huskers a national championship in 1982, but this game was a blowout in the first half as the Huskers got out to a 21-0 lead before the break. -
(1981-1984) Four straight conference titles
The Huskers went 27-1 in conference play through this stretch with their only loss coming 17-7 to No. 4 Oklahoma in 1984. The team took on an offensive flair during this time, with quarterback Turner Gill leading the way. -
(1985) The Huskers suffer the worst season in four years
Nebraska’s 9-3 record and No. 11 ranking in the final AP poll was the team’s worst since 1981, in which they also went 9-3 and ended ranked 11th. It was only a slight blip, as the team rebounded to win 10 games in 1986. -
The 150th sellout
The second game of the 1987 slate was a home contest with the UCLA Bruins. For the 150th consecutive time, 76,313 fans filled the stadium. The sellout streak was becoming a source of pride. -
No. 3 Nebraska loses to No. 2 Colorado, 27-21
Nebraska’s loss in the game gave the lead in the Big Eight to Colorado. It was a huge blow to the team, who had dreams of a national championship coming into the game. -
The Tokyo game
Nebraska traveled to Tokyo, Japan for a Big Eight conference game with Kansas State in the Coca-Cola Classic. The Huskers locked up the conference title with a 38-24 victory over the Wildcats. -
Heartbreak in the Orange Bowl
Nebraska went into the Orange Bowl with a chance at its first national title since 1971. The Huskers played the Florida State Seminoles close, but had their hearts ripped out by a 22-yard field goal by Scott Bentley with 21 seconds to play. -
Osborne’s first national title
After losing to Florida State to end the previous season, the 1994 Nebraska squad was hungry to avenge its close call. The team achieved that goal with a 24-17 victory over the hometown Miami Hurricanes in this game. -
Osborne wins back to back titles
In the defining game of his coaching career, Osborne lead the Huskers to a 62-24 pounding of Steve Spurrier’s Florida Gators. Tommie Frazier broke a memorable 75-yard run in which he breaks around eight tackles. -
(1996) The Big Eight becomes the Big 12
Texas, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, and Baylor join the original eight schools in Nebraska’s conference to become the Big 12. The conference’s first championship game is a 37-27 Texas win over the Huskers. -
Nebraska beats No. 2 Washington 27-14
Traveling to the Pacific Northwest for this early season battle, the Huskers were tested early by the Huskies. Quarterback Scott Frost ran two 30-plus yard touchdowns in to lead the Huskers. -
Nebraska wins its first Big 12 Title
In the conference’s second championship game, the Huskers beat Texas A&M, 54-15. Running back Ahman Green leads the team with 179 rushing yards and two touchdowns. -
Osborne wins his third national title with a 42-17 pounding of Tennessee
In Osborne's final game as head coach, his team, led by quarterback Scott Frost, I-back Ahman Green and fullback Joel Makovicka, ran for more than 400 yards. The Peyton Manning-led Volunteers were no match for the Huskers. -
Osborne steps down as coach
Following the 1998 Orange Bowl, Osborne gave his goodbye speech in the locker room as players celebrated the championship. Nebraska fans said goodbye to the greatest coach in the history of their program. -
(2007) Osborne takes a shot at governor
After six years as a congressman, Osborne decided he wanted to take things closer to home. He ran against incumbent Dave Heineman in the primary, but lost. -
(2000-2007) Osborne goes to Washington
In 2000 Osborne, a Republican, was elected into Congress to represent Nebraska’s third Congressional district. He was elected three times, twice unopposed. -
Osborne takes over as athletic director
Following the firing of Steve Pederson, Osborne took over the Athletic Director role with an interim tag. The tag was removed soon after. Osborne took over indefinitely. -
Osborne hires Bo Pelini
Osborne fired then-head football coach Bill Callahan after he wrapped up the 2007 season with a loss to Colorado. He hired Pelini for his defensive knowledge and willingness to turn the program around. -
Nebraska moves to the Big Ten
After years of in-fighting in the Big 12, the Huskers decided to move to the Big Ten. Osborne said the new conference gives the program more stability and raises the level of prestige. -
Osborne hires Darin Erstad
To replace fired baseball coach Mike Anderson, Osborne hires Erstad as head coach after he coached the Huskers for a season as a volunteer assistant. Erstad, a former major leaguer, cleaned house when he took over. -
Osborne hires Tim Miles
To replace former basketball coach Doc Sadler, Osborne brought in Miles from Colorado State. The coach was fresh off of an NCAA tournament appearance with the Rams. -
Osborne announces retirement
After five years at the helm of Nebraska’s Athletics Department Osborne announced he will retire Jan. 1, 2013.
