Tom Osborne (Nebraska)
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| Tom Osborne | |
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| In office 2001 - (retiring 2007) |
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| Preceded by | Bill Barrett |
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| Succeeded by | Incumbent1 |
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| Born | February 23, 1937 Hastings, Nebraska |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Nancy Osborne |
| Religion | Methodist |
| 1Adrian Smith will replace Osborne in the House on January 3, 2007. | |
Thomas William "Tom" Osborne (born February 23, 1937 in Hastings, Nebraska) is a former football coach for the Nebraska Cornhuskers and a current Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from Nebraska's 3rd congressional district.
In 1959, Osborne graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in history from Hastings College, after which he played three seasons in the National Football League. He earned his Master of Arts in educational psychology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) in 1963 and a doctorate in educational psychology there in 1965. He also served in the Nebraska National Guard from 1960 to 1966.[1]
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[edit] Coaching career
Osborne is best known as the former head coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers, UNL's football team. Osborne was the head coach from the 1973 season until 1997, and led the Huskers to 13 conference championships and three national championships (1994, 1995, and 1997). It should be noted that his teams came agonizingly close to the National Championship on multiple occasions prior to 1994, including the 1981, 1983 and 1993 seasons. The Cornhuskers were 12-0 entering the 1984 Orange Bowl game and ranked #1 in the country for the entire season. Nebraska scored a late touchdown against the then #5 ranked University of Miami to get within 1, 31-30. Rather than attempt an extra point to finish with a tie (and probably win the National Championship), Osborne opted to attempt the 2-point conversion to gain the lead. Had the attempt been successful, the team would probably have won the game and the title. The attempt failed, giving Miami the victory and the 1983 national title. But it cemented his reputation as a great coach who had his teams play to win.
[edit] Legacy
In his quarter-century as head coach, Tom Osborne never won fewer than nine games in a season. His 255-49-3 record gave him the best winning percentage (83.6%) among active NCAA Division 1-A coaches at the time of his retirement and the fifth-best of all time. As of 2006, only Joe Paterno has reached 200 victories in fewer games. But Osborne, who went on an NCAA record 60-3 run over his final five seasons, won 250 games faster than any coach in Division 1-A history. Osborne was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1999. In 2000, he received the Jim Thorpe Lifetime Achievement Award. Osborne will be forever linked with Husker running back Lawrence Phillips who was allowed back on the team after assaulting a former girlfriend after a football game. Some believe that Osborne wanted to keep Phillips on the team in order to win the national championship. Osborne contends that the structure of football was necessary in Phillips life. He was really really super good as a football coach, and pretty much the man aka Da Shiznit.
[edit] Political career
[edit] House of Representatives
Since January 3, 2001, Osborne has represented Nebraska's 3rd Congressional District in the House of Representatives. He is a member of the Republican Party and sits on the Committees on Agriculture; Education and the Workforce; and Resources. Osborne is generally considered a political conservative, although he has been somewhat in the middle with regards to immigration issues.
Most recently, Osborne has teamed up with Nebraska State Senator Ernie Chambers, normally his political adversary, to oppose efforts to expand gambling in Nebraska.
[edit] 2006 governor's race
In 2006, Osborne ran for Governor of Nebraska, challenging appointed Governor Dave Heineman and Omaha businessman Dave Nabity in the Republican primary. Heineman took 49 percent of the more than 197,000 votes cast, and Osborne 45 percent [1].
The Lincoln Journal Star analyzed the race:
While Osborne captured populous Omaha and Lincoln, Heineman sealed his victory in rural counties and key population centers in western and central Nebraska’s critical Republican battleground....
...it was the political impact of two gubernatorial vetoes that appeared to lift [Heineman ] into a late surge, especially in Osborne’s congressional district.
Heineman’s opposition to Class I rural school reorganization and the granting of resident college tuition rates to the children of illegal immigrants cut into Osborne’s support.
Osborne declined to sign referendum petitions seeking voter repeal of the rural school legislation and said he would have signed the resident tuition bill." [2]
[edit] External links
- Congressman Tom Osborne
- College Football Hall of Fame: Tom Osborne
- Huskerpedia: Tom Osborne
- 2006 Nebraska CD 3 Candidate List from VIS
- Voting record maintained by the Washington Post
[edit] References
| Preceded by Bob Devaney |
Nebraska Cornhuskers football coach 1973–1997 |
Succeeded by Frank Solich |
| Preceded by Bill Barrett |
United States Representative for the 3rd Congressional District of Nebraska 2001– |
Succeeded by Adrian M. Smith (Starts 2007) |
| Nebraska Cornhuskers Head Football Coaches |
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| Frothingham • Lyman • Williams • Crawford • Thomas • Robinson • Yost • Branch • Booth • Foster • Cole • Stiehm • Stewart • Kline • Schulte • Dawson • Bearg • Bible • Jones • Presnell • Lewandowski • Clark • Masterson • Glassford • Elliott • Jennings • Devaney • Osborne • Solich • Pelini (interim) • Callahan |
Categories: 1937 births | Living people | People from Nebraska | University of Nebraska-Lincoln alumni | American football wide receivers | Members of the United States House of Representatives from Nebraska | Nebraska politicians | Nebraska Cornhuskers football coaches | San Francisco 49ers players | Washington Redskins players | College Football Hall of Fame | Sports figures in politics | American Veteran Politicians(Republican)
