By the Dashboard Lights

by David Friedli

December 6, 2007

 

Restoring the Tradition

           

            Welcome back to Lincoln, Nebraska, Bo Pelini.

            As the new head football coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers, people are saying you are the person to restore meaning and tradition into the favorite sporting pastime of the residents of our fair state.

            Good for you.

            Not only do people expect winning (that means at least 9 wins per year, not just a majority of the games on the schedule), folks also expect you to “do it the Nebraska way”.

            Atlas, how does it feel with the world on your shoulders?

            Tradition.  Do I hear a fiddler on someone’s rooftop?

            Nah. Must just the marching band’s tuba section solo echoing off Memorial Stadium’s press box.

            Tradition.  I am a Nebraska alumnus. I know something about Cornhusker football tradition during the early Osborne years.

            So Coach, before you get too far into winter conditioning and whether the defensive backs will turn and look at the ball or run in stride and “play the eyes” of the receiver while in man-to-man, and prior to thinking about whether to install a zone blitz package against a single-back set in Missouri’s spread offense, let’s consider some of the real Nebraska traditions.

            Coach Bo, the student “card section” was disbanded following the Colorado game in 1977 when, in a unrehearsed show of emotion, the participants wildly threw their flip cards into the air when Nebraska finally scored and rallied to win the game in the 100th straight sellout of Memorial Stadium.  Should we bring the card section back? Do I need to return the one I have?

            Legendary coach and Interim Athletic Director Tom Osborne said he never understood the crowd doing The Wave during games. At this year’s Kansas State game, The Wave went around the stadium six times. Should The Wave be banned, or should the west stadium gray-hairs who don’t participate be escorted out?

            The team used to stay at a motel together the night before the game, watched a movie together and had an 11:00 PM room curfew, but if non-players stumbled into Harry’s Wonderbar sometime after midnight, they usually found at least three assistant coaches huddled in a smoke-filled corner. Let’s just say, they weren’t there planning the next day’s game plan. Harry’s is now closed, so will we find you and your coaches at
Barry’s, The Sidetrack, or the lounge at Mistys?

            Former NU basketball coach Mo Iba reportedly held the rights to any t-shirt logo that said “Mo Must Go”. Have you checked with a patent lawyer prior to signing your contract?

            It’s been a long time since the goalposts came down after a historic victory in Memorial Stadium. Bo, would you loosen the bolts just a little this year? Anticipation is our greatest tradition.