Tom Shatel of the Omaha World Herald reminds us that thirty years ago — on Dec. 29, 1978 — legendary Ohio State football coach Woody Hayes ended his career by slugging a Clemson linebacker after an interception.
Bo Pelini, who later played at OSU, says:
“I remember seeing that and thinking that was crazy.”
“But I met Woody Hayes later on, and it kind of changes your perspective about the kind of guy he was. He was a good man, a very good man. The older I got, I had more respect for what he was able to accomplish.
“He was a great, great coach. It’s a shame that he went out like that. He had a big heart, very intelligent guy. I had a chance to meet him when I was at Ohio State. He met you once and he always called you by name. He was a good person.”
Bo Pelini names team captains at the end of the season, not the start. It makes a lot of sense, if you examine it. Sure, a team needs leaders along the way. The coaching staff named captains for each game, but this season-end designation is for the record books.
According to Omaha World Herald, defensive tackle Ty Steinkuhler, defensive end Zach Potter, quarterback Joe Ganz and receiver Nate Swift practiced Monday as new team captains. They’ve got three weeks to wear their titles on the field and a lifetime to bask in the company of NU greats.
“It’s a huge honor,” said the soft-spoken Steinkuhler, son of 1983 captain Dean Steinkuhler. “I can’t even explain it. I wasn’t expecting this at all.”
Bo Pelini said, “I’ve been around doing it that way for a long time. I think it’s the right way. It will be like that as long as I’m here.”
Nebraska (8-4) will travel to Jacksonville, FL to meet the Clemson Tigers (7-5) on Jan. 1.
“It is all but certain that Nebraska will be playing in the Konica Minolta Gator Bowl,” Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe said. “Formal Big 12 procedures prevent the conference from making an official announcement until Sunday afternoon. We are aware that fans from all of our schools, including Nebraska, want to begin making plans to attend these contests.”
Nebraska Athletic Director Tom Osborne encouraged Nebraska fans to purchase tickets from the school’s allotment of 12,750 tickets for the Gator Bowl.
“The seats the Gator Bowl has set aside for the participating schools are in excellent locations, and we want our fans to get a chance to purchase those tickets as soon as possible,” Osborne said.
