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Dear Chancellor
Perlman and Coach Osborne,
I have been a
Nebraska football fan since I was 8 (no small feat given I grew
up in Indiana to parents from the east coast). I loved Danny
Noonan, Mike Rozier, Irving Fryar and Turner Gill (and the Peter
brothers, and…). But, most of all I loved the style and culture
of the way football was played at Nebraska.
The last four
seasons have given me a great deal of time to reflect on what
Nebraska football means to me. And, here is what I have figured
out: it is not just that Nebraska won football games—it was the
physical, aggressive style coupled with a true sportsman’s
mindset that set Nebraska apart from other dominant programs in
my lifetime. I have no love lost on Miami or Florida football,
for example.
I loved the
precision of the option, and the utter physicality of the
Blackshirts’ defense. As a side note, much of my fan gear is
dedicated to the Blackshirts. I loved that Nebraska allowed so
many walk-ons from the state simply because they could
contribute to a program that they grew up loving; and living and
dying by on the weekends in the fall. I loved that the Outland
Trophy always had a chance to come home to Nebraska every
season. I loved that defensive players got drafted.
However, I am at a
loss now. I sat in a Missouri bar watching the game two weeks
ago. I was horrified that the defense was slow, standing around
and confused all game. I was emotionally hurt when a once proud
program refused to punch a third and one ball up the gut of the
defense that, a long time ago, was clearly inferior to the force
of the Nebraska offense.
The team, and the
program, has taken a hit during the Coach Callahan years. It
isn’t just that the team is losing, it’s how it is losing that
eats me up inside. Close, well played losses have always been
hard to digest. But uneven, blowout games, where the offense and
defense struggle, look around confused and don’t play physically
are mortifying.
I agree with
former AD Pederson that we can’t give up the conference to Texas
and Oklahoma. I just can’t believe that we have given it up to
Oklahoma State, Missouri and Kansas. If Coach Callahan can win,
let’s keep him. But, more important than winning really is how
Nebraska plays the game. Nebraska football is not finesse. It is
power and strength. It is a force to be reckoned with. Nebraska
used to be a team that will beat its opponents into submission
by the sheer ferocity of play. Please, bring this back. A nation
of ‘Husker fans are lost, and we are depending on you to elevate
the status of the Nebraska tradition to the hallowed place
amongst college football that it has earned.
Sincerely,
Tobias Gibson
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