You probably are old enough to remember Kenny Rogers’ sentimental song, “Twenty Years Ago,” which aired on many radio stations in 1987.
It’s about a man who returns to his hometown and musically reminisces about the good times of twenty years ago.
It was not the same for Nebraska football twenty years ago.
As 2004 unfolded, the media scrutiny over who the next Nebraska football coach would be was nothing short of incredible.
The Pinnacle Sports Network’s Sports Nightly program was flooded with calls from Nebraska fans that wanted to either speculate or advocate who the next coach would be, could be, or should be. Newspaper reporters were camped outside Athletic Director Steve Pederson’s house, trying to catch a glimpse of anyone who remotely resembled a football coach walking through Pederson’s front door.
Finally, on January 9, 2004, – 42 days after he fired Frank Solich – despite a ten-win season – and humiliated Solich’s players and coaches with his “will not let this program gravitate to mediocrity” speech – NU Director of Athletics Steve Pederson announced that former Oakland Raiders Head Coach Bill Callahan would be the Cornhuskers’ new head football coach.
The 48-year-old Callahan had led the Raiders to Super Bowl XXXVII, only to lose to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 48-21.
The following year, the Raiders finished the 2003 season with a 4-12 record, and Callahan was relieved of his coaching duties.
Three days after his NU hiring, Callahan retained Nebraska assistant coaches Turner Gill and Scott Downing. But the rest of the staff of former coach Frank Solich was let go.
Defensive Coordinator Bo Pelini and fellow defensive coaches Jeff Jamrog, Jimmy Williams, and Marvin Sanders were ousted, as well as Offensive Coordinator Barney Cotton, Receivers Coach Ron Brown, and Running Backs Coach Tim Albin.
A new era in Nebraska football had begun.
I wasn’t handling Pederson’s “change in Nebraska football culture” very well.
I was so disgusted with Pederson I contemplated selling most of my Nebraska football memorabilia collection and putting the money in my two daughters’ Alliance St. Agnes Academy tuition fund.
However, a little voice told me to be patient and hang on to it.
I did.
Nebraska began the 2004 season on September 4 with a 56-17 romp over Western Illinois in Lincoln.
NU quarterback Joe Daily scored the first touchdown of the Bill Callahan era on a six-yard run. I had planned to sit at home and listen to the game on the radio but decided to take up an offer from Alliance High School Activities Administrator Rocky Almond to join several other people at the Alliance Country Club and view the game on pay-per-view television at a private party.
As I sat and watched the game, I found myself less than enthused about the contest, despite Nebraska bolting to a 42-3 halftime lead. During the previous 35 years of following Cornhusker football, I would have been thrilled with a 39-point halftime advantage. But the changes that had taken place in late 2003 and early 2004 – and how those changes were handled – resulted in an apathetic attitude on my part.
My Cornhusker football sprit was still ailing.
The Cornhuskers lost the following Saturday to Southern Miss in Lincoln and then claimed a narrow 24-17 victory over Pittsburgh and a close 14-8 win against Kansas.
Then disaster struck.
In the nightmare of Nebraska football nightmares, the Cornhuskers traveled to Lubbock, Texas, and were shelled out of Jones Stadium, 70-10. 52,954 fans and a nationwide TBS television audience viewed the debacle. Nebraska trailed by only 11 points with five minutes remaining in the third quarter, but Texas Tech unleashed seven touchdowns in 12 minutes and two seconds.
Jaded jokes about the Cornhuskers no longer “gravitating toward mediocrity” flooded web sites and radio call-in programs. Fans were embarrassed by the team’s play. A caller to Steve Pederson’s weekly Pinnacle Sports Network radio show begged Pederson not to allow Nebraska’s November 13 contest at Oklahoma to be shown on national television. Despite the caller’s plea, the game aired on the Fox Sports Network and the second-ranked Sooners beat NU, 30-3.
Including the Texas Tech loss, Nebraska dropped five of its final seven games and finished the year with a record of five wins and six losses. It was the first time since 1961 that Nebraska had won less than six games, and the 5-6 season also meant an end to Nebraska’s streak of 35 consecutive bowl appearances.
And that’s a look back at twenty years ago.