On this 100th anniversary of the groundbreaking of Memorial Stadium in Lincoln (April 26, 1923), it’s only fitting that I share my feelings about a wrong that was righted on Saturday, April 22, 2023.
It was truly a red-letter day for one of college football’s greatest cathedrals.
Frank Solich was in Lincoln with his family to be honored at halftime of the annual Red vs. White spring game.
The giant video board shared some of Solich’s heroic moments on the field as a player and coach.
The on-field 45-yard yard line markers were painted in red and white.
Frankie’s jersey number.
He was given the game ball after the first play from scrimmage was completed – a fullback trap that Solich had ran dozens of times for Bob Devaney.
Frank was honored at halftime in front of over 66,000 fans for his Nebraska legacy. The ceremony included a plaque presentation that followed the video screen announcement by Hyannis native Terry Connealy that the new football locker room is named the Frank Solich Locker Room.
The Big 10 Television Network spent several minutes during their third quarter coverage interviewing Solich.
From start to finish, Solich displayed an ear-to-ear smile, sharing those big, white choppers.
Lost in Saturday’s glory – and rightfully so – was any type of announcement that six months ago, the field at Peden Stadium in Athens, Ohio, where Solich coached from 2005 to 2020, and recorded 115 victories, had been named Frank Solich Field.
This was a Nebraska day.
The day to right a wrong.
The wrong took place on Sunday, November 30, 2003, when then NU athletic director Steve Pederson held a press conference and delivered his infamous “I refuse to let this program gravitate to mediocrity” speech.
The previous day, he had fired head coach Frank Solich.
The four years that followed produced Husker football teams that were, at best, mediocre.
27 wins and 22 losses.
That compares to 58 wins and 19 losses the previous six years under Solich.
If you’re keeping track, the first six years of the Bob Devaney era (1962-1967) produced a record of 54 wins and 21 loses.
The first six years of the Tom Osborne era (1973-1978) resulted in a win-loss-tie record of 55-15-1.
The 2003 firing of Solich was more than a mere disappointment to me. The plain truth is: I was infuriated.
The Pederson news conference reeked of arrogance. Pederson’s biggest wrong was showing zero respect for Frank Solich’s accomplishments.
Pederson’s mediocrity comment also was a slap in the face to the assistant coaches and every player who wore the scarlet and cream between 1998 and 2003, and I resented it.
It’s an anger that still burns in my soul today.
The conduct in which the University handled the firing was so wrong.
My DNA – which is loaded with nostalgia – also aided in my acrimony over Solich’s dismissal.
Solich was a great Cornhusker player who dated back to 1962 when he was a member of Bob Devaney’s first freshmen team. Solich became one of Devaney’s finest players in 1963, 1964, and 1965. As a Cornhusker fullback, Solich could do it all. He caught a 45-yard TD pass from Fred Duda to spark a 26-21 come-from-behind victory at Minnesota in 1964; he returned a kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown versus Oklahoma State in 1964; he rushed for 204 yards against Air Force in 1965; he served as the team’s co-captain in 1965; and on September 20, 1965, Solich became the first Big Red player ever to be featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
After receiving his college degree, he coached at Omaha Holy Name and Lincoln Southeast High School.
At Southeast, his 1976 and 1977 teams were crowned state champions.
As I perused social media over the weekend, a large percentage of people posted positive comments about the Solich presentation.
Writers from the Omaha World-Herald and broadcasters on the Husker Radio Network also praised the long overdue commemoration.
On Monday morning, KFAB in Omaha radio commentators Jim Rose and Gary Sadlemyer both acknowledged that they should have been better defenders of Solich 20 years ago.
Several photos of Solich posing with Tom Osborne also surfaced on the internet.
That type of picture is worth a thousand words.
However, I don’t need a thousand words to share my approval of Nebraska’s silent “I’m sorry, we screwed up,” ceremony that took place on the Memorial Stadium turf this past Saturday.
Only a few words are needed.
Nebraska righted a wrong.