A Nebraska legend made a surprise appearance at football practice on Tuesday. Hall of Fame coach Tom Osborne stopped by the Huskers practice facility to visit with Matt Rhule and his staff.
It’s no surprise that the coach should visit the week of the Colorado game. Osborne had a long history with the Buffaloes, holding a record of 21-3-1 against the former conference foe.
Osborne’s connection to Colorado goes deeper than just coaching against the program. The Hall of Fame head coach almost left Nebraska for the Buffaloes job.
As Mike Babcock reported in Hail Varsity in 2018, Osborne was offered and considered the Colorado head coaching job. Following the 1978 season, Colorado offered Osborne more than double his pay to move west from Lincoln to Boulder.
The head coach told the Lincoln Journal then that his players were the most significant factor in his decision to stay in Nebraska.
“I thought about when it would come time to line up next fall against the Nebraska players I had recruited and coached,” he was quoted in the Lincoln Journal. “That was an over-riding factor in my decision” to stay put.
Osborne would coach at Nebraska for 25 seasons and would finish with a record of 255-49-3. He would win 13 conference championships and three national championships as a head coach.
Coach Osborne in the house today 🐐#GBR x #WhatsNExt! pic.twitter.com/YRRPYQnrvd
— Nebraska Football (@HuskerFootball) September 5, 2023
Find a photo gallery of Osborne’s career below.