Nebraska Athletics’ new football training complex will soon bear the name of a legendary Husker coach.
The University of Nebraska Board of Regents will consider naming the “Go Big” facility the “Osborne Legacy Complex” after former coach and athletic director Tom Osborne at its April 19 meeting.
The $165 million facility announced in September 2019, is the home for coach Matt Rhule and staff, and serves as the headquarters for all things Husker football.
Naming the facility after Osborne will honor his “immense impact on Husker football, Nebraska Athletics and the University of Nebraska writ large,” the regents’ agenda states.
Osborne led the Cornhuskers between 1973 and 1997, earning 13 conference titles and three national championships.
He later served as director of athletics.
People are also reading…
The 315,000-square-foot facility, which connects to the northeast corner of Memorial Stadium, has outdoor practice fields, a new weight room, training table, and offices for the Nebraska Athletic Performance Lab, sports psychology, and sports medicine.
It also has areas for Husker athletes to recover and socialize, meeting rooms, and academic resources for student-athletes.
100 bills to Pillen’s desk; LPS program finds temporary home; player-led learning
Photos: Tom Osborne through the years
Osborne at Hastings College
Tom Osborne is shown as a freshman at Hastings College in November 1956.
In the NFL
Quarterback Ralph Guglielmi (right) hands off to Dick James at the Washington NFL franchise’s training camp at Occidental College in Los Angeles. Tom Osborne is at left, and Don Besseler is next to him.
Devaney’s top assistant
Tom Osborne in December 1971.
Husker legends
Tom Osborne (right) took over for Bob Devaney in 1973 and continued the Nebraska football team’s legacy.
Taking over
Tom Osborne in 1972.
First game as head coach
Nebraska’s Tom Osborne (right) checks with assistant John Melton during Osborne’s first game as head coach of the Cornhuskers — a 40-13 win against UCLA on Sept. 8, 1973.
Focused on the game
Tom Osborne on the sideline with head trainer George Sullivan as Nebraska plays Minnesota in 1973.
1974 Sugar Bowl
Tom Osborne relays a message to his assistants in the press box during the Huskers’ 13-10 victory over Florida in the Sugar Bowl on Dec. 31, 1974.
Taking down the Gators
Nebraska head coach Tom Osborne reacts with vigor after his Cornhuskers intercepted Florida in the closing seconds to seal a 13-10 victory in the Sugar Bowl, Tuesday, Jan. 1, 1975, in New Orleans. Looking on are guard Tom Alward (63) and Mark Doak (71).
1976 Astro Bluebonnet Bowl
NU coach Tom Osborne (rights) talks with quarterback Vince Ferragamo during the 1976 Astro Bluebonnet Bowl in Houston.
1977 Liberty Bowl
Nebraska players carry coach Tom Osborne off the Liberty Bowl field in Memphis, Tenn., after defeating North Carolina 21-17 on Dec. 20, 1977.
1974 Sugar Bowl
Nebraska quarterback Dave Humm is flanked by Husker coach Tom Osborne as they listen to a dixieland jazz band greeting upon arrival in New Orleans on Tuesday, Dec. 24, 1974.
Longtime foes
Tom Osborne and Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer before the Orange Bowl after the 1978 season.
Tom Osborne, Turner Gill
Nebraska coach Tom Osborne talks with quarterback Turner Gill during the 1983 season.
You’re kidding me
Tom Osborne reacts during a game against Iowa State in 1983.
Disappointment
Tom Osborne watches as the final seconds tick off the clock in NU’s 31-30 loss to Miami in the 1984 Orange Bowl.
1985 Sugar Bowl
Nebraska coach Tom Osborne is carried off the field by team members after they won the Sugar Bowl on Tuesday, Jan. 1, 1985, in New Orleans. Nebraska defeated LSU 28-10. From left are quarterback Craig Sundberg, Bret Clark, Coach Osborne and Dan Wingard. Sundberg was also named MVP of the game.
Playing with McEnroe
With his partner John McEnroe taking it easy, Nebraska football coach Tom Osborne prepares to return a volley during an exhibition match July 23, 1985.
Julie Koch
Snow game
Tom Osborne doesn’t let a little snow bother him during the Nov. 1, 1986, game against Kansas State.
Dadgummit
Nebraska head coach Tom Osborne reacts to an Oklahoma play during the Huskers’ 20-17 loss to the Sooners on Nov. 11, 1986.
Farm Aid III
Willie Nelson (left) and Tom Osborne (center) before Farm Aid III in September 1987. New Nebraska football coach Mike Riley learned football from his father, Bud, and one of his dad’s coaching buddies always put on Nelson’s “Red Headed Stranger” when the coaches would meet at the Riley home after games.
Not another one
Tom Osborne reacts to an Oklahoma trick play during the 1989 game at Memorial Stadium.
Taking on the Wildcats
Tom Osborne on the sidelines as Nebraska plays Kansas State in 1991.
Upset with penalty
Tom Osborne reacts to a penalty called against the Huskers as Nebraska faces Texas Tech in 1993.
Osborne-Berringer
Quarterback Brook Berringer gets instruction from coach Tom Osborne during a 1994 game. Berringer died in a plane crash April 18, 1996. Big Ten Network will air its feature-length documentary “Unbeaten, the Life of Brook Berringer” on Saturday night after the Nebraska-Northwestern football game.
Finally!
Nebraska head coach Tom Osborne watches intently while others on the Husker sideline celebrate Kareem Moss’ interception late in the fourth quarter during the 1995 Orange Bowl in Miami. The interception on Miami’s last play preserved Nebraska’s 24-17 win and gave Osborne his first national championship.
National champions
Tom Osborne receives a long-awaited bath as a national championship coach on the Orange Bowl sideline.
In the spotlight
Television reporter John Dockery talks with Nebraska coach Tom Osborne after the Huskers’ victory against Miami in the 1995 Orange Bowl.
Julie Koch
Celebration
Husker coach Tom Osborne leads members the football team onto the floor of the Devaney Sports Center on Monday, Jan. 3, 1995.
Meeting the prez
U.S. President Bill Clinton shares a laugh with Nebraska football team co-captains Zach Weigert (second from left) and Rob Zatechka (right) as head coach Tom Osborne looks on at left during a Rose Garden ceremony to honor the national champions in Washington on Monday, March 13, 1995.
Trying times
Tom Osborne is surrounded by members of the media as he leaves the practice field after suspending Lawrence Phillips in September of 1995.
Julie Koch
Wins = office number
Office number on Tom Osborne’s door changed with each victory.
Watching intently
Coach Tom Osborne watches the first quarter of action as Nebraska plays Missouri in 1997.
Meeting the prez II
President Bill Clinton gets a signed football from the Huskers.
Frost and Osborne
Quarterback Scott Frost hugs Nebraska coach Tom Osborne during the news conference in 1997 when Osborne announced he was retiring.
Julie Koch
Always coaching
Tom Osborne talks with Jon Vedral during the Baylor game in 1996.
Eyes on the prize
Tom Osborne was well-known for his ability to adapt during a game.
Scott Frost and Tom Osborne
Coach Tom Osborne discusses strategy with starting quarterback Scott Frost in the third quarter during the Huskers’ 38-24 win against Central Florida on Oct. 31, 1997.
Big 12 Championship Game
Husker head coach Tom Osborne (left) and assistant Frank Solich prior to the start of the Big 12 Championship Game in San Antonio in 1997.
Final victory
Tom Osborne holds the Orange Bowl trophy after Nebraska defeated Tennessee 42-17 on Jan. 2, 1998.
Passing the torch
Nebraska running backs coach Frank Solich (right) talks to the media in 1997 after being announced as the man who will succeed Tom Osborne (left) as Husker head football coach.
Old friends
Former Nebraska coaches Charlie McBride (from left) and then-Rep. Tom Osborne.
Promoting TeamMates
Tom Osborne explains the Teammates program that he and his wife, Nancy, started and its impact on the youth of Lincoln. The program pairs a volunteer athlete with a Lincoln youth in a mentoring program. then-Gov. Mike Johanns and his wife, Stephanie, donated $60,000 of the proceeds raised from the Governor’s Inaugural Ball to the program.
9/11 message
Tom Osborne returns to Memorial Stadium via HuskerVison to give a message to fans at the first game since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Osborne in congress
First District candidate for Congress Jeff Fortenberry (right) speaks to members of the media during a news conference in 2004 at the Fremont Municipal Airport. Supporting at the press conference were Congressmen Tom Osborne and Bob Goodlatte of Virginia.
Politically speaking
Then-Congressman Tom Osborne speaks out against gambling in Nebraska during a news conference in Lincoln.
Meeting with the troops
Rep. Tom Osborne, R-Neb. (top center) poses in Baghdad with members of the 267th Ordinance Company, which is based in Lincoln, in September 2004.
Meeting the new guy
Tom Osborne (left), Nebraska Hall of Fame coach and then-congressman, and newly hired Husker head football coach Bill Callahan shake hands during the groundbreaking ceremony for the Tom and Nancy Osborne Athletic Complex on Aug. 11, 2004.
Helping out
Former Oklahoma football coach Barry Switzer (left) and U.S. Rep. and Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Osborne watch Nebraska play Colorado in a Big 12 men’s basketball game in Lincoln on Feb. 22, 2006. Switzer was in Lincoln to attend a fundraiser for Osborne’s campaign.
Running for office
Republican governor candidates Dave Nabity, Dave Heineman and Tom Osborne respond to questions during their first debate at the Strauss Performing Arts Center on the University of Nebraska Omaha campus in 2006. Heineman won the election.
Osbornes honored
Nancy and Tom Osborne share a few words while holding their hard hats just before the start of the groundbreaking ceremony of the Tom and Nancy Osborne Athletic Complex Memorial Stadium expansion Aug. 10, 2004.
A new challenge
Then-3rd District Congressman Tom Osborne announces his plans to run for governor during a news conference April 30, 2005 at Hastings College.
Berringer-Osborne statue
A statue of Tom Osborne and quarterback Brook Berringer stands outside Memorial Stadium at the entrance to the Osborne Athletic Complex.
Taking AD reins
Tom Osborne speaks at a news conference announcing his appointment as interim athletic director while UNL Chancellor Harvey Perlman (left) listens Oct. 16, 2007.
Coach search
Interim NU athletic director Tom Osborne (left) and Chancellor Harvey Perlman arrive back in Lincoln from Atlanta on Nov. 26, 2007, after interviewing Turner Gill as a possible football head coach.
Hiring Bo
Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne (right) calls the end to a news conference where Bo Pelini was introduced as Nebraska’s new head football coach on Dec. 20, 2007.
Meeting with the media
NU athletic director Tom Osborne addresses the media at Memorial Stadium on March, 9, 2012.
On the job
Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne speaks to reporters on Nov. 18, 2009.
New conference
University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chancellor Harvey Perlman and athletic director Tom Osborne answer questions following a unanimous vote by the Board of Regents to submit an application to the Big Ten Conference on June 11, 2010.
Big Ten comrades
Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany (right) and Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne chat at a booster luncheon on Oct. 7, 2011.
Media Days
Penn State coach Joe Paterno (left) and Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne (right) join Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany during the 2010 Big Ten Media Days on Aug. 2, 2010.
Visiting with Doc
Then-Nebraska men’s basketball coach Doc Sadler and athletic director Tom Osborne during a Husker game in February of 2012.
Goodbye Doc
NU athletic director Tom Osborne talks during a March 9, 2012, news conference announcing the firing of men’s basketball coach Doc Sadler.
Tim Miles
Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne shakes hands with new basketball coach Tim Miles before Miles addresses the media at the Hendricks Training Complex on March 24, 2012.
Welcome to NU
Nebraska’s athletic director Tom Osborne and Tim Miles’ wife, Kari and their children Gabriel and Ava, listen to Miles speak after accepting the job as Nebraska’s basketball head coach at the Hendrix Training Complex on March 24, 2012.
Always popular
Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne signs autographs for young softball fans during a game May 11, 2012, at Bowlin Stadium.
Congrats, Jordan
Olympic gold medalist and former Husker Jordan Burroughs gets a hug from NU athletic director Tom Osborne during a private special event at the Coliseum on Aug. 27, 2012.
The topping out
NU athletic director Tom Osborne speaks briefly before the final steel beam is placed atop the East Stadium Expansion Project at Memorial Stadium on Aug. 30, 2012.
NU Athletics Press Conference, 9.26.12
Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne announces his retirement on Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2012, at Memorial Stadium.
NU Athletics Press Conference, 9.26.12
University of Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne stands to the side of the press conference called to announce his retirement effective Jan. 1, 2013 on Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2012, at Memorial Stadium.
NU Athletics Press Conference, 9.26.12
University of Nebraska chancellor Harvey Perlman addresses the media as athletic director Tom Osborne looks on following the announcement of Osborne’s impending retirement on Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2012, at Memorial Stadium.
Michigan State vs. Nebraska volleyball, 9.26.12
Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne (bottom left) sings the National Anthem along with the other Huksers volleyball fans prior to the start of their match against Michigan State on Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2012, at the NU Coliseum.
Goodbye
University of Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne leaves the sixth floor alone after announcing his retirement effective Jan. 1, 2013, on Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2012, at Memorial Stadium.
Scott Frost news conference, 12/3/17
Scott Frost emerges from an elevator on Dec. 3, 2017, flanked by Husker athletic director Bill Moos (left) and Tom Osborne, his former coach at Nebraska.
Reach the writer at 402-473-7120 or cdunker@journalstar.com.
On Twitter @ChrisDunkerLJS
You must be logged in to post a comment Login