Dave Feit's Greatest Huskers by the Numbers: 67 – Aaron Taylor

As a senior in 1997, Taylor started every game at left guard and set a (then) team record with 137 pancake blocks. A co-captain, he was one of the leaders on a team that won the national championship for the third time in four seasons. Taylor repeated as All-Big 12 and earned All-America honors as a guard. He was awarded the 1997 Outland Trophy, Nebraska’s eighth, and most recent by an offensive lineman.

Nebraska has one of the richest histories in all of college football. Ninety-five different Huskers have been a first team All-American. Thirteen Huskers have earned multiple All-America honors. But only Aaron Taylor was an All-American at two different positions.

Think about that for a second.

Imagine the confidence you must have in yourself as a coach – and especially in your player – to move a potential All-American to a different position, watch him win All-America honors, and then move him back. Not too many people or places could pull that off. But Osborne and Milt Tenopir were right. And Aaron Taylor deserves a ton of credit for being an unselfish teammate.

Taylor was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2018. When his selection was announced, former teammate and (then) Nebraska head coach Scott Frost summed him up beautifully, “Aaron Taylor epitomized everything that Nebraska’s offensive line tradition stands for – determination, intelligence, will to win, toughness, tenacity, power. Aaron was a dominant player.”

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The 1990 season ended poorly. Nebraska lost three of their last four games – to Colorado, Oklahoma, and Georgia Tech – by a combined score of 117-43.

There was division within the team. This wasn’t the standard offense versus defense stuff. There were rifts between scholarship and walk-on players, between players from urban and rural backgrounds, and more. Racial tensions existed. Some players were playing for themselves and not the team. Cliques were prevalent. Players were blowing off workouts because the punishment (running stadium steps) was easier than the workout.

In short, the culture of the program was slipping.

Something needed to be done. But what?

Strength coach Boyd Epley took the first shot at it. Driver’s licenses in the Nebraska utilize a point system for moving violations and infractions. Lose enough points and your license is suspended or revoked. Epley’s idea was to create a point system for infractions of team rules. One point deducted for missing a workout, three for missing a practice, and so on. At three points, the player would have to meet with Osborne. Four points would warrant a call to the player’s parents. At five points, the player would be suspended for a game.

On paper, it sounded like a good system. But there was an unexpected flaw: Osborne was so revered that a one-on-one meeting with him didn’t feel like a punishment.

Back to the drawing board.

Dr. Jack Stark, a sports psychologist, had been hired by Nebraska in 1989, making Nebraska one of the first colleges in the country to employ a sports psychologist. Osborne, who earned a PhD in educational psychology while he was an assistant coach, understood the importance and could see the potential.

Dr. Stark spent the majority of his first full season getting to know the team and earning their trust. Football was a sport played by strong, tough men. And strong, tough men didn’t need to see a “head shrink”, let alone discuss their feelings. As he interacted with the team, it became clear that many players were simply not getting along – and that distrust was impacting the games.

In the offseason before the 1991 season, Stark laid out the framework for what would become the Unity Council. The council would be comprised of 17 players (two from each position group, plus one kicker), selected by their peers. Epley’s point system for infractions would be used, but instead of meeting with Osborne at three points, the player would have to explain themselves before the Unity Council. The Council would determine the punishment, if any. Additionally, players could bring any concerns or grievances before the Council to have them heard and discussed.

If Stark gets the credit for suggesting the Unity Client, defensive tackle Kevin Ramaekers deserves credit for Osborne agreeing to implement it. Ramaekers went to Osborne and told him “We need to listen to this project that Dr. Stark is talking about. We need something dealing with unity, Coach.”

Osborne met with Stark and asked him if it would really establish team unity. Stark said, “Well, it may not work the first year, but it could work better after 3 or 4. I think we could become a force and win the national championship, Coach.”

Despite his excellent record of success at Nebraska, Osborne was feeling the pressure. The collapse at the end of the 1990 season, along with the “can’t win the big one” narrative hung like black clouds over his program. “Jack, you don’t understand,” Osborne said. This is football. We have to win. Right now.”

Stark agreed to push the tempo, but it meant getting started immediately. The Unity Council was started in 1991.

The Unity Council met on Tuesdays. The point system was simple. Everybody started with five points. Missing a class or tutoring session would cost one point. A felony arrest would take all five. When all of the points were gone, a player would be suspended. If they were reinstated, they would get their points back – but if they lost them a second time, they would be kicked off the team.

It is worth pointing out that the Unity Council was not some “Kangaroo Court” where the veterans could haze the underclassmen or bully players they didn’t like. Often, the basic shame of having to acknowledge things like skipping class, poor effort in practice, or knucklehead behavior on O Street in front of a group of peers and team leaders was punishment enough. For bigger disciplinary issues, Osborne maintained the final say… but he often took the Council’s recommendations.

In addition, the Unity Council would regularly discuss issues going on within the team and provide guidance for how they should be handled.

Talking about uncomfortable, divisive issues can be challenging for anybody. That is especially true for young men ages 18 – 23. But they quickly realized that once an issue was out in the open, they could talk through it in a way where “what’s best for the team?” was always put above players and their egos. Then, once the discussion was over, they were usually able to put that issue to rest and move onto the next thing.

As the Unity Council grew and evolved, they helped set – and maintain – the program’s standards. Peer accountability and communication increased. It wasn’t perfect – in a team of 150 players, there’s always going to be people who don’t see eye to eye. But the Unity Council eventually became a watchdog of the program’s culture and expectations.

In Paul Koch’s “Anatomy of an Era“, he interviewed dozens of players, coaches, and staff members from the 1990s championship teams. Almost all of them spoke about the positive impact of the Unity Council on the team. The players felt closer and more connected. And even though that era is marked by several off-the-field crimes and transgressions, the Unity Council worked to maintain consistency in how internal punishments were handed.

The 1991 team rebounded from a disappointing season to tie for the Big Eight crown. It was the first of seven straight conference championships – and three national titles – of the Unity Council era. In an interview with Adam Carriker, Dr. Jack Stark said “I am convinced that exceptional team chemistry was a key factor in this stretch, and the Unity Council played a significant role in developing the chemistry.”

Kevin Ramaekers was an all-everything recruit from Norfolk Catholic. He was a high school All-American, state wrestling champion, shot put state champion, and more. He picked Nebraska over several schools, including Iowa.*

*Iowa wanted Ramaekers to play football and wrestle. On his recruiting trip, he was introduced to legendary football coach Hayden Fry and iconic wrestling coach Dan Gable. Fry thought his last name was “Rainmakers” and was quite surprised that Ramaekers was not Native American.

As you might suspect, Ramaekers – whose family is of Dutch origin – scratched Iowa off the list.

Ramaekers battled injuries and bounced between starter and backup until his senior season in 1993. As a senior, Ramaekers was a force on the defensive line. He had 48 tackles, two sacks, and 19 quarterback hurries. Ramaekers earned All-Big Eight honors in 1993 and was inducted into the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame in 2007.

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