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Tom Osborne: The Head Man

Originally posted on Nebraska Cornhuskers on SI
By TJ Birkel  |  Last updated Jun 30, 2025 9:58 AM ET
  • Husker legend Tom Ruud discusses his days playing for both Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne. 
  • Long time sportswriters Mike Babcock and Brandon Vogel also join the conversation. 
  • Changing of the guard from Devaney to Osborne. 
  • Early struggles to beat Oklahoma. 
  • Storyline that TO “can’t win the big one” begins to emerge. 
  • After the pressure cooker of his first several years, Osborne actually interviews for the head coaching job at Colorado. 
  • By the end of the decade, TO is firmly in place in Lincoln, and has established himself as an excellent head coach with a program on the rise heading into the 1980s. 

Thanks to Tom Ruud, Mike Babcock and Brandon Vogel for joining us for this conversation. GBR for LIFE! 

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This article first appeared on Nebraska Cornhuskers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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