Osborne Not the Only One Who Choked Up at Reunion - Huskers
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something most had never seen…their unflappable head coach pausing at the
podium and slowing toward the end of his 15 precious minutes with what many
consider to be the best team in college football history.
The man who wrote More Than Winning, among other books, was talking about life lessons
when he went silent for a few seconds before clearing his throat, regaining his composure and
sharing what was beating in his heart and running through his brain. “That was the first time I’ve
ever seen Coach Osborne choke up a little bit,” offensive guard Aaron Taylor said. “He was a
little sentimental when he started talking about his relationship with us players. That’s why he
said ‘if there’s ever anything I can do to help you out, I will’. Coach knows we already know that,
but it’s still important for him to let us know again. That’s why we love him.”
Phil Ellis, a Nebraska native, middle linebacker and one of five 1995 team captains, got a little
emotional himself after seeing his head coach hit the pause button. “I think it was part of
everything we all went through to get to the very end,” Ellis said. “We all remember how trying
the times were back then. It was hard on Coach, and I think it was special that we all came
together as a team. I think it meant a lot to Coach that we didn’t break down. We all stayed
together as a team, and you could see it last night at the reunion.”
From left: Nebraska 1995 national championship teammates Aaron Graham, Jared Tomich and Terrell Farley.
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Tony Veland Remixed, Remade His Pregame Locker Room Speech
Tony Veland, a vaunted Blackshirt, animated free safety and motivational ’95 captain, remixed
and remade his inspiring, memorable pregame speech at Friday night’s banquet. It resonated on
Memorial Stadium’s third floor and took everyone back to why Nebraska was so determined to
crush unbeaten Florida, 6224, in the most lopsided national championship game ever played.
“Coach choked up, and I’ve never seen that either,” Veland said. “I can’t speak for Coach, but I
have an idea of why. He coached us for a long time. He saw a lot of things, including the
chemistry we had. When I say we accomplished something special, I think we truly did. Even
though we had adversity and turmoil during the year, Coach saw how it brought us all closer.
“He took a lot of heat for a couple years, but we all banded together,” Veland said. “We shut off
negatives and focused on positives. When it was all said and done, the way we responded was
really the epitome of what he was trying to teach us – be good men, have each other’s backs, be
a family and work your butt off every day, so good things happen."
National Championship Crystal Personifies Accomplishment
“We all bought into that, every single one of us,” Veland said. “That crystal trophy that Tommie
Frazer carried out in today’s special Tunnel Walk personified what we all did together, not by
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ourselves. It not only represented that year, but arguably represents what we did alltime. I love
that man and his leadership. He brought us together. We became a family and we still are.”
Ahman Green, the true freshman starting running back on the 1995 national championship team,
became the Green Bay Packers' alltime leading rusher. Count him among those who had never
seen Coach Osborne choke up until Friday night’s banquet. “I think we were all surprised, but we
shouldn’t have been surprised,” Green said.
“It was nice to reunite as a family,” he added. “For more than 30 years, he coached thousands of
kids. His goal was to meet, coach, teach, touch and show all of us how to become men. He was
never driven by fame or fortune. He could have gone to almost any other college head job or
even an NFL head job. We all know why he stayed here. He didn’t accept all those other offers
because he loved Nebraska. He’s from Hastings and proud of it. Besides being a coach and
leading the athletic department, he was a congressman so he could help his home state.”
