MoreThanWinning
Hometown: Omaha, Nebraska
Age: My teenage son says that I was born 35 minutes and 31 seconds before God created dirt.
Occupation: Philosopher-King and unpaid Manager of the St. Louis Cardinals
Current Residence: St. Louis, Missouri
E-mail: [email protected]
Favorite Husker(s): Lyell Bremser and Brook Berringer
College Education: 2 degrees from U.N.L.
Reasons why I need to get a life: I have every football press guide since 1974 and have video taped every bowl game since the 1980 Sun Bowl, except for the 1986 Fiesta Bowl, when both of my VCRs had New Year's Eve hangovers.
What Being a Husker fan means to me:
"Not the victory but the action; Not the goal but the game; In the deed the glory"
"Courage; Generosity; Fairness; Honor; In these are the true rewards of manly sport"
Exhibit A:
1984 Orange Bowl game. Going for the win. Paraphrasing T.O.--"I never thought of going for the tie, I owed it to the players to give them a chance to win."
Exhibit B:
1994 Orange Bowl game and aftermath: Two weeks after the game, T.O. and Bobby Bowden appeared on Up Close with Roy Firestone. Asked to comment on the clip called on the punt return and the non-called fumble on the goal-line, T.O. in his best(and only monotone), merely said that "calls were a part of the game." On the goal-line play Bowden admitted that he was biased and "hadn't studied the play that closely." Another topic was who deserved to be the 1993 National Champion. In a film clip, Lou Holtz claimed that ND deserved it because ND had beaten FSU in November and said, "Even if we had a playoff with FSU and won, I don't know if ND would be given the championship." Bowden went next. He stated that for every argument ND had, he could come with a counter-argument, including that over the course of the season FSU probably played better than ND did. T.O. spoke last. He said he found the whole politicking distasteful. He said he told his players to play the game the best they could and "we'll take whatever comes." [Sounds like T.O. after the 1998 Orange Bowl game with Tennessee.] He added, "We played the best we could, and I guess FSU played the best they could. FSU was voted champions and I congratulate them."
Exhibit C:
1995 Orange Bowl: About ten days after the game, my wife and I were out shopping in St. Louis County when a man walking the other way said "Great game. I am glad class finally won one." I was puzzled for a minute until I remembered I was wearing a 1994 Championship sweatshirt.
Exhibit D:
The name I use to post on this board and the fact that two of my three proudest moments involved games that were not "losses", but simply instances when Nebraska was outscored.