From the Links to the Gridiron, Liley Gives His Best

By Kelli Kremlacek
Lincoln -- Walking on and playing for a Division I football team is an accomplishment in and of itself. But walking on and playing for the Nebraska Cornhuskers after just one year of high school competition is nearly unthinkable.

Try telling that to senior receiver Tim Liley, who didn’t trade in his putter for a pigskin until his last year at Mullen High School in Lakewood, Colo.

"I played golf and that was in the same season as football," Liley said. "But I also ran track and the coaches just kept nagging me, saying `Come on out, come on out,’ and pretty soon during my senior year about two weeks before training camp, I thought `What do I have to lose?’ I just didn’t want to look back and wonder what I could have done."

What Liley did was average 19 yards per catch in addition to his five touchdowns while helping Mullen to a No. 1 class ranking by USA Today during his rookie season.

Liley’s successful leap into the world of competitive football gave him the confidence he needed to try his hand at the collegiate level.

"After that first season things kind of fell into place, and I ended up coming out here," Liley said. "Everything went really quickly and it was kind of a surprise to a lot of my teammates, my family and myself that it worked out that way, but I’m happy to be here."

As a walk-on, Liley redshirted during his first season with the Huskers, and did not see any field action until 2000 when he made his debut against Rice. Although Liley failed to make a catch in his initial showing, he continued to work hard in the hopes that the next game would be different.

Unfortunately, the next game wasn’t different, and neither were any of the next eight that Liley played for Nebraska. With 10 collegiate games under his belt and not a single reception to show for it, Liley forced himself not to focus on his own personal statistics, but instead on the performance of the team as a whole.

"I wasn’t really expecting a whole lot. Coming into a program like Nebraska, just being able to be on the team and do something, whether it be blocking or catching, is great," Liley said. "It’s sort of a difficult adjustment, but when you’re on a winning team, it’s hard to complain."

After nearly four years as a Husker, Liley entered the 2003 season knowing full well that it would be his final opportunity to leave his mark on the Big Red.

However, a reoccurrence of an old hamstring injury during spring training momentarily kept that goal at bay. The fact that Liley was still making the transition between the long distance running of track and the short sprints associated with football didn’t help.

Whatever the reason for the injury, the idea that its return might keep him from performing to the best of his ability became one of Liley’s foremost concerns.

"During two-a-days I felt a little twinge and I was scared to death that it was going to be the same thing again," Liley said. "I’m just so thankful that there hasn’t really been any aftermath."

That fact became evident in Nebraska’s first game this season. As the Huskers took on Oklahoma State, Liley caught a pass from senior quarterback Jammal Lord for a five-yard reception, the first and only catch during Liley’s Nebraska career.

Ironically though, what would have been a major accomplishment for most players in his position, Liley thinks of it as just another perk to being a part of something greater.

"Even if I didn’t get a catch it would have been fine with me as long as I had a chance to contribute in some way," Liley said.

Liley’s recent contributions on the field only serve to enhance his achievements in the classroom. He is a three-time Big 12 Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll member for both the fall and spring semesters, as well as a regular volunteer to such worthwhile causes as Special Olympics Bowling and the Beattie School Fun Night.

This December, Liley expects to earn his bachelor’s degree in communication studies, and will also take the L-SAT, a necessary law school entrance exam. Pending his acceptance into law school, Liley has hopes of furthering his education in either Nebraska, Kansas or his home state of Colorado.

As for that putter he put down so long ago, it didn’t go far. Liley is still an avid golfer and enjoys competing in long-drive competitions. In fact, a few summers ago, he won a contest at the Park Hills Golf Course with a drive of 412 yards off of a borrowed club.