Q&A with Coach Callahan

Lincoln -- Head Football Coach Bill Callahan recently sat down and offered his thoughts on a variety of topics, including the upcoming season, his coaching philosophies, the Big 12 Conference and the BCS.

Q - What is your offensive style?
"The Husker offensive style is predicated on attacking an opponent in a balanced fashion with the run and the pass. Our style of attack will be a very aggressive, ball-control-type offense that also employs the ability to strike with the big play downfield. The greatest asset to this style of offense is the players within the system. Everything that we do as an offensive unit will be fashioned around the abilities, skills and talents of our players."

Q - Can the West Coast Offense be successful in Nebraska?
"This style of offense has been featured on the professional level with great success. Implementing this offense successfully on the collegiate level will be a huge challenge to our team and coaches. The West Coast Offense is unique in today's college football because it gives a player great exposure into the details of the professional game. This type of exposure can really give a player an edge in his development and assist him in his dream to play in the NFL."

Q - How flexible is the West Coast Offense?
"It is a system that is very flexible and can be tailored to meet an individual player's talent. In our Super Bowl season in Oakland, we played a game where we put the ball in the air 60 times and a couple months later we countered with 60 running plays. That in itself is evidence of the flexibility of the West Coast Offense."

Q - Why is the West Coast Offense so appealing to recruits?
"Today's player wants to be a part of an offense that can win consistently on a very high level. They also want to be a part of an offensive program that can showcase their skills during their collegiate years and beyond. The West Coast Offense provides that opportunity, development and exposure to a player."

Q - What is your defensive coaching philosophy?
"On the defensive side of the ball, we want to be known as an aggressive unit that complements the Blackshirt tradition of Nebraska. We want our players to play physically, fundamentally strong and with passion. The style of our defense will reflect speed and tempo to the ball on every snap with the utilization of multiple fronts and coverages within the total package."

Q - How does your practice style help prepare the team for game situations?
"Each practice is designed to give our players an exposure to situational football. As a staff, we zero in on specific scenarios that will arise on game day. We practice these situations and call this "special category" football. Our players receive a real appreciation and understanding for the situation that we are practicing. This way in practice our players can isolate their focus and energies on one area of the game that is so crucial to our success."

Q - What appealed to you most about returning to the college game?
"Returning to college football as a head coach has always been one of my lifelong dreams. It has now become a reality here at Nebraska. The real appeal in making this decision to come back to college football is because I love being in a teaching environment. I consider myself a teacher first and foremost. I really enjoy the aspect of teaching these great young men on a daily basis. Since I have been at Nebraska, I have relished the opportunity to teach student-athletes who are eager to learn and compete, while at the same time encouraging them to work hard in the classroom and seek a degree that will benefit them in whatever professional career they choose."

Q - Nebraska has a reputation of being a hard-working, physically dominating team. How does this fit with your coaching style?
"My staff and I totally embrace the traditions of Nebraska football. This team will reflect the nature of Nebraskans. We will strive to be as hard-working and humble as the many successful teams that have preceded us. This is a style that I have believed in throughout my coaching career and will continue that mantra here at Nebraska."

Q - You have said it is your intent to build a national championship team. What are the most important components of a national-caliber team? What will it take to achieve that goal?
"Our goal as a team is always to win the national championship. Our goal as a program for the 2004 season is to win the Big 12 North Division and return our program to national prominence. We strongly believe in our profile for a national championship team that includes character, athletic skill and academics. We can only achieve these goals with hard work and diligence."

Q - You have noted that Nebraska is one of the elite programs in the country. What first attracted you to Nebraska?
"Many things at Nebraska were attractive to me. The winning tradition; the lineage of great teams and players; the structure and organization of the support systems here; and certainly our fans and their long-standing support of the program."

Q - How will you preserve the tradition of Nebraska football?
"We intend to preserve all of Nebraska’s great traditions, the touching of the horseshoe, the tunnel walk, the walk-on program, Blackshirts, its wonderful fans, the sellout streak and of course, winning!"

Q - How will you address the high expectations of Nebraska football fans?
"We have very high expectations as a coaching staff and as a team. We will always strive to measure up to the great teams here at Nebraska. Furthermore, we embrace the excellence for which Nebraska stands for. It is an awesome responsibility."

Q - What does Nebraska’s NCAA sellout string, which will hit the 268-game mark this season, say about the program?
"Nebraska has great loyalty and support as evidenced by its consecutive sellout streak. The really amazing thing is that no other school can even come close. It is unique, unmatched and speaks highly of the fan commitment, loyalty and passion for football."

Q - What is your vision for this football program?
"My vision for Nebraska football is for this program to reach new levels of success both on and off the field. I can envision Nebraska football serving as the model program in college football in the new millennium."

Q - The Big 12 Conference is known as one of the nation’s best for Division I football. How do you plan to meet the challenge of coaching in this elite conference?
"As a team, we totally respect the coaches and players in this conference. They have done an excellent job. It is a very competitive and strong conference, but we are confident in our plan to win and look forward to the challenge we are faced with in the Big 12."

Q - You have assembled a top-notch staff here at Nebraska. What qualities did you look for in each of your assistants?
"Loyalty, experience and the ability to respect and blend into the Nebraska tradition."

Q - You and your staff already have a reputation as strong recruiters. What makes a great recruiter?
"Communication skills that involve care and concern. Additionally, each individual coach must have the eagerness and the energy to seek out and recruit great players."

Q - You and your staff have extensive coaching experience at both levels. What does that mean for the program?
"There is no substitute for experience especially on the collegiate level. We have a good blend of experience from the professional and college ranks that allows us to function very efficiently and effectively. The players have a real edge from this perspective and it should allow us to progress more quickly."

Q - Your staff has a diverse background with connections to all parts of the country. How will this be a benefit for the program?
"Number one we benefit greatly from the recruiting standpoint. Number two, this experience and background gives us great insight to what other teams around the country are doing. Coming from other programs enables us to have a better understanding of the competitive nature of college football and allows for great dialogue and exchange of ideas to make our program the best."

Q - What do you look for in a recruit?
"We have a profile that a player must meet. This profile is based on championship teams from the past. It gives us a very high standard to measure up to. The profile is predicated on success in three areas: character, academics and athletic skills."

Q - How important is it to build a recruiting class by utilizing the top players in the state of Nebraska?
"Without question it is a priority to keep the great instate players here at Nebraska. We have a tradition of All-Americans and of our 92 first-team All-Americans, 40 of them hailed from this great state, including (2001 Heisman Trophy winner) Eric Crouch and (2003 punter) Kyle Larson, who walked on to the Husker program."

Q - How important is maintaining the walk-on tradition at Nebraska?
"This spring we awarded four scholarships to walk-on players. We have continued to carry on this great legacy. We believe strongly in the value and tradition of the walk-on program here at Nebraska and we want to see that last and keep it going. We want to make sure that when a player comes to the University of Nebraska, he is going to have every opportunity succeed to maximize his talents and abilities. I have admiration for walk-ons. My son is a walk-on. We treat our players in a first-class manner and walk-ons are no exception."

Q - What is your philosophy on playing true freshmen?
"I am of the belief that a freshman can play early providing he can contribute to winning football. History has shown that there are many freshmen who can balance academics and the day-to-day demands of adapting to college life."

Q - What is your position on a playoff?
"I feel very strongly about the BCS format. It allows for great interest and fan following and allows for the great tradition of the bowls to continue."

Q - You have a son who plays college football. What role do you feel the head coach plays in the personal development of a young man during his college years?
"As coaches, we definitely have an impact on a player’s career and his life. College years are a very formative time in a young man’s life. I look forward to helping each one of our players maximize their academic and athletic talent as well as character. Our goal is to have the players leave the program as better people and more prepared to live life."

Q - Nebraska has a strong history of academic excellence, leading the Big 12 in graduation rates nearly every year and leading the nation in academic All-Americans. To what do you attribute this success?
"One of the reasons I came here was because of Nebraska’s strong support systems for the student-athlete. One of Nebraska’s most impressive support units is its academic support system. The program that Dennis Leblanc and his staff have put together has historically made this University one of the most successful in terms of graduation rates and academic honors. We have a strong obligation to this university and to the student-athlete to work hard every day to continue this tradition and build on this strong foundation. We have a strong obligation to this university to make sure that academics come first and that each of our student-athletes graduate. We have high expectations of our players both in the classroom and on the field and expect that success in both areas of student-athlete life."

Q - What do you expect from your players as they represent the University of Nebraska in the community?
"We want our players to be heavily involved. We believe strongly in giving back to the community, reaching out to help people who are not as fortunate as we are. We expect our players to represent Nebraska in a positive way. All of us ? players, coaches and staff ? will do our best to extend our program with class and compassion."