Like a Walk-On?s Journey, ?Grow Big Red? Will Develop into Something Special

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When Tom Osborne spoke Tuesday at the Adams County Fairgrounds in his hometown of Hastings, the audience was an estimated 1,200 "owners" of Cooperative Producers, Inc. (CPI), a group committed to growing partnerships through agriculture.

By the end of Osborne's address, those CPI owners understood why Nebraska's athletic director was asking them to make "Grow Big Red" a part of their agricultural vocabulary, so the Huskers can continue to enable a walk-on program that has made Nebraska the Land of Opportunity for hundreds of players both in the state and across the country.

Amazing what a luncheon chat can do when you count down the days left in a year to make donations.

Osborne's CPI Ag Expo keynote address explained why he believes Nebraska farmers and Husker Athletics are almost "a mirror image of each other" in terms of values and work ethic. He pointed out how they can work together to benefit Nebraska's Cornhusker Cooperative program, a partnership between Nebraska Athletics and state farmers.

In describing the role the Beef Club played in helping Nebraska compete for decades, Osborne expressed equal optimism for the Huskers' first venture into a Grain Club. The state's agricultural economy, he said, has been a stabilizing influence and has helped Nebraska absorb the recessionary impact felt by so many other states.

Cornhusker Cooperative - headed by Nebraska Athletic Department Staff Members Mike Dobbs and Doak Ostergard - makes it easy for farmers to donate grain to Nebraska Athletics.

"About two-thirds of the state's grain elevators are involved in this program, and we think it makes a lot of sense," Osborne said. "We hope we get a lot of cooperation."

Farmers Make 18 Donations at Ag Expo in Hastings

If Tuesday was any measure of success, the program is headed in the right direction. Dean Oberle, the marketing manager for CPI, took 18 donations from farmers back to his office for processing.

"This has been a grand day - our biggest CPI Ag Expo ever," Oberle said. "We've never had that kind of turnout. Tom was a big draw. He talked to a lot of people and really did his homework. He was up to speed on all the new technologies our farmers are using or considering to grow their crops. He talked about increased opportunities for agricultural research as Nebraska moves into the Big Ten Conference and even mentioned how important it is to keep up with the Big Ten schools that have those big stadiums and the big athletic budgets that go with those stadiums."

Osborne told a captive audience how important walk-ons are to the success of the program because of the tone they set every day in practice.

Count CPI as on board and in the game to help farmers make donations that can help Nebraska transition into the Big Ten over the next 6½ months. CPI's efforts to raise money from grain sales also can help the Cornhuskers sustain a walk-on program that has catered to many from CPI's wide coverage area in grain, agronomy, energy, seed and other retail businesses.

Some of the best walk-ons in Nebraska history, in fact, have come from CPI's area. "Kyle Larson walked on from the tiny town of Funk and became an All-America punter," Oberle said. "Andy Means, Todd Brown and Scott Strasburger all came from Holdrege. Then, of course, there's Derek Meier from Campbell. He walked on and played here, and he works for CPI now. Heck, the secretary of our Board of Directors, Dean Luehr, walked on in the 1980s. We have all kinds of reasons why our cooperative members would want to support the University of Nebraska Athletic Department."

Oberle didn't have to bring up the next name. Last weekend, Joe Broekemeier, his nephew, was named the Walk-On MVP at Nebraska's 2010 Football Banquet.

"I don't want to sound like this is Uncle Dean talking, but Joe has a lot of athleticism. He's a very, very talented kid who worked his butt off to walk on and ended up starting the Colorado game and the Big 12 Championship Game (at wide receiver)," Oberle said. "Very few could have done what he did. With all the hurdles he faced, most would have taken the easy way out. Not Joe. When the going gets tough, he gets going."

From Basketball to Baseball to Football Walk-On

Talk about your proverbial long shot. Until two years ago, the 23-year-old Broekemeier hadn't played a down of football since his injury-plagued one-game sophomore season at Aurora High School. The leading basketball scorer among state Class B schools as a junior, Broekemeier accepted a scholarship to play baseball at Nebraska.

When injuries cut that dream short, he was encouraged by friends to walk on in football, and after five non-football-playing years, Broekemeier shattered the odds of becoming a Husker.

He will never forget when Jeff Jamrog, Nebraska's assistant athletic director for football operations, called him the Friday night before his big brother Matt's Saturday wedding in Kearney.

"I have good news and bad news," Jamrog told Broekemeier. "The good news is Bo wants you on the team. The bad news is you have to be at practice at 6 o'clock tomorrow morning."

Broekemeier told Jamrog his brother's wedding was the next day, and he couldn't be in Lincoln.

"You know Bo," Jamrog told him. "If you can't practice, you can't play."

Broekemeier said he would figure out some way to get there.

"No, Joe," Jamrog said, chuckling over the phone. "Get your brother married, and we'll see you Monday morning."

Doing Everything Possible to Achieve a Dream

Oberle loves that story because it defines how far his nephew had to go just for the chance to play. "The thing about Joe," Oberle said, "has been his willingness to do whatever it took just to put that Nebraska uniform on, strap on that helmet and step onto that field, let alone play. He was Scout Team MVP the week before last year's Oklahoma game and the Scout Team MVP the week before this year's Washington game. It's never been about him. It's always been about finding a way to help out his teammates. The only thing that mattered to him was to experience his dream. It was gratifying to see everything he worked so hard for come to fruition to the point where he even got to start as a Husker."

For both personal and business reasons, Oberle couldn't wait to introduce Osborne, so Nebraska's AD could educate CPI owners about the importance of supporting the walk-on program..

"Our 34 locations stretch from York to Holdrege and from the Kansas state line all the way north to Grand Island," said Oberle, who introduced Osborne with the help of a stirring Husker Tunnel Walk entrance.

Oberle is an agricultural advocate who for years was known for playing in a local band. He said he wanted Nebraska's fight song to set a tone for an important speech from a Hall-of-Fame coach and the pivotal leader charting Nebraska's athletic future.

"The University of Nebraska is big, and Nebraska Athletics is big," Oberle said. "Football is big and means everything to this state. Agriculture is big and means everything to this state, too. I see agriculture as the lifeline to what we do in Nebraska and football as the lifeline to how we express ourselves. It's about the environment and the people across this great state. They're the ones who support it all. They're the ones who create an atmosphere around here that others only wish they could have."

From Devaney to Osborne and Now Bo Pelini

For Oberle, the conclusion is simple and straightforward. "The people of Nebraska, the university, the players, the coaches and the fans have high standards, principles and values," he said. "Bob Devaney brought us all together as one, and then Tom Osborne came along and just put an exclamation point on it for everyone. Now, Bo Pelini is getting those same standards and values instilled into the program and moving us forward again."

Oberle believes Nebraska natives might just be the hardest working kids in the country. "They grow up knowing how hard you have to work just to get on the field," he said. "Nebraska is this entire state's team - a team that reflects our strong work ethic, our character, morals, integrity, commitment, honesty and passion. Day in and day out, I see those values at work, and if I've heard it once, I've heard it a million times. Every Nebraska farmer knows someone who dreams about playing for the Huskers."

That brings us full circle and back to Cornhusker Cooperative.

Who better than Broekemeier can extol the virtues from both a walk-on and an agricultural perspective? His dad and uncle, after all, both work in the commodity grain business.

"I think there's a good link between the mindset of a walk-on and the mindset of a farmer," Broekemeier said. "We're so much alike. Farmers in coops can't just watch something magically get planted into the ground and expect results. They have to go out there and work it every single day. Walk-ons have the same challenges. If we're not going to give 100 percent every single day, it's pointless to even try. We have to have the same kind of determination as farmers do. They're paying to put their crops in the ground, and we're paying for a chance to play football - with our own money and our own time.

"We're not bound to be here. It's our choice to be here," Broekemeier added. "One thing I've learned. If you're a walk-on at Nebraska, you love the program, you love the school, and you love the state. That's why it takes so much passion to make the grade here. You have to want it more than anyone else does. Sometimes, scholarship guys, especially from states not in the Midwest, don't understand that passion when they first get here. But eventually, over time, they start to feel the same love and the same passion we have. Just being around the walk-ons, they start buying into the program. When they see what getting on the field means to players like Jim Ebke, Tyler Legate, Lance Thorell and the rest of us, they get it."

Broekemeier says walk-ons play a big role in Nebraska football, motivationally and otherwise.

Uncle Dean Puts His Whole Heart into It, Too

"I think it's cool that my Uncle Dean is involved with Cornhusker Cooperative," Broekemeier said. "He used to have quite a band back in his day. He could sing and play guitar. Whether it was weddings, graduations, whatever, he was the electric guru you could always go to. We'd just let him go to work, and he made everything a miracle. If he wants to get something done, no matter what it is or what it takes, he'll get it done. That's just the type of person he is. He puts his whole heart into it."

So, Mr. Oberle, how do you feel about such a compliment from your successful walk-on nephew?

"I think Cornhusker Cooperative is a very good program and will be successful," he said. "We're going to get behind it, promote it and be persistent about it. They always say, all good things take time, and this program is no different. It's going to take time for people to understand what it's all about, and when they do, it will get the kind of traction you need for long-term success."

Like a good walk-on story, the Cornhusker Cooperative story needs daily development, constant improvement and bona fide performance. "Personally, I prefer that it doesn't come on real quick, move too fast and then die out," Oberle said. "It's been my experience in this business that anything that takes time to get going has a much better chance to become something really special."

Tuesday's Ag Expo was critical for awareness. The Athletic Department even had a booth at the Expo to help farmers understand why it's important to donate grain and show them how easy it is.

The process has been simplified to accommodate farmers.

"We're a big cooperative with $750 million in annual sales," Oberle said. "We'll move 80 million bushels of corn through our company this year. Some will be in farm storage, some using our storage, some in ground piles and some in bins."

Making a Timely Financial Donation Decision

Now that farmers understand the process, Oberle expects them to make decisions to donate, some before Jan. 1 and others in the coming months when it makes the most sense for their personal business ledgers.

"Having Coach Osborne here today was big for us and for the success of Cornhusker Cooperative," he said. "When you see who's involved in this program and how it can benefit the cause, we'll have all the commitment, persistence and passion we need.

"Cornhusker Cooperative is a great way for our farmers to share their success and to help our walk-ons in the big picture," Oberle said. "Nothing means more to farmers in Nebraska than knowing that walk-ons will always have an opportunity to show what they can do. Farmers and walk-ons really do kind of mirror each other because both know that you can only measure success one day at a time."

No wonder "Taking Care of Business" was one of Oberle's favorite songs when he and his band would play 150 dates a year and win various local, state and regional music awards.

"Maybe 'Taking Care of Business' should be the theme song for Cornhusker Cooperative," Oberle said.

Maybe, just maybe, it should be the theme song for Nebraska's walk-ons, too.

(For more information, contact Mike Dobbs or Doak Ostergard)

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Voices from Husker Nation

I've read a lot of walk-on stories, but Joe Broekemeier's quotes about what it means to be one pretty much hits the nail on the head. Never looked at it from the angle of  players actually paying to play rather than being paid to play. That kind of passion comes straight from the heart and sets the tone for the whole team. It's the essence of Nebraska's tradition of in-state players inspiring everyone around them. I think Broekemeier is this year's Husker version of the famous Rudy story, but since he's not up for the Rudy award, I'm voting for one of his teammates. I mean, Alex Henery is the most accurate placekicker in NCAA history. What a heritage these walk-on Huskers have. The connection between football and farming is perfect and well worth a lot of grain. Congratulations Mr. Oberle. Getting Tom Osborne to speak at your Ag Expo just put CPI on the map. Ri Edwards, Yuba City, California

I am Dean Oberle's sister, and I am very proud of him. When he sets his mind to something, he does a great job, and he supports UNL Athletics all the way. Joe Broekemeier is my nephew, and he has worked very hard for what he wants. He survived some trying times but made it to where he is today. He comes from a very athletic family that includes someone else I think might play at Nebraska someday. Thank you. Marilyn Coffey, Kearney, Nebraska