Eichorst Serves on NCAA Committee, Honors Glassford

Video: Shawn Eichorst Connecting on Campus

Glassford Played for Pitt, Still Stays in Shape

McKewon: Glassford Keeps Up with Nebraska

Randy York N-Sider

Official Blog of the Huskers

Nebraska Director of Athletics Shawn Eichorst is a busy man. Last week, he joined Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany on a four-day listening tour while serving on the 12-member NCAA Division I football oversight committee, which was created last January during the historic NCAA governance and leadership restructuring initiative.

Before taking that trip, Eichorst had the pleasure of speaking with William "Bill" Glassford, Nebraska’s head football coach from 1949 to 1955. “Bill has fond memories of his time at Nebraska and follows the program closely,” Eichorst said in his monthly Connecting on Campus column, published Wednesday.

In his monthly video address to Husker donors, season ticket holders, staff and fans, Eichorst said it was an honor and a privilege to serve on the NCAA Division I Oversight Committee. “This is a very important time in our history,” Eichorst said, pointing out that his goal is to work with the committee and to “holistically and comprehensively” evaluate current practices that influence and rules that govern college football. That input and knowledge, in turn, will enable the oversight committee “to assess and develop ideas to preserve, enhance and properly integrate college football within higher education,” Eichorst said.

At Age 101, Glassford is Pro Football’s Oldest Living NFL Player

Eichorst said Nebraska Athletics Development Officer Mike Dobbs hand-delivered an honorary athletics letter to Glassford last week in Scottsdale, Ariz.  “At 101, Bill (pictured above as Nebraska's head football coach in the 1950s) is the oldest living NFL player, and we enjoyed reconnecting with him and honoring him,” Eichorst said.

Glassford played for the Cincinnati Bengals in 1937 and was inducted into the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame in 2002. Before his arrival in Lincoln, Nebraska had six different head coaches in the previous nine years. Glassford led the 1950 Huskers to a No. 17 final national ranking, Nebraska’s first top 20 ranking since the 1941 Rose Bowl. In his seven-year stint at Nebraska, Glassford led the Huskers to their first-ever Orange Bowl appearance in 1954.

“The momentum created from the teams Bill coached eventually helped develop the fan base that has sold out every Nebraska home football game since 1962,” Eichorst said, congratulating Glassord for what his teams accomplished on the field and for the positive impact he had on the lives of Husker student-athletes overall.

Eichorst: CEHS Academic Success Shines through Student-Athletes

September’s Connecting on Campus column featured UNL’s College of Education and Health Sciences (CEHS), the major for five of the last eight Husker Student-Athletes of the Year. Spanning a four-year stretch, honorees include 2015 winners John Welk from track and field and Jessie DiZiel from women’s gymnastics. The other three top honorees who majored in CEHS were Emily Wong (women’s gymnastics, 2014) and a 2012 Student-Athlete of the Year sweep from Tyler Hitchler and Ashley Miller, both representing track and field.

DeZiel and Welk (pictured above, flanking Commissioner Delany), were multiple academic All-Big Ten honorees. Both also won the Big Ten Medal of Honor, the conference's most prestigious award that recognizes athletic and academic excellence.

“Our student-athletes have the challenge of balancing athletics, academics and community service...it isn’t easy,” Eichorst said. “That drive to succeed in athletics is the same motivation that helps student-athletes succeed in CEHS. Because of the great fit between athletics and nutrition and health, perhaps it’s not surprising that so many academically talented student-athletes are shining in this area.”

Column Features Nebraska's Latest Achievements and Awards

Fans can check out Eichorst’s Connecting on Campus Column, featuring the latest University achievements for current student-athletes and outstanding Husker alumni. The column includes Eichorst’s comments on Jordan Burroughs (pictured above) winning a third world wrestling championship; the dedication of Nebraska’s new soccer and tennis facility; the Huskers’ legacy of selling out athletic venues; and how Husker Heroes inspire unique life lessons.

There's also a very touching personal commencement experience for Mattie Fowler, a Husker softball infielder and former president of the Nebraska Student-Athlete Advisory Committee; the NU Foundation's Our Future, Our Students initiative to raise $200 million in student-focused funds; and College of Business Administration Dean Donde Plowman receiving Lincoln’s first Woman of the Year Award at the first-ever Inspire - Celebrating Women's Leadership Awards.

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