Osborne Not the Only One Who Choked Up at '95 Reunion

Video: Tony Veland’s Fiesta Bowl Psych Up

N-Sider's 10 Poignant Game Day Photos

Huskers Nipped by Cats

Randy York N-Sider

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Friday night, inside Memorial Stadium, Nebraska’s 1995 football team saw something most had never seen…their unflappable head coach pausing at the podium and slowing toward the end of his 15 precious minutes with what many consider to be the best team in college football history.

The man who wrote More Than Winning, among other books, was talking about life lessons when he went silent for a few seconds before clearing his throat, regaining his composure and sharing what was beating in his heart and running through his brain. “That was the first time I’ve ever seen Coach Osborne choke up a little bit,” offensive guard Aaron Taylor said. “He was a little sentimental when he started talking about his relationship with us players. That’s why he said ‘if there’s ever anything I can do to help you out, I will’. Coach knows we already know that, but it’s still important for him to let us know again. That’s why we love him.”

Phil Ellis, a Nebraska native, middle linebacker and one of five 1995 team captains, got a little emotional himself after seeing his head coach hit the pause button. “I think it was part of everything we all went through to get to the very end,” Ellis said. “We all remember how trying the times were back then. It was hard on Coach, and I think it was special that we all came together as a team. I think it meant a lot to Coach that we didn’t break down. We all stayed together as a team, and you could see it last night at the reunion.”

From left: Nebraska 1995 national championship teammates Aaron Graham, Jared Tomich and Terrell Farley.

Tony Veland Remixed, Remade His Pregame Locker Room Speech

Tony Veland, a vaunted Blackshirt, animated free safety and motivational ’95 captain, remixed and remade his inspiring, memorable pregame speech at Friday night’s banquet. It resonated on Memorial Stadium’s third floor and took everyone back to why Nebraska was so determined to crush unbeaten Florida, 62-24, in the most lopsided national championship game ever played.

“Coach choked up, and I’ve never seen that either,” Veland said. “I can’t speak for Coach, but I have an idea of why. He coached us for a long time. He saw a lot of things, including the chemistry we had. When I say we accomplished something special, I think we truly did. Even though we had adversity and turmoil during the year, Coach saw how it brought us all closer.

“He took a lot of heat for a couple years, but we all banded together,” Veland said. “We shut off negatives and focused on positives. When it was all said and done, the way we responded was really the epitome of what he was trying to teach us – be good men, have each other’s backs, be a family and work your butt off every day, so good things happen."

National Championship Crystal Personifies Accomplishment

“We all bought into that, every single one of us,” Veland said. “That crystal trophy that Tommie Frazer carried out in today’s special Tunnel Walk personified what we all did together, not by ourselves. It not only represented that year, but arguably represents what we did all-time. I love that man and his leadership. He brought us together. We became a family and we still are.”

Ahman Green, the true freshman starting running back on the 1995 national championship team, became the Green Bay Packers' all-time leading rusher. Count him among those who had never seen Coach Osborne choke up until Friday night’s banquet. “I think we were all surprised, but we shouldn’t have been surprised,” Green said.

“It was nice to reunite as a family,” he added. “For more than 30 years, he coached thousands of kids. His goal was to meet, coach, teach, touch and show all of us how to become men. He was never driven by fame or fortune. He could have gone to almost any other college head job or even an NFL head job. We all know why he stayed here. He didn’t accept all those other offers because he loved Nebraska. He’s from Hastings and proud of it. Besides being a coach and leading the athletic department, he was a congressman so he could help his home state.”

Charlie McBride and Christian Peter remember Nebraska's perennial Big Eight Conference Championships.

Coach Osborne’s Close Affection for 1995 Team Warms Players’ Hearts

Outside linebacker Jared Tomich marvels at the “incredible camaraderie” Osborne developed among recruits and walk-ons. “Our friendship rekindles every time we get together. It’s been that way for 20 years," he said. “Listening to Coach Osborne and Coach (Charlie) McBride speak last night at the banquet, I think we all realized how big of a deal we were to them. That meant so much to hear. Both were so concerned about making us into good men. It made winning seem secondary.

“Coach Osborne has dedicated his life into grooming young men, and we were all fortunate to benefit from his leadership,” Tomich said. “I’d never seen him choke up either. It meant everything to all of us when he told us how close this team was to his heart. My wife and I were talking about that this morning. For a guy who has coached for four decades, it means so much for us to have such a big spot in his heart. He’s one of the greatest coaches of all time. We all thought it was an honor to play for him and an honor to be on this field today with him. We also feel very lucky to play for him at the same time.”

In Green’s mind, his head coach’s impact stretches beyond the chalk lines on Tom Osborne Field. “We were grinders, not just football players,” he said. “Coach taught us how to grind. We were student-athletes in the classroom every day and on the football field and in the weight room in the evenings. Then we went to bed, so we could start all over again the next morning."

Ahman Green: Only Stat That Mattered to 1995 Team Was a Win

“We never had time to look at our highlights, our clippings, our yardage or our stats, and that’s a good thing because you’re never supposed to worry about that,” Green said. “We only had one stat that we all bought into every day and every week – did we win or did we lose? That’s all that mattered to us. That’s how we were programmed and how we thought. That’s why we were a family and that’s why we were successful.”

Frazier has reached the same conclusion. “This is the first time I’ve ever held this national championship crystal in my hands,” the College Football Hall of Fame quarterback said after carrying the trophy through the tunnel walk and onto the field. “It’s a great feeling. Coach Osborne handed it to me. There’s a reason why we’re considered the best college football team of all time. It’s brotherhood. We had a hundred guys and one common goal. No one was bigger than the team…no one!”

Twenty years ago, Veland’s locker room pregame speech was impromptu. It came straight from from his heart. “I didn’t really plan anything,” he said. “I wanted to remake my locker room speech before the Florida game last night at the reunion. We’re 20 years out. There’s no chance we’re going to do anything like that again, so I wanted to bring back that locker room feel, bring back that emotion and bring back that excitement. I wanted to let the guys know that what we went through was amazing, and it meant a lot to me and to so many others who were in the room. I wanted to get the juices going again, and I wanted to enjoy this.”

Tom Osborne Was the Patriarch of a Strong, Stable Brotherhood

Veland realizes Friday night could be the last time to have such a reunion. “I wanted it to be a memorable moment,” he said. “What meant the most to me was reminding everyone that we believed in ourselves, we believed in our coaches and we believed in our brothers. That was big because family has always stood out to me when we came here.

"When I talk to people about my experience at Nebraska, it always comes back to family. That’s what we were. We epitomized it. Of course, we loved what we accomplished but the journey was more important. It was four years of an experience that we shared and believed in. We had each other’s back and believed in each other. That’s why we were successful. If we didn’t have that, there’s no way we would have accomplished what we did.”

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Voices from Husker Nation

One word sums up Tom Osborne's legacy: FAMILY. He nurtured a closeness that goes far beyond football. He took what Devaney started and turned it into something that can never have a price tag on it. You are loved, Coach Tom. Judy Yacio, Euless Texas (I've lived in Texas 31 years, but I’m from Nebraska. I have and always will be a proud University of Nebraska fan)

Great blog! I choked up and got goosebumps reading your blog! I’m 55, so I lived that season. Thank you so much for the memory. Randy Neu, Papillion, Nebraska

I grew up in Nebraska always watching the games with my father and even went to a few with him. Loved Tom Osborne. He was the best and greatest coach Nebraska ever had. He was an all-around great coach and will always remember him and the team he coached. Thanks Tom! Angela Smith, Kannapolis, North Carolina

Thank you for a wonderful article on Tom Osborne. Incidentally, 1995 was a great year for the Big Eight Conference. In addition to Nebraska’s 62-24 win over Florida in the national championship Fiesta Bowl game, three other 1995 Big Eight teams recorded lopsided bowl game wins. Colorado beat Oregon (38-6) in the Cotton Bowl. Kansas State beat Colorado State (54-21) in the Holiday Bowl and Kansas beat UCLA (51-30) in the Aloha Bowl. Together, those four Big Eight teams outscored their bowl opponents, 205-81 – an average 51-20 victory over those four opponents. Oklahoma, Missouri, Oklahoma State and Iowa State did not play in a bowl game that season. Greg Kelso, Dallas, Texas (Holdrege, Neb., native, UNL class of ’75)

I am originally from Omaha but have lived in Iowa for 31 years. I remember watching those Husker guys win those championships. There was so much togetherness, which is something I don't see among other teams. I am very proud to be a Nebraska fan that has never changed. I am so very proud of Coach Osborne. There will never be another coach like you. I am proud of all the players, past and present. These kids need to see what you all accomplished because it is in their reach. Most importantly, teach them to be like family. God Bless you all! Lynn Kilbride, Sergeant Bluff, Iowa

As a lifelong Husker fan of nearly 55 years now, it has become increasingly clear to me that what we had in Coach Osborne and his teams of the mid-90's was much more than special. It was historical and without a doubt, very memorable. The teams led by Jerry Tagge and Turner Gill were thrilling as well, but what these men accomplished may never again be duplicated in college football. We were spoiled by the best coaches and players and we now know why – they functioned as one. Man, do I miss those days. Thanks and well done. Brett Nanninga, Boone, Iowa (Assistant Executive Director, Iowa High School Athletic Association(grew up in Humboldt, Neb., home of first cousin and former Husker Ken Mehlin)