Tyronn Lue Worthy of a Memorial Stadium Roar

N-Sider: Lue's Route to Cleveland    Alumni Magazine: Lue Cover Story

Hoppen: Was Lue Huskers' Best?    Osborne Recruited Lue in Football

Randy York N-Sider

Official Blog of the Huskers

Patience isn’t an absence of action. It’s a subset of timing, so with that in mind, imagine Nebraska football’s new public address announcer introducing Tyronn Lue during one of the Huskers’ seven home football games this fall.

Can you feel it? I can because Nebraska isn’t waiting until hoops season to see if the omnipresent Cleveland Cavaliers head basketball coach can take a couple days off from his busy schedule. We’ve done that and failed more years than you want to count. Finally, on a magical Friday night and Saturday afternoon in mid-February of 2013, Lue brought his family to Lincoln. The day after his official induction into the Nebraska Basketball Hall-of-Fame, an appreciative crowd paid a loud and proud tribute to Lue.

Eichorst: Tyronn Lue Great Ambassador for Nebraska, Recent Worldwide Hero

“Tyronn is a great ambassador for Nebraska and now a worldwide hero figure,” Nebraska Director of Athletics Shawn Eichorst said. “Players and fans respect Tyronn as the coach who delivered when his team needed him most.

“Look at Tyronn’s accomplishments,” Eichorst said. “The word ‘winner’ applies because he played on NBA Championship teams with the Lakers, and now he’s a household name with the Cavs. We’re very proud of Tyronn.”

Lue’s roots in the pro ranks reinforce his overall legacy. Opting to forgo his senior season at Nebraska, he became a first-round Denver Nugget draft choice before being traded to the LA Lakers that same night.

Tim Miles Remembers the Loud Roar Lue Received for His Hall-of-Fame Honor  

Nebraska Coach Tim Miles is a devout believer in Lue not only as an ambassador to the program, but also as a respected coach at the highest level. “When Tyronn came back to be inducted into our Hall of Fame three years ago, he got a loud roar from everyone at the Bob Devaney Sports Center,” Miles said. “He is revered here.”

Timing is a factor in Nebraska inviting Lue to Memorial Stadium, which offers a 75,000-fan increase over basketball. Football also provides the easiest and quickest way for Husker fans to show their passion and support for Lue, whose NBA career prevented his availability to be inducted into Nebraska’s Hall of Fame for years.

A Gifted Leader, Strong Ambassador, Deserving Honoree and Role Model

Lue is a gifted leader, a strong ambassador, a deserving honoree and a role model so popular that Keith Mann, our assistant athletic director for communications, has a valued photograph on his desk that shows Lue flanked by Mann's two daughters, Lauren (above left) and Madison. 

Dave Hoppen: Lue Nebraska's Best Pro Player, Could Have Been Top Scorer

I recommend that fans read this blog from February, 2013. Dave Hoppen (pictured above, left) is Nebraska’s all-time leading basketball scorer. He flipped roles and asked me two questions in our 2013 interview: 1) Is Tyronn Lue Nebraska’s best professional basketball player ever? and 2) If Lue had returned for one more college season instead of turning pro, would he be Nebraska's all-time leading scorer? Hoppen answered both questions with a resounding YES.

Osborne Invited Lue to Join the Football Team; Final Decision Worked Out

We urge Husker fans to stay tuned for developments involving a busy icon who rarely has open days to be recognized during basketball season. In the meantime, let’s just hope that Tyronn Lue can find the time to wave and thank another sellout crowd inside Memorial Stadium. He did, after all, once receive an invitation from Tom Osborne to join the football team. Check that out.

Then meet Lue's family(below) when they came to Lincoln in 2013 to celebrate his Hall-of-Fame induction. A proud, close-knit group then, one can only imagine what the last two days of their respective lives have been like for everyone involved. No wonder Ty couldn't resist giving a worldwide shout-out to Mexico, Mo., his hometown before launching his serious and succesful search for excellence in Lincoln, Neb., a Capital City eager to honor one of its own.

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