Coach Cav Says Tenopir Cared, Touched Your Heart

Remembering Former Offensive Line Coach Milt Tenopir

Tenopir Left a Strong Impression on Current Huskers

Randy York’s N-Sider

Official Blog of the Huskers

On Tuesday, in the privacy of his second-floor office inside Memorial Stadium’s North complex, Nebraska Offensive Line Coach Mike Cavanaugh swallowed hard and cried more than once.

He was, after all, mourning the passing of Milt Tenopir, Nebraska’s legendary offensive line coach that “Coach Cav” put on a pedestal three decades ago before the two became almost inseparable friends over the past two years.

When Tenopir, 76, died of leukemia Monday evening at his Lincoln home, Coach Cav tweeted a picture of him and his son, Blair Cavanaugh, flanking Milt in a photo that said: One of the Greatest of All Time! Great Man, Friend and Mentor! Love you Coach #RIP.

The tweet was sent at 8:57 p.m. Monday, right in the midst of the first 2016 presidential debate. Tuesday morning, Coach Riley sent another tweet that said: It was an honor to get to know Milt as a man and a coach. He will forever be a Husker. #Pipeline

"In the coaching profession, Milt was one guy I had a lot of respect for,” Cavanaugh said, “because of the teams that Nebraska had, the offensive lines that he produced and the players that he coached. But he's way more than that.

“Milt loved people, and he had great people skills,” Cav said. “He touched a lot of people's hearts and he was just a fun guy to be around. To hear him talk, he was as smart as they come. He was always a pleasure to be with, and I'm just glad we had the opportunity to be friends."

Football Secretary/Assistant Becomes Matchmaker for Coach Cav, Uncle Miltie

For Cav and Milt, friends became family, and the matchmaker was Teri Riggins, a longtime Nebraska football secretary and assistant to the Huskers’ offense and recruiting segments.

She remembers Cav telling her that if “Milt Tenopir is ever here, make sure you let me know.”

In a matter of days, Riggins did what she was asked to do. She told Coach Cav that Milt, the author of the Pipeline above, was downstairs. So Cav nudged his head coach and said: “We've got to go meet this guy. He's a legend and a great guy.”

A day later, Cav hit the road recruiting, so he sent a text to Milt, wishing him a Merry Christmas. Shortly thereafter, the two offensive line coaches and their wives started going out to dinner together. “Shoot, we went to two different Misty's and the Texas Roadhouse,” Cav said. “They'd come over to our house, and then we’d go over to their house.

"You don't know how much I was looking forward to meeting Milt Tenopir,” Cav said Tuesday. “When I went to my first clinic as a high school coach, Milt was there, and I listened to him for three hours. Now it’s 2015, and I'm in Lincoln, Nebraska, with Milt Tenopir.

“He's special,” Cav said of Tenopir. “We'd text each other and talk to each other. There was a lot of love between us. It was so much fun, and I'm just blessed that I had the chance to meet him and hang out with him. What a wonderful man."

A Week Before His Death, Tenopir Called Coach Cav’s Son to Congratulate Him

"He loved people, and he was so good with people,” said Cav, who appreciated Tenopir encouraging his linemen to eat pancakes above. It was, after all, the perfect metaphor for blocking defenders and knocking them down. “Milt called my son a week ago because Blair (Coach Cav's son and senior wide receiver at Portland State) got put on scholarship. That call meant the world to Blair. Here's Milt in the hospital and he calls Blair just to congratulate him."

Tenopir’s thoughts for Coach Cav’s walk-on son underscores why Milt was so universally loved. "Boy, you look at the players he's coached,” Cav said, “and you know those kids loved him."

Cav will never forget meeting Zach Wiegert, one of five Huskers who combined to receive six Outland Trophies under the tutelage of Tenopir and the late Dan Young, Tenopir’s offensive line sidekick who also collaborated with the late Cletus Fischer.

“Zach came in right before we played Fresno State,” Cav said. “I'm going to have him in here sometime to talk to the guys. I've also met Will Shields. I would love to meet all of those guys because I know what they meant to Milt. They all know the love he had for them. Milt talks about all kinds of different guys, whether they were Outland Trophy winners, great players or great people. He coached for the right reasons."

Under Tenopir, Nebraska offensive linemen won six Outland Trophies (two from Dave Rimington (1981 and 1982) and one each from Dean Steinkuhler (1983), Shields (1992), Wiegert (1994) and Aaron Taylor (1997). Tenopir also coached 21 All-Americans, 11 Academic All-Americans, six NCAA Today’s Top Ten Award winners and 49 all-conference honorees. Because those are individual honors, I would bet that one team stat would mean infinitely more to Milt Tenopir. Since his arrival at Nebraska in 1974 until his departure in 2002, the Huskers won 13 NCAA national rushing titles – the ultimate exclamation point in terms of offensive firepower!

Milt’s Impact Goes Beyond Practices and Games; Nebraska Is a Lifetime Deal

"There's no question about Milt’s impact on football, but he also wanted to impact kids' lives,” Cav said. “When I'm recruiting a kid, I tell them, 'This isn't a short-term deal. This is a lifetime deal.' That's what Coach Tenopir did coaching the offensive line at Nebraska, and that's why those kids were so special to him." Flanked above by 1994 Academic All-American of the Year Rob Zatechka (56) and 1994 Outland Trophy winner Zach Wiegert (72), Nebraska scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns to beat Miami, 24-17, in the national championship Orange Bowl.

"Milt had amazing people skills and a great head on his shoulders,” Cav said. “He wasn’t afraid to show the love that he had for his kids. Now, he'd coach you hard and did all of that, too. But there was a bond and a relationship that gets built. They'd run through walls for that guy."

"It's all about caring and Milt cared,” Cav said. “I loved him. He's got a beautiful wife and family, too. I’ve learned a lot from him, but I've got a long way to go to be even close to him as a coach."

How inventive was Milt Tenopir? Here’s an example: Ohio State won the first-ever College Football Playoff in Dallas two years ago using an offensive weapon that came straight out of Nebraska’s vault from the early 1980s and thrived into the '90s.

Tenopir invented the counter trap plays the Buckeyes used to wear out and defeat Oregon. That was one reason why Nebraska’s fabled offensive line coach received the first annual Tom Osborne Legacy Award at the 2015 Outland Trophy Dinner in downtown Omaha.

Tenopir had been battling cancer and Osborne, Nebraska’s Hall-of-Fame head football coach and former director of athletics, chose a perfect time to connect with the Football Writers Association of America to honor a coach or player who made contributions to the Outland Trophy or interior line play in college football.

Osborne: In Every Sense, Milt Influenced What We Did When He Was on Staff

“One of the main strengths and the most important segment of any offense is the line, and in every sense, Milt influenced what we did when he was on our staff,” Osborne told me.

Compelling evidence showcased itself in the first national championship playoff game. Ohio State had depth to control the ball, wear out the Oregon defense, and win the game despite four turnovers. Ohio State’s rushing yards dramatized the counter trap and created clock control.

Oregon’s inability to stop the counter trap consumed the clock and became a major difference in Ohio State’s win over Oregon in the national championship game.

No one was more pleased or surprised than Tenopir to see an important part of Nebraska’s legendary run game come out of mothballs and into the huddle of the winning Buckeyes, a fellow Big Ten Conference member.

“We installed the counter trap in 1982 for Mike Rozier,” Tenopir told me. “The counter trap was a big part of our Scoring Explosion team in ’83. Some of our best plays in the ‘90s came from the counter and counter trap series.”

Whenever Ohio State improved its field position, made an important first down or scored using a Nebraska-invented play, Tenopir couldn't help but grin broadly. “The first time it happened, I told my wife, ‘that’s one of my old plays,’” he said.

Milt Tenopir Launched the Counter Trap Series for Pulling Offensive Linemen

After that, the Tenopirs just looked at each other and smiled. Neither had to say anything. Still, I couldn’t resist asking “Uncle Miltie” about the origin of his innovation. “When Monte Kiffin was head coach at North Carolina State, he invited me to speak about the I-formation and what all you could do with it,” said Tenopir, pictured above with Dave Rimington (left) and Will Shields.

On the night of his presentation, Tenopir was talking with Elliott Uzelac, a fellow offensive line coach, when he came up with the slower developing play inside Nebraska’s primary formation. The Huskers launched the counter trap series for pulling linemen that includes a counter sweep play and a reverse off the sweep version.

During Nebraska’s 1995 national championship season that concluded with a 62-24 win over previously unbeaten Florida in the Fiesta Bowl, Tenopir said the counter game averaged 6.5 yards per carry over the entire ’95 season. “We averaged 10 yards a carry in some big games,” he added, pointing out that Ohio State wasn’t the first opponent to use Nebraska’s playbook.

“Joe Gibbs told us he saw our film, stole the idea, made a version of the same play, and won a Super Bowl with it for the Washington Redskins,” Tenopir said. “He thought our film was good stuff. He thought the counter trap was innovative and gave us credit for coming up with it.”

“Milt was a very bright guy and relates well to his peers,” Osborne said. “He was very steady and someone who could really relate to his players. He got the most out of them and did a very good job in developing them. He would take guys who were not necessarily heavily recruited offensive linemen and turn them into very good players.”

Matt Hoskinson was a classic transformation project. A running back at Battle Creek (Neb.), Hoskinson “became a very good offensive lineman here,” Osborne pointed out. “Very few are not prototypical. Some are not necessarily rangy guys, but they became very, very effective.”

Osborne Always Thought the Offensive Line Was Team's Most Important Part

“I’ve always thought the most important thing for any football team is the offensive line, simply because it allows you to control the ball,” Osborne said. “Over the years, Milt, along with (the late) Clete Fischer and (the late) Dan Young, did a tremendous job in that regard. Opposing coaches were always interested in visiting with Milt because they just felt he was a good teacher and a good filter for information about offensive line play.

“Milt has so much to do with our tradition. There’s no question about that,” Osborne said. “The counter trap had the center coming around and helped the running game with a zone run back. It starts in one direction, and once he reaches a certain spot, he goes counter to that direction.”

"I have such great respect for Nebraska's offensive line tradition and enjoyed being able to talk to Milt about his experiences," Cavanaugh said. "I met Milt 30 years ago when he spoke at a coaching clinic in Boston. He was interesting and inspiring. I respect everything he's done."

Tenopir, who concentrated primarily on centers and guards, had the same respect for Cavanaugh. "Mike's going to be a players' coach," Tenopir once told me, “and if I'm a player, I'm going to like what he's teaching, and I'm going to enjoy competing for him."

Born and raised in Harvard, Neb., Milt Tenopir graduated from Sterling College in Kansas, where he was inducted into the Sterling College Athletic Hall of Fame. Milt launched his coaching career in Haxtun, Colo. He is survived by his wife, Terry, children Kim, Todd and Pamela and stepchildren Dana and Daniel. He is also survived by his brother, Jim Tenopir, the executive director of the Nebraska Schools Activities Association.

Sunday's Celebration of Life Service for Milt Tenopir Will Follow Friday's Public Visitation

A Celebration of Life service for Tenopir will be held Sunday, Oct. 2, from 4 to 6 p.m. at Memorial Stadium’s West Stadium Club. A public visitation will be held Friday from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Lincoln Memorial Funeral Home (6800 S. 14th St). Milt's family will be present from 6 to 8 p.m.

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