Dave Rimington

A two-time first-team All-America lineman at Nebraska and a 1997 inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame, Dave Rimington was named Nebraska’s interim athletic director on Tuesday. A native of Omaha, Rimington was a four-year letterwinner from 1979 to 1982, winning the Outland Trophy in 1981 and 1982 as well as the Lombardi Award in 1982. Rimington is the only player ever to win the Outland Trophy in consecutive years, and is still regarded as one of the most decorated offensive linemen in college football history.

Rimington has served with the Boomer Esiason Foundation since 1993 and has been President since 1995. Under his leadership, BEF instituted and developed a variety of educational programs, scholarships and new media initiatives that have directly benefited cystic fibrosis communities nationwide. Under Rimington’s direction, the Foundation has taken an active approach to education, awareness and fundraising strategies through new media and technology channels. Programs such as the popular CF Podcast Series have served as a source of inspiration to many in the CF community.

The Boomer Esiason Foundation annually presents the Rimington Trophy, which was started in 2000. The award is given to the best center in college football and the inaugural award was presented to Nebraska’s Dominic Raiola.

Along with his national honors on the football field, Rimington was a three-time first-team All-Big Eight choice from 1980 to 1982. He was also named the Big Eight Offensive Player of the Year in 1981, marking the only time in conference history that a lineman earned the prestigious honor. During his career, the Omaha South grad helped the Huskers win back-to-back Big Eight titles in 1981 and 1982, as Nebraska led the nation in rushing during his senior season.

Also, a two-time first-team academic All-American, Rimington was honored by the NCAA as a Top-Five Student-Athlete and was selected as a National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame Scholar-Athlete in 1982. He was also a three-time first-team academic All-Big Eight choice from 1980 to 1982. In 1999, he was selected to the Walter Camp All-Century team. Rimington became the first Nebraska student-athlete in history to be inducted into the CoSIDA Academic All-America Hall of Fame in 2004. A member of the Nebraska Athletics Hall of Fame, Rimington was one of 22 former Huskers that were inducted in the inaugural class in 2015.

A first-round draft choice of the Cincinnati Bengals in 1983, Rimington played five seasons with the Bengals, and played two seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles before retiring in 1989.

Before joining the Boomer Esiason Foundation as President, Rimington lived and worked in Hong Kong in the Import-Export business. He also was a graduate assistant football coach at the University of Wisconsin, helping them win the Big Ten Championship and their first Rose Bowl Championship ever. Rimington received a bachelor of business administration degree in economics from the Nebraska and in 1992 he received a master's degree in international business from Wisconsin. While at Wisconsin, Rimington was a member of Beta Gamma Sigma National Honorary Business Fraternity.

Rimington and his wife, Lisa, have four children.