Product Description

Heart of a Husker is a portrait of Nebraska football coaching legend Tom Osborne, drawn with interviews from former players and coaches who were with the team during his 25 seasons as head coach. Osborne is a congressman now, in his third term in the House of Representatives.

Among the most successful coaches in college football history, OsborneÂ’s Cornhuskers had a combined record of 255-49-3 from 1973-1997. They won or shared 13 conference titles, went to bowls in each of his 25 seasons and won three national championships in his final four seasons. Osborne reached 200 victories and 250 victories quicker than any major college head football coach and is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.

Heart of a Husker is an intimate look at a man whose quiet, but intense, demeanor touched thousands of lives, both on and off the college gridiron.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #157415 in Books
• Published on: 2006-09-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 256 pages

About the Author
Mike Babcock, a freelance writer, has covered Nebraska football for 28 years, including 17 as a beat reporter and columnist for the Lincoln Journal Star. He is a contributing editor for Huskers Illustrated magazine and has written several books on Cornhusker football, among them Stadium Stories: Nebraska Cornhuskers, Go Big Red: The Ultimate Fan’s Guide to Nebraska Cornhusker Football, The Nebraska Football Legacy and Tom Osborne–An Era of Excellence. He also collaborated on Devaney: Bob Devaney and Friends. A Nebraska native, Babcock earned an undergraduate degree in English from Chico State College and a master’s degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He lives in Lincoln with wife Barb and cats Garcia and Bear.

Customer Reviews

A closer look at a wonderful person
"Heart of a Husker" provides an insight of one of America's greatest college football coaches and all-around great guy.

The common theme through the entire book is former players, whether in 1973 or 1997, praising Osborne's coaching and positive relationships formed with players and their families.

While the player's recollections are consistent, there are different stories which are both humorous and touching incidents that occurred with Osborne both on and off the football field.

I own over 100 books written on Nebraska football published between 1940 and 2006 and I truly enjoyed this read. "Heart of a Husker" is a must for all true Cornhusker football fans.

A wonderful book about a Nebraska living legend.

Unique book on Osborne
Author Mike Babcock has covered Nebraska football for nearly three decades. He is a contributing editor for Huskers Illustrated magazine, and author of several books about Nebraska football, such as "Stadium Stories: Tales from the Nebraska Sideline", and "Go Big Red: The Ultimate Fan's Guide to Nebraska Cornhusker Football."

Heart of A Husker starts with a forward from Bobby Bowden, relating that Florida State's win over Nebraska in 1980 was their biggest win since it put them on the map. Bowden compliments Cornhusker fans and feels that it is a reflection of Tom's character.

The book begins with Mike Babcock's recollection of his first dealings with Osborne which were awkward at best. Babcock then goes on to interview over 100 players and assistant coaches, covering Osborne's entire career. Each interview begins with an introduction to the interviewee - whether it be how they came to be at Nebraska or a defining game or play - placing them into the context of Husker football.

Heart of A Husker is divided into several sections, each covering a period in Osborne's career:

Following A Legend (1973-79)
Changing Philosophy (1980-85)
Great Expectations (1986-92)
Finishing Strong (1993-97)
Assistant Coaches
There are many many stories from players and coaches regarding Cornhusker football. What I found interesting were the subtle changes in Osborne throughout the years. As his career progressed he became less tense and more comfortable in his position. The interviewees include just about anybody with a name that you can recall.

The book does get redundant (and a little dry) as the interviews contain the same themes - Tom Osborne did have a sense of humor, he said "Dadgummit" when he got angry, he was a great coach, he never forgot a person's name, he was a master of offensive football, yada yada yada.

It's disappointing until you realize that this is Tom Osborne, a model of character and consistency. The book isn't about telling fantastic stories about what happened during such and such game (although some are included), but about establishing what kind of person Osborne is through the eyes of his players throughout the years.

Heart of A Husker is a tremendous accomplishment for Babcock when you consider that the day will come when a lot of these guys are gone but there will remain a detailed record of what Osborne was like through the eyes of his players and assistant coaches.

I'd recommend it if you're someone who's an admirer of Osborne, or a fan of Nebraska football history and want to know more about the Osborne era. If you're someone looking for a bunch of humorous stories about Nebraska football then this isn't the book for you, you'd be better off with Steve Smith's excellent Forever Red.