By Jacob Vanderford |SPORTS|
He’s one of ours, he turned University of Central Florida’s program from 0-12 into a 12-0 squad, and now, he’s coming home.
Just a few days ago, Scott Frost was named the new Husker Football coach, and he’s hoping to turn this storied program back into a powerhouse.
For the past few decades, Nebraska football has been non-existent, as many people of this age have no idea of the glory days when the Huskers used to ram other teams right into the ground and destroy every little bit of hope left in their opponent. In those days, storied head coach, Tom Osborne was at the helm, serving previous years as an offensive coordinator and assistant head coach under Bob Devaney, who brought the program two national championships, winning back to back years in 1970 and 1971. Johnny Rodgers was a Heisman Trophy winner in those days, and he exposed every special team unit, every defensive secondary that thought they could bring him down.
Then, after Devaney felt his time was through, he stepped down as the head ball coach, with Tom Osborne taking the spotlight and a football legacy and dynasty to be created in the coming decades. Nebraska Football was unstoppable and incredibly fun for Nebraska fans to watch in those days. The Husker offense was rolling, the Blackshirts came ready to embellish their inextinguishable fire, and it was all modified into three words: smash-mouth football.
This type of mentality brought glory and honor to the program, as the Scarlet and Cream brought three more trophies back to Lincoln to put in the trophy case at Memorial Stadium. Two from winning back to back national championships in 1994 and 1995, to winning the game that mattered the most to the players, the end of a legacy, coach Tom Osborne’s last game in the 1997 Orange Bowl against Tennessee and quarterback legend Peyton Manning. Players that came out of these teams were Husker legends, such as Tommie Frazier, Ahman Green, Mike Rozier, Turner Gill, the Peter brothers, Grant Wistrom, Irving Fryar and many, many others. These days must feel like yesterday for many Husker fans.
But today, a dark cloud seems to loom over Husker Football, as Nebraska hasn’t been able to win a conference title since 1999, back when they were in the Big 12. The glory days of the past are gone, many Husker fans feel, but a bright light from the past has been brought in to make Nebraska great again, to make it what it was, and what it can be. A man who holds great stature here in Nebraska in his own right, leading the Huskers to a national championship in 1997, wearing the number 7 on his back, and the other half of the “Flea Kicker,” a play known to many as one of the most incredible, yet strangest plays of all time. This man knows the culture, and he knows what has to be done to build the program back.
Scott Frost is a legacy in his own right to Nebraska fans, as very well he should be. He was born and raised in a town called Wood River, close to Grand Island, Nebraska. His parents were both very athletic, as his father, Larry, played football for the Huskers and his mother, Carol, was an Olympic track athlete. You can tell where he got his athleticism and passion for sports. He fondly remembers running around as a young boy on the Devaney Track when his mom was the coach at UNL. Nebraska had stuck close with Scott, ever since his desire for coaching began. And you can bet that his old ball coach Tom Osborne was a strong mentor and “life-changing person” in his life.
He began as a grad assistant here at Nebraska and also down in Manhattan, Kansas at Kansas State University. He then moved on to become a linebackers coach/co-defensive coordinator at the University of Northern Iowa, where he really began to climb the ranks of coaching. Frost knew both sides of the ball from experience in college, where he went to Stanford his freshman year, but was put on defense and he transferred back to Nebraska to play quarterback, to in the NFL where he was slotted as a safety. He played that position for the New York Jets, Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After that job, Frost moved to Eugene, Oregon where he eventually became Offensive Coordinator for the Ducks, and he produced a high-flying offense and future Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota.
After such a fantastic job on offense in Eugene, Frost was a hot name on everyone’s coaching board, maybe even on the Huskers’ before they eventually hired Mike Riley. Frost decided to pack up his things once again and move down to Orlando, Florida where he was given his first head coaching job at the University of Central Florida. The Knights had a rough year the previous one under long time head coach George O’Leary, going winless at 0-12. Frost knew he inherited a tough job, but that was the reason he took it. He wanted a challenge. And sure enough, the ambitious head coach hit the recruiting trail hard, got the players he wanted, put together a staff he wanted, and gradually got to this year where he brought them to a 12-0 season, going undefeated and winning the American Athletic Conference Championship over the Tigers of Memphis.
As all of this was happening, many people from around the country were reporting a deal between Nebraska and Scott Frost, and by the end of the game, it was announced that the deal had been finalized and that Frost was the head of the Huskers. However, Frost was not about to talk about it, during his celebration, showing what kind of character he has. When an ESPN reporter came up to him at the end of the game to ask him if the deal was indeed true, Frost was very emotional and quite simply derailed from the question.
“I’m gonna go celebrate with my team,” Frost said.
By 5 p.m. that evening, the University of Nebraska had announced publicly that they had indeed hired Scott Frost to be their next head football coach, just as Athletic Director Bill Moos had wanted it to proceed the entire time. He wanted Frost to finish what he started, and give himself some time to celebrate with his UCF team which he had come to love.
“Scott Frost is a man of integrity and good morals,” Moos said at an introductory press conference he had held on Sunday. “I truly believe we got the best young premier coach in the country.”
The new head coach does indeed love this historic place. It’s his home, and he wants to bring prominence back to the program. And now, for us fans, it’s time to sit back and watch the show unfold.
