1996 Distinguished Nebraskans Award Recipient The Honorable Tom Osborne, Ph.D. Tom Osborne guided the Nebraska Cornhuskers football team to its third national title in five years in the 1996 season. Though he retired as the 5th winningest coach in NCAA Division I-A history, he cemented his standing as a coaching legend when the Huskers lost to Miami in the 1983 Orange Bowl. Trailing 31-30, Osborne elected to go for a two-point conversion to win the game instead of an extra point and a tie to seal the national championship. The man most Nebraskans knew as “Coach Osborne” also went on to serve three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives and became a strong supporter of TeamMates and other youth mentoring programs. Back to list

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