Even fired head coaches can come home and enjoy a warm embrace. Just ask Nebraska and Tom Osborne, who are trying to mend fences with former Cornhuskers and current Ohio head coach Frank Solich.
According to Omaha World-Herald, Solich was recently named the winner of the Tom Osborne Award, which will naturally be presented in Omaha next year as part of the annual Outland Trophy Award Dinner. The Bobcats coach did receive an invite to the ceremony, but hasn’t confirmed whether he’s attending or not -- despite some overt pushes from Osborne and others who would like to mend fences between all the parties involved with a reunion of sorts.
“I’d really like to see it happen,” Osborne told the paper. “And he certainly didn’t say no. It could be a really good thing to do. I think it would be a great time to do it.”
Solich was a fullback at Nebraska in the 1960’s and spent a remarkable 19 years as an assistant under Osborne, later succeeding him in the big chair back in 1998. Despite going 58-19 at the school, winning a Big 12 title and guiding his team to the national championship game, Solich was rather unceremoniously fired after a nine win season in 2003 after just six years on the job.
The Cornhuskers have been on a rollercoaster ride ever since he left Lincoln, while Solich has found peace leading Ohio for the past 14 seasons. It would certainly be great to see everybody come together in Omaha to reminisce about the good times, which surely would include both Osborne and Solich coaching current head coach Scott Frost back in the day.