I watched the Press Conference this morning as Nebraska Athletic Director, Shawn Eichorst presented Mike Riley as the new Head Coach. It has been an interesting week with Bo Pelini being let go and his replacement on board within 6 days. Eichorst certainly gained credibility with his selection of Tim Miles as Head Basketball Coach a few years ago, and we have hopes that Riley will prove to be an equally good selection. The "public demeanor" of Riley appears to be 180 degrees different that Pelini. How that relates to wins and loses, winning the big games and being ranked among the top teams in the Country, is another matter. I expect the TV cameras will be focused more on the team and the crowd a bit more and less on the Coach than what we have seen during the past few years.
We met Elaine's brother Dale and Marlene at the Village Inn in Lincoln for lunch today. They had a box of old papers, work books, etc. ready to send home with us. Among them was this March 27, 2008 Lincoln Journal Star SPORTS section covering Bo's first spring practice with the team. The practice was described by one of the players as "very intense". "He's very hands-on. He's talking to every player...If you're messing up, he's talking to you no matter who you are. He's going to correct you because he wants everything done perfect". "If you're not doing it right, he's going to call you out and that's how it's supposed to be done." One player indicated that "Pelini's voice was a constant presence at Hawks Championship Center, it was heard on every play." It's amazing looking back on these comments how the players quoted, so aptly "read" Bo for what he continued to be. What they saw is what we got. No one ever accused him of trying to pretend that he was anything other that what he is. The new direction will be different. We trust that it will be better.
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