Thomas William Osborne (born February 23, 1937) is an American former football player, coach, college athletics administrator, and politician from Nebraska. He served as head football coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers from 1973 to 1997 (25 seasons).

After passing his high school, Osborne, like his father and grandfather, joined the Hastings College. He played football quarterback and basketball during his time in the college and graduated with B.A. in history in 1959.

Both Osborne's father and paternal grandfather had played football at Hastings College, so after graduating from high school in 1955, Osborne passed up scholarships in football and basketball from the University of Nebraska in Lincoln and enrolled in Hastings in the fall to major in history.

Tom's father, Charles Osborne, wanted to prove he wasn't an overly pious preacher's son, so he became a bit of a roughneck. He let off steam playing football at Hastings College, and long after graduation he still couldn't get enough of the game.

Dec 11, 1997 · Osborne has another daughter, Susie Dobbs, 28, of Spearfish, S.D.Tom Osborne said he has missed out on a lot of time with his children. He said he hoped to make up some of that time in retirement."I'm sure I can find a lot of ways," Wilke said.

Tom: I was born in Hastings, Nebraska in 1937 and lived there most of my early life. I had a four-year time out when I went up to St. Paul, Nebraska, about 40 miles north of Hastings during WWII. My dad was over in Europe and my Mom, my brother, and I lived in St. Paul with my Mom's parents in St. Paul from 1942 through 1945.

Osborne: I was a nominal Christian growing up. I went to church and Sunday School. My parents went to church. My grandfather was a Presbyterian minister.

Before completing his education, he was named as an Athlete of The Year under Omaha World-Herald. Afterward, he opted to follow his father’s footsteps when he enrolled at Hastings College. Before graduating with a B.A in 1959, Tom participated in sports such as basketball and football.

He has a son and two daughters with his wife Nancy Osborne. He was head coach in the 1998 Orange Bowl, which was also Peyton Manning 's last NCAA game. Tom Osborne: his birthday, what he did before fame, his family life, fun trivia facts, popularity rankings, and more.

Jan 16, 2025 · Osborne, like his father and grandfather, attended Hastings College after graduating from high school. During his college years, he was a quarterback for the football team and a basketball player, and he earned a B.A. in history in 1959.