The Game Before the Money: Oral History of Pro and College Football

This is part two of a two-part series with Tom Osborne. We delve into Coach Osborne's head coaching career in this episode. Osborne led Nebraska to three national championships in four years. He came literally within inches of winning two more national championships during the 1980s and missed yet another national championship in 1993 by a missed field goal at the end of the Orange Bowl.

Hear Coach Osborne discuss his halftime speech and play calling in an Orange Bowl victory over Miami that gave Nebraska the 1994 national championship. We also examine Coach Osborne's famous decision to go for two points at the end of the 1984 Orange Bowl. You will also listen to Coach Osborne explain the reasons behind Nebraska's changes to the option offense and the 4-3 defense, as well as a look into the team's innovative Unity Council -- all elements that helped elevate Nebraska football into college football's highest tier. 

Relive some of Nebraska Cornhusker football's greatest moments in the 1980s and 1990s -- from the "Scoring Explosion" to the Tommy Frazier's amazing run against Florida, from the "Fumblerooskie" to the "Flea Kicker." 

The Game Before the Money Podcast is produced and hosted by Jackson Michael, author of The Game before the Money: Voices of the Men Who Built the NFL and writer/director of We Were the Oilers: the Luv Ya Blue Era!. The podcast is sponsored by NBAutographs.com and the transcription partner is Sonix.ai. Special thanks to Coach Osborne, the University of Nebraska Press, and Teammates.org for this podcast.