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Bo Pelini, from a player’s parents eyes.
Published December 3, 2013 | By Andrew Brandt
Nebraska Head Coach Bo Pelini
Nebraska Head Coach Bo Pelini
There has been so many up and down conversations this week regarding Bo Pelini. There have been fans calling for his head, and others calling for him to stay.
Today I had the fortunate opportunity to listen to a player’s parent talk about his feelings on the program and on Coach Bo Pelini.
I did not talk much, I mainly listened and never told the parent that I ran the website Huskerland.net. I merely enjoyed the conversation. So he didn’t have to sugar coat anything for any purpose.
It started as your typical stranger conversation, we were in the waiting room of the business. An elderly lady probably early 70′s came up to me and asked if I was reading the newspaper that was sitting on the table next to me. I said “No ma’am go ahead and take it”. As she got back to her chair, she said to the man next to her “I’ve got to read about what they have to say about coach Bo today”. The gentlemen who she directed the statement toward said “I wish they would just leave the guy alone”. Thus the conversation began.
As the lady and him exchanged conversation about the recent days and events with Bo Pelini, I became more intrigued, the guy acted as if he was close to the program, as if he was a coach in some way, to me it was maybe just another fan like myself, voicing his opinion about Husker Football and just being so passionate about it.
That was until he said “My son plays for Nebraska”. My ears perked up and it seemed like everything else in the room became none existent and he was the only one talking. He said my son plays Defensive Tackle. I started running names in my head of Defensive Tackles that play as I waited in anticipation to hear him tell us who his son was, but it didn’t come out right away. The elderly lady finally broke the question and finally asked, “Who’s your son?” He replied Garret Johns. I quickly pulled out my Android phone and started searching the Huskers roster for the name, of course I was discrete about it, I didn’t want him thinking I didn’t believe him, I just wasn’t sure who the player was to be honest. After searching the roster I found it, Garret Johns DT, Nebraska. I became ever so interested in this guys opinion.
This was a real parent talking about what his son is going through with the Nebraska program and how he feels about Bo Pelini. To me this was the chance I needed to share someone’s story on how their family feels about being apart of Bo Pelini and the Nebraska Football team.
The first thing Joe Johns talked about was how his son love’s Coach Bo, he referred back to Kenny Bell’s statement about Bo and how Kenny said he would face Satan himself with Bo at his side. He said his son felt the same way. His son was committed to Bo and believed in what he was about.
He said Bo ran a very tight ship, he gave the players limits on what he would put up with, and they all knew that if you broke that limit or exceeded it, that Bo allowing it, and he let you know, he would make sure you didn’t play or were no longer apart of the team. He was firm about holding players accountable for their actions.
I started smiling more now then ever, I knew I was right about Bo, and that many others were right as well. Bo was indeed a good man, he taught the guys the right morals. Sure he was making some mistakes with himself, but he’s a first time Head Coach and that will happen. He’ll grow and move on, he’s not perfect no one is, but he does have the world always watching his every move.
As he talked more, the lady next to him started asking more questions, she made this real easy for me. It was as if she was doing the interview and I was simply taking notes.
Earlier this year, Joe and his son Garret attended a Football team dinner, where Joe had talked with several other parents and they all felt the same way about Bo. They all felt that Bo had their child’s best intentions in mind with everything he did, he pushed them in the classroom and on the field. They believed in Bo as well.
Joe had also attended a few practices this year and said that they were tough practices, the guys were really “popping” the pads he said and going full throttle. Joe was reminded of the Bob Devany days and in some ways compared Bo to Bob Devaney, in how much he expected out of his players and how he wanted nothing but 110% effort from them during practice. He couldn’t stress enough how good the practices were.
Joe talked about the academics portion of the football team, and its expectations, he said that almost 80% of the team is on the B1G honor roll list. He stated that Bo is a big stickler for classroom attendance and participation. He really puts the Student before the Athlete, as it should be.
Mr Garret is your average Nebraskan, with dreams of his son being a starter for Nebraska, but also wants whats best for his son in regards to his education. He knows and understands Bo’s views and opinion on the program and supports them in full. He feels as if Bo is doing the right thing and that someday Nebraska will be a National Powerhouse again.
That all does come with time, and making sure you are doing your due-diligence as a Head Coach with the team, and doing things the right way to prevent NCAA Sanctions and rule violations.
Bo runs a clean program and is turning these young boys into men on and off of the field. We all need to remember that we don’t always have the insight on what’s going on with the program, we may think we do, we question players abilities and their character on how much they may practicing and the way they are performing during a game. However we don’t know, but the parents and players associated with the program know, and they are the important ones to listen to. While Conference Championships and National Championships year after year would be nice, we must remember that these kids are also playing for an education for a chance to keep their scholarship or to earn a scholarship to better themselves.
From the eyes of a player’s parent, the program couldn’t be better, he sees the progress being made, he knows the ins and outs of what is really going on, and to be able to share that opinion is great, it’s letting outsiders into the program and teaching them the right things that are going on within the process.
Special Thanks to Joe Johns for sharing his story and his sons views on the current state of Husker Football.
Published December 3, 2013 | By Andrew Brandt
Nebraska Head Coach Bo Pelini
Nebraska Head Coach Bo Pelini
There has been so many up and down conversations this week regarding Bo Pelini. There have been fans calling for his head, and others calling for him to stay.
Today I had the fortunate opportunity to listen to a player’s parent talk about his feelings on the program and on Coach Bo Pelini.
I did not talk much, I mainly listened and never told the parent that I ran the website Huskerland.net. I merely enjoyed the conversation. So he didn’t have to sugar coat anything for any purpose.
It started as your typical stranger conversation, we were in the waiting room of the business. An elderly lady probably early 70′s came up to me and asked if I was reading the newspaper that was sitting on the table next to me. I said “No ma’am go ahead and take it”. As she got back to her chair, she said to the man next to her “I’ve got to read about what they have to say about coach Bo today”. The gentlemen who she directed the statement toward said “I wish they would just leave the guy alone”. Thus the conversation began.
As the lady and him exchanged conversation about the recent days and events with Bo Pelini, I became more intrigued, the guy acted as if he was close to the program, as if he was a coach in some way, to me it was maybe just another fan like myself, voicing his opinion about Husker Football and just being so passionate about it.
That was until he said “My son plays for Nebraska”. My ears perked up and it seemed like everything else in the room became none existent and he was the only one talking. He said my son plays Defensive Tackle. I started running names in my head of Defensive Tackles that play as I waited in anticipation to hear him tell us who his son was, but it didn’t come out right away. The elderly lady finally broke the question and finally asked, “Who’s your son?” He replied Garret Johns. I quickly pulled out my Android phone and started searching the Huskers roster for the name, of course I was discrete about it, I didn’t want him thinking I didn’t believe him, I just wasn’t sure who the player was to be honest. After searching the roster I found it, Garret Johns DT, Nebraska. I became ever so interested in this guys opinion.
This was a real parent talking about what his son is going through with the Nebraska program and how he feels about Bo Pelini. To me this was the chance I needed to share someone’s story on how their family feels about being apart of Bo Pelini and the Nebraska Football team.
The first thing Joe Johns talked about was how his son love’s Coach Bo, he referred back to Kenny Bell’s statement about Bo and how Kenny said he would face Satan himself with Bo at his side. He said his son felt the same way. His son was committed to Bo and believed in what he was about.
He said Bo ran a very tight ship, he gave the players limits on what he would put up with, and they all knew that if you broke that limit or exceeded it, that Bo allowing it, and he let you know, he would make sure you didn’t play or were no longer apart of the team. He was firm about holding players accountable for their actions.
I started smiling more now then ever, I knew I was right about Bo, and that many others were right as well. Bo was indeed a good man, he taught the guys the right morals. Sure he was making some mistakes with himself, but he’s a first time Head Coach and that will happen. He’ll grow and move on, he’s not perfect no one is, but he does have the world always watching his every move.
As he talked more, the lady next to him started asking more questions, she made this real easy for me. It was as if she was doing the interview and I was simply taking notes.
Earlier this year, Joe and his son Garret attended a Football team dinner, where Joe had talked with several other parents and they all felt the same way about Bo. They all felt that Bo had their child’s best intentions in mind with everything he did, he pushed them in the classroom and on the field. They believed in Bo as well.
Joe had also attended a few practices this year and said that they were tough practices, the guys were really “popping” the pads he said and going full throttle. Joe was reminded of the Bob Devany days and in some ways compared Bo to Bob Devaney, in how much he expected out of his players and how he wanted nothing but 110% effort from them during practice. He couldn’t stress enough how good the practices were.
Joe talked about the academics portion of the football team, and its expectations, he said that almost 80% of the team is on the B1G honor roll list. He stated that Bo is a big stickler for classroom attendance and participation. He really puts the Student before the Athlete, as it should be.
Mr Garret is your average Nebraskan, with dreams of his son being a starter for Nebraska, but also wants whats best for his son in regards to his education. He knows and understands Bo’s views and opinion on the program and supports them in full. He feels as if Bo is doing the right thing and that someday Nebraska will be a National Powerhouse again.
That all does come with time, and making sure you are doing your due-diligence as a Head Coach with the team, and doing things the right way to prevent NCAA Sanctions and rule violations.
Bo runs a clean program and is turning these young boys into men on and off of the field. We all need to remember that we don’t always have the insight on what’s going on with the program, we may think we do, we question players abilities and their character on how much they may practicing and the way they are performing during a game. However we don’t know, but the parents and players associated with the program know, and they are the important ones to listen to. While Conference Championships and National Championships year after year would be nice, we must remember that these kids are also playing for an education for a chance to keep their scholarship or to earn a scholarship to better themselves.
From the eyes of a player’s parent, the program couldn’t be better, he sees the progress being made, he knows the ins and outs of what is really going on, and to be able to share that opinion is great, it’s letting outsiders into the program and teaching them the right things that are going on within the process.
Special Thanks to Joe Johns for sharing his story and his sons views on the current state of Husker Football.