Callahan: Don't Show Me The Money

NU coach won't accept buyout, repeats his plan to "keep plugging away"

Eleventh verse, same as the first ten.

Dressed in a black sweater and showing up ten minutes late for his usual noon gathering, Nebraska Football Coach Bill Callahan reiterated at Tuesday's press conference that he wouldn't resign, doing so just as calmly as he has for the last three weeks.

As message boards buzzed with extraordinary rumors that all but promised his resignation and reporters fired hypothetical, sociological questions for 30 minutes, Callahan smirked some, sarcastically wondered why the room was so quiet, and held firm on staying the course with the 4-6 Cornhuskers.

"That term, resignation, is not in our vocabulary," he said. "…I'm not stepping down. I'm not resigning. This isn't about money. I didn't get into coaching for money, buyouts or anything like this."

A resignation, Callahan said, means "you've quit on your football team."

"There's no quit in this staff for our staff," he said. "We're gonna keep plugging away."

Quarterback Joe Ganz echoed those sentiments, and said he sympathizes with the coaching staff.

"It's tough. It's real tough," Ganz said. "All you really do as a 21-year-old is watch TV or read the newspaper. It is tough to hear them taking shots at your coach, especially the guys you have been through battle with. You really love these coaches and you want them to stay here. You want to be with them. It is tough when people start taking shots at them.”

Questions about Kansas State - Nebraska's opponent on Saturday - were few. Instead, Callahan was asked to chat about a whole variety of issues related to the adversity of this season.

On the effect on coaches' families: "It's hard on the families. It's hard on the kids, the children…but we've got a strong group of women. A lot of good wives on this staff. They're good people. They're weathering the storm. It's not fun to go to school and get ridiculed and things of that nature."

On fan support: "The number of e-mails I’ve received on a daily basis have been very supportive. I think it reflects the values of Nebraska fans and what they’re about. A lot of people write in with letters and things of that nature, there’s a lot of positive things in regard to what we’re going through."

On the modern player: "They don’t sit around like coaches do and analyze everything. They come in, get the message from the coaches, and move on. If you put yourself through their paces and put yourself in their shoes in how they go about their business, it’s commendable, especially with everything else they have to deal with. It’s interesting. They’re savvy."

Callahan said NU's struggles may not necessarily hurt recruiting that much, because high school players see a team in need and want to help. Jonas Gray, a running back recruit from Detroit, recently decommitted from NU and pledged himself to Notre Dame, which may not win two games, much less four.

He also compared Saturday's 76-39 loss to Kansas to that historic 70-10 drubbing Nebraska took at Texas Tech in 2004. In that game, Callahan continued to call passes with a new starter - Beau Davis, then a true freshman - even after the game was well out of reach. Ganz threw three interceptions in the second half after the Huskers trailed 62-31.

"People just want to look at the final score and say, ‘there’s 76 points’, well, yeah, that’s true, that is reality and we have to get better," Callahan said. "But there are other circumstances that lead to those 76 points."

***

Jim Rose, Nebraska football's play-by-play announcer on the Husker Sports Network, officially quit the role Tuesday after missing Saturday's game at Kansas. He said on KFAB's "Good Morning Show" that he had "become a thing more than a person" while losing touch with his wife, children, parents and friends.

"It was very important for me to make a life decision," Rose said. "My decision is to give up the games. I just can't be this anymore. And it's not because I don't love it, because I do. It's just I can't make this sacrifice anymore."

Rose, who will step down as host of The Bill Callahan Show and voice of Nebraska baseball, said the hours were long, and he'd suffered "fatigue and disorientation" in the last couple weeks. He couldn't call the KU game because he said he wasn’t prepared to do it. Greg Sharpe took the mic instead, and will finish the season, as well. He made his final decision over the weekend, and informed his boss, Host Communications, Monday.

From Rose's comments, you got the sense he put a little more time into the role than he should have.

"I have a real difficulty saying no," he said. "I love to say yes. I love to say yes to everything. I love to be involved."

Was all that preparation necessary? Did it make for a better broadcast? During Rose's work for NU baseball, I'd argue that yes, it did. His delivery, pace, voice and "traditional" word choices added to the fabric of that sport. I still recall, fondly, Nebraska's NCAA Super Regional trip to Stanford in 2000, and Rose's excellent work in describing those games and that scene.

In football his style had its detractors, and some of their complaints were valid. No need to rehash most of that here - to each listener his or her own personal tastes in radio announcers. On Tuesday, NU Head Coach Bill Callahan thanked Rose for his "passion." Fans should do the same; the guy never mailed in a broadcast and he wasn't shy about wearing his emotions in football.

Finally - and this should not be underestimated - his active approach helped Adrian Fiala to be more concise and purposeful with his comments - Fiala rambled incessantly and needlessly with Swain. Rose also seemed more effective with Matt Davison, who has become a honest, smart analyst of the Huskers.

Email Samuel McKewon at sam@ne.statepaper.com

 

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