Husker Nation Blog

Pederson, Callahan Payoff Debacles Lead To Pelini Clause - I like this a lot. It is crazy that someone can receive several million dollars after they have done a terrible job and get fired.

Stepping up the walk-on rate - I realize we still had walk-ons while Bill Callahan was the coach but I don’t think it was as a a priority as it was for Tom Osborne.

Recruiting Update - According to the Life in the Red blog Nebraska has 11 recruits visiting this weekend. Baker Steinkuhler is the main one I see. Jordan Makovicka is also visiting. It will be kind of strange seeing a Makovicka playing a position other than full back. It will be even stranger if it is not at Nebraska.

Someone posted a question wanting to know what kind of bonus structure Pelini would get. Here it is:

Base Salary: $1,100,000
Win Big 12 North: $150,000
Win Big 12 Championship: $250,000
Make the BCS Title Game: $150,000
Win BCS Title Game: $250,000
Win the National Championship: $800,000

There are also some academic based bonues. If the football team obtains a certain graduation rate he will get $125,000. For a certain Academic Performance Rating he will get between $25,000 and $125,000.

The key differences between Pelini and Callahan’s contract is that Callahan got $1,750,000. Callahan’s contract did not contain any academic based bonuses. In addition to that, Pelini would have to pay Nebraska money if he resigns to take another position, starting at $1 million before December 31, 2008, and decreasing by $250,000 each of the next three years. Callahan’s contract did not have a buyout.

I heard that Pelini negotiated his contract without an agent. I am not sure if that is true or not but if it is I just gained a lot more respect for the man which I already had a great deal of respect for. I keep saying this over and over but I think Husker Nation is very lucky to have him.

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I decided to take a look at what other head football coaches are getting paid around the Big 12. From the looks of it Nebraska got a pretty good deal. Of course we will only know how good of deal we did get after a couple of seasons. At this point Husker Nation should be very happy with this.

Big 12 Head Football Coach Salaries

Bob Stoops - Oklahoma - $3,450,000
Mack Brown - Texas - $2,910,000
Gary Pinkel - Missouri - $1,850,000
Mike Sherman - Texas A&M - $1,800,000
Mike Leach - Texas Tech - $1,650,000
Mark Mangino - Kansas - $1,500,000
Art Briles - Baylor - $1,200,000
Bo Pelini - Nebraska - $1,100,000
Gene Chizick - Iowa State - $1,025,000
Mike Gundy - Oklahoma State - $900,000
Dan Hawkins - Colorado - $850,000
Ron Prince - Kansas State - $750,000

In honor of today I thought I would make a post about the first African-American athlete at the University of Nebraska. His name was George Flippin. Flippin attended Nebraska from 1891 - 1894.

Flippin was only the fifth black athlete at a mostly white university. Because Flippin was on the Nebraska football team Missouri refused to play a scheduled game with Nebraska in 1892. The result was a 1-0 forfeit. He was the first African-American inducted into the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame in 1974.

After Nebraska Flippin went on to the University of Illinois and its College of Physicians and Surgeons in Chicago, IL. He became a doctor and opened the first hospital in Stromsburg, NE. George Flippin was a respected physician and surgeon, known across the county for his willingness to make house calls regardless of the distance.