LINCOLN – The Nebraska athletic department, besides being in the third month of a search for two football trainers, now needs a new coordinator of sports nutrition, too.
James Harris, who held that post at NU since 2001, has resigned to become director of sports nutrition at Oregon.
The Los Angeles native said Tuesday that the Oregon job is closer to home and has “a little more responsibility.”
But another factor in seeking a new job, Harris said, was the recent departure from Nebraska of three close friends – head football trainer Doak Ostergard, assistant trainer for reconditioning Derek Clark and Associate Athletic Director Paul Miles.
“It wasn’t the main part of the decision,” Harris said, “but it absolutely played into it.”
Ostergard was dismissed without explanation in February after 18 years at Nebraska. Clark, at NU for nine years, resigned shortly thereafter to work for an athletic equipment company. Miles, a former Husker football player who returned three years ago, resigned this spring to enter private business.
Harris said he was offered the sports nutrition job at Florida two years ago when football coach Urban Meyer was hired.
“I turned that job down,” Harris said, “because there were people like Doak Ostergard and Paul Miles and Derek Clark here – even though the Florida job was more money.
“Now, those people aren’t around (at Nebraska) anymore, so it doesn’t have near the draw for me.”
Harris originally joined NU athletics as a student nutritionist in 1997. He was promoted to graduate assistant in 2000 before becoming the full-time coordinator of nutrition the next year.
“I loved it at Nebraska . . . I mean, most of my time,” Harris said. “The relationships you develop are great, especially with the kids.
“But Doak is one of my best friends, and so is Derek. With those people there, you would never look for anything else because they are basically your family. As soon as they left, you look around and say, ‘Hey, this isn’t the same place it was before.'”
Lonnie Albers, Nebraska’s director of athletic medicine for 12 years and Harris’ direct supervisor, declined to answer questions about Harris.
Albers did say there may be information later this week on the hiring of new football trainers.
