You’re right about HP, Todd. Why the extension for SP? Why approve an extension for BC? And yep, the was a real jerk during the firing of Frank. He’s on my list of creepy people. 
I wonder if the “doctor” in Dr. Tom Osborne has any aspirations of being chancellor at a major university? 
It will be interesting at Callahan’s press conference. I’ll be heading down there and will be setting up a live feed for the internet. Make sure you watch it on KETV.com – starts at 11AM with Cook, Sadler then Callahan around noon.
One problem with TO as the AD – I don’t think it’s in his heart to fire coaches and Pearlman won’t do it either. Perhaps Callahan would resign before TO would be appointed interim AD 
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One problem with TO as the AD – I don’t think it’s in his heart to fire coaches and Pearlman won’t do it either. Perhaps Callahan would resign before TO would be appointed interim AD
I don’t think TO would fire any coaches either. I like Wade’s idea….. University of Nebraska Chancellor Dr. Tom Osborne. 
That does have a good sound to it. 
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One problem with TO as the AD – I don’t think it’s in his heart to fire coaches and Pearlman won’t do it either. Perhaps Callahan would resign before TO would be appointed interim AD
I don’t think TO would fire any coaches either. I like Wade’s idea….. University of Nebraska Chancellor Dr. Tom Osborne.
I couldn’t disagree with you guys any more. If there is one person who wants what is best for UNL it is TO. It is his legacy and I can’t believe for a second that he would put his comfort ahead of what is right for the university and the programs within. What has the good Dr. done to make you guys think that he would not be able to make the tough decisions?
I don’t know if Dr. Tom is the long term answer that UNL is looking for but if he is interested I sure hope he gets a fair shake. 
I honestly don’t think TO is the person to lead the University. There will be enough blood in the water with Pederson and others to come.
To me 99% of a University is Academics and 1% sports but most of us, particularly alums, look at it differently. To fire Perlman without some very damning evidence or malfeasance would send shockwaves throughout the U and in my view, irrepairably damage it’s academic mission and integrity. You can bet Tom is ahead of us on that issue. You cannot imagine the reaction of our Deans and academia should this happen without things larger than “football”.
I personally feel strongly that the Chancellor was too involved in the firing of Solich and is now conveniently spinning the situation. But overall I’ve never heard one comment or read one article overly critical of his overall leadership. In fact, prior to the Pederson/Solich debacle I met Chancellor Perlman numerous times as a student(former Law School Dean) and found him to be incredibly bright and talented like most others who have met him. I was very glad when he was named Chancellor.
We have in this state a great land-grant U that consistently provides a good, relatively inexpensive education and has improved it’s research, grant attraction, facilities and academic standing under Perlman’s watch. Unlike most states, we do not read much in the way of University horror stories financially, academically, or other things run amok.
I do feel that TO as Interim AD with a continuing role after a transition would be the best of both worlds.
It probably seems odd that I would defend Perlman, but I don’t think he should be on the hook unless more comes out questioning his leadership in other areas.
Being out of touch with a direct report of his, enough so to offer him a contract extension that is going to cost the University $2.2million +, is not larger than football. 
I have also meet Mr. Pearlman and sat in on some lectures. He was the first person to welcome me to UNL. He did seem like a very smart man those times that I had interaction with him but the excuse of being the last to know would not work for me and the 95 folks that I am intrusted with at work as well it should not work for HP. If HP is out of touch with his direct reports, as it seems he was with SP, UNL will have more troubles.
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Being out of touch with a direct report of his, enough so to offer him a contract extension that is going to cost the University $2.2million +, is not larger than football.
Curious – what year did you graduate? I came out of UNL in 92. (We never won a bowl game while I was in college, many people wanted TO gone after the Georgia Tech game in particular)
I was wrong on the dates. His reported signing of the extension was 7/23 – Callahans was this fall. MY mistake (I’ll include below)
At the time he signed the Pederson extension and into the season some fans, including many here, were predicting beating USC and maybe losing 1 or 2 games this entire year. Many fans were NOT worried after losing to USC and nearly losing to Ball State. Some fans were worried about Callahan leaving the program and not having a 4th year in his contract to assuage potential recruits. ESPN and others were reporting last year that pro teams had renewed interest in Callahan and people were worried that if he had a GREAT season he’d bolt!!! (Seems hard to believe now and I think Callahan’s agent planted the “interest” stories)
At the time he did it, the outlook was very rosy??? No? Even Barfnecht had them ranked 1 or 2 in the Big 12 North to begin the season and it was reasonable to expect improvement. Make no mistake, if this team was winning most people would be 
and Pedey would still have his job.
After the Callahan extension is when the wheels fell off.
I still wonder about when in July he became troubled. But to me, the death blow probably came in an office with Paul Meyers as recently as last week and as the Chancellor contemplated how a disastrous situation could be saved. What would have the renewals of season tickets been had nothing been done and the program continued on this way the rest of the season? No one saw a meltdown of this proportion coming.
I’m NOT giving Perlman a pass. However, the U is a half a billion dollar institution and he’s led it well otherwise. I reserve judgement fully until more comes out, none of us have that information right now but I’m sure the OWH and LJS will leave no stone unturned.
Article
Nebraska AD receives contract extension
Lincoln, NE (Sports Network) – The University of Nebraska extended the contract of athletic director Steve Pederson Monday, agreeing on a deal that will keep Pederson in Lincoln through the 2013 academic year.
Pederson, who is credited with recruiting head football coach Bill Callahan and men’s basketball coach Doc Sadler, is currently under a contract due to expire in June of 2008. University chancellor Harvey Perlman pointed to a number of factors, including Nebraska’s continued commitment to academic success for student-athletes, as motivation for Pederson’s extension.
“In these days of close scrutiny of intercollegiate athletics, the university is fortunate to have someone as its athletic director who is committed to the overall development of student-athletes, has adopted sound financial management practices, and insists on the highest standards of compliance with university and NCAA rules. I am delighted that he has agreed to this extension,” said Perlman.
Pederson has served in his current role since 2003, and is noted for his role in the development of the North Stadium project, which gave Nebraska football one of the finest facilities in the country.
07/23 15:37:37 ET
I didn’t. Quiter I am. 
“97” was my freshman year and the 1st year of HP. He was the first speaker to greet us at freshman orientation. 
Nice to see Pederson hasn’t changed – his current PITT bio
Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg originally tapped Pederson to head Pitt’s athletic department in October 1996. During the next six years, the Panthers’ athletic fortunes elevated dramatically on and off the field, prompting a Pittsburgh newspaper to dub Pitt “Comeback U.”
Pederson departed Pitt in December 2002 to become athletic director at his alma mater, the University of Nebraska. He returned to Pittsburgh nearly 11 years to the day of his initial Pitt appointment by Nordenberg.
During his initial Pitt tenure, Pederson hired six Big East Conference Coach-of-the-Year honorees (football, men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, track and field and volleyball), an unprecedented achievement by a Big East athletic director.
In 1999 he charged an unknown coach from Northern Arizona University with the task of resurrecting the Panthers’ struggling men’s basketball program. That coach, Ben Howland, would build Pitt into a Big East power and was named the consensus National Coach of the Year in 2002.
Pitt, which had not been to the NCAA Tournament in nine years, advanced to the “Sweet 16” in 2002 after posting a school-record 29 victories. The following season, Pitt would reach No. 2 in the polls, capture its first Big East Tournament championship and again advance to the NCAA regional semifinals. Since that time, Pitt basketball has become one of the nation’s most consistent winners, advancing to six consecutive NCAA Tournaments from 2002-2007.
Pitt football was revitalized under Pederson’s watch. Upon his arrival, the Panthers were coming off seven consecutive seasons without a bowl. By the end of his tenure, Pitt earned four bowl berths in six years, including back-to-back postseason wins in 2001 and 2002. The ’02 team finished 9-4, the program’s best mark in 20 years, and ranked No. 18 in the final polls.
While Pederson was instrumental in helping to revive Pitt football’s present, he was very attentive to honoring the program’s historic past. One of his first major steps as athletic director was to retire the jerseys of all-time Pitt greats Mike Ditka, Marshall Goldberg and Joe Schmidt. Pederson later initiated the Pitt jersey retirement of Mark May, the Panthers’ lone Outland Trophy winner.
Pitt enjoyed tremendous achievements in attendance under Pederson. In NCAA Division I men’s basketball, Pitt ranked among the nation’s top five schools in attendance increase for two consecutive years (2001-02 and 2002-03). The 2002-03 basketball season – the inaugural campaign in the 12,508-seat Petersen Events Center – was sold out. Capitalizing on the exciting and unanticipated success of the 2001-02 basketball team, Pitt held a highly successful “select your seat” campaign for prospective season-ticket holders that simultaneously achieved customer satisfaction as well as enhanced fundraising.
In football, Pederson formed a marketing and ticket pricing plan that resulted in record attendance for the 2003 season. Season tickets were soldout for the ’03 campaign as the Panthers averaged an all-time record 59,197 fans for their home season, surpassing the previous mark of 54,818 set in 1982.
Pederson’s tenure witnessed a major strengthening of Pitt’s athletic infrastructure. With Chancellor Nordenberg, he helped shape the vision of the Petersen Events Center, the state-of-the-art convocation center that dramatically revolutionized Pitt’s campus upon its opening in 2002. The Events Center is widely considered one of the finest college basketball venues in the country and has also been a major asset for student life, providing outstanding recreational facilities and a fitting place for graduation ceremonies.
Pederson was at the forefront of the football program’s move into the UPMC Sports Performance Complex, which included the forging of a unique relationship between UPMC, a professional sports franchise and college athletic program. He personally oversaw the design and layout of the Panthers’ Duratz Athletic Complex, which houses Pitt’s football offices and training areas, and has been described as the finest facility for a college football program in the country.
Pitt football gained a sparkling new home in Heinz Field under Pederson’s watch in 2001.The Panthers gained a prominent presence at the new stadium with their logos on the seating, gates and signage. Pederson additionally initiated the renaming of Martindale Street to “Tony Dorsett Drive” to further enhance Pitt’s identity on the North Shore.
Fitzgerald Field House underwent a major renovation in 1998-99, providing Pitt’s Olympic sports programs with new locker and training facilities. Trees Field also underwent major upgrades to accommodate both baseball and Pitt’s new softball program.
During his five years at Nebraska, Pederson was also at the forefront of significant facilities construction, including a $51 million expansion to Memorial Stadium. The project resulted in new football facilities as well as new strength, sports medicine and indoor facilities for each of the Cornhuskers’ 23 varsity sports. Additionally, the women’s volleyball, gymnastics and rifle teams received a new office complex. Athletics fundraising doubled over his final four years, going from $9 million annually in 2003 to $16 million this past year.
Nebraska achieved at exceptional levels athletically and academically during his tenure. In 2006-07, the Cornhuskers won the national championship in women’s volleyball, while the football team won the 2006 Big 12 North title and advanced to its first New Year’s Day bowl game since 2001. Overall, 15 Nebraska teams earned NCAA invitations. Academically, Nebraska earned a school-record 94% graduation rate, the highest in the Big 12 last year, while Cornhusker student-athletes achieved a combined 3.0 grade-point average during the 2007 spring semester.
Pederson and his wife Tami have three children: Mark, Kari and Kristin.
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