On Solid Ground

by Tom Osborne

The back-to-back championships in 1994 and 1995 prompted more fans and media to take notice of the football program at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. For Tom Osborne, then head coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers, the added scrutiny was at times flattering and at other times problematic. On Solid Ground was written for the fan seeking greater insight into the Nebraska football program behind the scenes during the 1990s. Osborne presents not only an accurate portrayal of what happened to the team during those championship seasons but also his personal philosophy of life.While recounting how many of his players overcame great odds to achieve what they did both on and off the field, Osborne also straightforwardly addresses the heavy criticism the program received for the misbehavior of a few team members. On Solid Ground also considers the tension between those who believe an athlete in trouble should be made an example of and those who maintain that a structured environment is the best way to improve human behavior.  

Genres: Sports, Nonfiction, Biography

272 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 1996

Reviews

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the book On Solid Ground by Tom Osborne. If I had to rate this book I would give it 4 stars. This book was amazing and it gave a great look about Nebraska’s football program from the inside.It also was great because I’m from Nebraska and it gave me a look from our program when it used to be at its best. Everyone that loves Nebraska football will love this book. It’s by the the greatest coach in Nebraska football history, and also at the time we were at the best. People who lived through this time but don’t remember every detail would also love this book because they can relive all the memories they had when they went through it the first time. This book is intended for people in their forties and fifties. I would say this because this would be when the book took place and it would be the most relevant to them. However, it could be for young adults that want to know more about how the old Nebraska football program was run. I wouldn’t say this is for children though. This book was a bit complicated and confusing for me to understand sometimes because of all that was going on during when this book took place. I would see Carson Thurber reading this book. He likes Nebraska football, and seems like he would love to learn more about our great program in its heyday.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm sure at the time when this book came out (in 1996) Nebraska fans or just about any college football fan for that matter, wanted to learn how Tom Osborne was doing all that winning at Nebraska back in the 1990s. What was his secrets in recruiting or coaching.

Well, what the reader got was some pretty good insight on how to cover your ass when scandals (the Riley Washington affair, the Lawrence Phillips scandal, the Brendan Holbein shooting, and other stories) go down at the school you're the head coach at; how to block outside noise from the media and fans in order to do your job as a coach; and that running the football about 95 percent of the time actually worked in big time college football back in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Osborne is a classy man and was a great college football coach, and you can see that if you grew up or were an adult around the time he was the King of Nebraska.

This book wasn't groundbreaking, and it didn't emit information that the Omaha and Lincoln media or Sports Illustrated didn't already tell you about Cornhusker football circa 1995.

But this book did give you an idea of what Osborne went through as a coach at Nebraska in the 1990s. And also emitted in this book was that just because he was winning so much (two National titles in that 1990s period to be exact), everything wasn't exactly divine around his football program.

[Koby Bales · Rating 3 out of 5]

Old man yells at clouds for 266 pages

[Trey Keaschall · Rating 5 out of 5]

"On Solid Ground" by Tom Osborne is a awesome book. I am a guy that likes to read and learn
about sports. In tis book, Tom Osborne didn't just teach me stuff but he also motivated me. Tom
explains his journey of the 1995 season with the huskers, after winning a National
Championship in 1994. In the book he tells about his life and playing football. He tells about the
players and the rough times with them.Tom Osborne was the head coach at the University of Nebraska Lincoln for 23 seasons and he
is the nations most winning active coach by percentage at the time. His record will being the
head coach was 231-47-3 for a .827 winning percentage, from what he mentions in the book.
Tom talks a lot on his personal life, like his faith and his personal philosophy. He is a great guy is
what every player that played for him says. He talks about how he has helped many players in
the rough times. Just like when one of his players, Riely Washington, got stuck in jail just before
the first practice of the 1995 season started. Tom said it was one of the best players. Mr
Osborne talked about how everyday he would go talk to Riely and would tell him how someone
is going to be generous enough o bail him out. Tom mentioned how days past and Riely would
just keep getting more depressed, until one of Riley's friend and his family friends helped bail
him out. Mr. Osborne says there is always rough times with teams but you always make it
through. Tom talked about his rivals with teams and how he would prepare his players. I liked when he
would talk about playing Florida. Florida was a good team Tom said, but Tom knew he could
beat them and takes about everything he did to prepare his players. He also talked about how
close he came with every player. He knew every player by full name and also knew their whole
back ground. I recommend this book for all and especially Nebraska Cornhusker fans. He explains the
troubles of with teams and how to get unstuck from the and wining a National Championship.