New LB Coach - Steve Stanard

[katlander]

I mostly like the idea of hiring guys you have a history with. You know you can work with them and likely see eye to eye on most things. You have a first hand knowledge of their coaching style and abilities. You have a pretty good idea if they will fit in with the other coaches, thus lessening the chances of internal conflict.

[wazucat]

I like the fact he is a good recruiter and apparently likes that aspect of his job. I am a firm believer in John's and Joe's is far more important than the X and O's. I know he is not a direct replacement for Scottie but in the recruiting area I think the switch is a net gain for our program.

[stlcatfan]

I think the switch is a net gain for our program.

Agreed.

[wild@nite]

I like the positivity, but think I'll let it play out before judging. One produced in his time here, one hasn't had the chance yet.

Hoping for the best.

[tmcats]

i have great faith in klieman's ability to select coaches and in the fact that this defense is as much his as anyone's.

i watched the ou game last night when a.j. intercepted the razzle-dazzle ou throwback pass and thought: boy, if parker had been on the field v. navy, they never would have completed that halfback pass. dang it!

[KITNooga]

it's comforting when coaches hire people they know and have worked with in the past.

it is, but should we really be looking at a nebraska pedigree as 'something of note' anymore?

[iowa_wildcat]

Stanard played under defensive coordinator Charley McBride at Nebraska. Young people may not remember but Charley knew a few things about stopping or at least slowing down high powered offenses. Charley helped bring a bunch of national championships to Lincoln.

[Texan4KSU]

McBride was the real deal as far Defensive Coordinators go. He was the DC for 18-20 yrs and had top 10 defenses probably in over 50% of those years. Growing up watching big 8 football and then big12 he had some real good defenses. Not sure when the black shirt defense label started but I would guess he might have been on campus when it did.

[tmcats]

"Charlie McBride served as an assistant coach at Nebraska for 23 seasons from 1977 to 1999, including the final 18 seasons as the Huskers' defensive coordinator." Husker Max

Go back to the beginning of that tradition, the 1964 season, Bob Devaney’s third as head coach, when NCAA rules were changed to allow for two-platoon play.

The passing of time has led to some uncertainty as to exactly when the Cornhuskers began wearing black contrast pullovers in practice. Some recall it happening in spring practice, others in the fall, the week before the second game at Minnesota. Devaney continued with first, second and third teams for the opener, a 56-0 victory against outmanned South Dakota.

In preparation for Minnesota, however, Devaney and staff divided the team into offensive and defensive units. And to differentiate, he assigned colored pullovers.

In all likelihood, backs coach Mike Corgan purchased the black pullovers at a local sporting goods store, getting a good deal, as the story goes, because the black ones weren’t selling.

Corgan was noted for his frugality.

Previously, when players were practicing on defense, they wore more traditional gray pullovers. But with the two-platoon system, defensive assistants George Kelly and Jim Ross decided to give the black pullovers to the first defense to motivate those on the lower units.

Here’s an important point, however. The black pullovers were handed out before each day’s practice and picked up afterward. A player might have one on Monday and not on Tuesday.

The black pullovers had to be earned at each practice. Kelly and Ross began referring to “Black Shirts” (often two words until about 1978) or “Blackshirts” to motivate the defense. The designation caught on almost immediately. And again, it was performance-based. Hail Varsity

[iowa_wildcat]

Mike Corrigan was Irish, frugal, and a pretty fair coach that was known to light up a player not giving his best.