Pederson fired; Nebraska chancellor cites lack of football progress

[miami_fan]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3064861

OMAHA, Neb. -- Nebraska athletic director Steve Pederson was fired Monday, two days after the football team suffered its worst home loss in nearly a half-century.

Pederson, along with coach Bill Callahan, has been heavily criticized after a series of one-sided losses this season. The most recent was a 45-14 loss to Oklahoma State on Saturday with former Cornhuskers coach Tom Osborne and his 1997 national title team in attendance.

Over the past two weeks, the once-mighty Huskers (4-3) have lost by a combined margin of 86-20, dropping a 41-6 decision at Missouri. Nebraska now stands at 4-3.

In a news release announcing the dismissal, chancellor Harvey Perlman cited disappointment in the progress in the football program. He said Pederson had done many positive things for Nebraska athletics, but believes new leadership can objectively assess the program and make the decisions to move it forward.

For the first time in the 118 years Nebraska has been playing football, the Cornhuskers have allowed at least 40 points four times in a season.

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press



Didn't they just sign Callahan to a contract extension?:confused:

[Huckleberry]

Yes they did. Which is probably why they fired the AD.

[miami_fan]

So the problem with the football program is the AD and not the coach?:confused:

[henry296]

Will Pederson go back to Pitt since Long just went to Arkansas?

[Huckleberry]

So the problem with the football program is the AD and not the coach?:confused:

The AD signed the coach to the contract extension. The AD did not just sign a contract extension. Firing the AD in the middle of the season is not nearly as disruptive as firing the coach.

Pretty easy decision. Callahan will be gone if the administration thinks they can land a good replacement. If not, they'll bite the bullet on another year with Callahan, IMO.

[SnDvls]

boy Keller sure knows how to get people fired. first Koetter @ ASU and now the AD at Neb. ;)

[gstelmack]

Heh. And I was just reading the article on ESPN where they said they did not want to act too quickly, because they did not want to give the impression that a group of fans can dictate school policy by complaining. I guess those fans can...

[dawgfan]

So the problem with the football program is the AD and not the coach?:confused:
If the administration has determined that the decisions to hire Callahan and then give him an extension were both bad ones, it makes sense they'd fire the guy that made those decisions and not let him be a part of their next coaching search.

If I'm Callahan, I'm updating my resume. Extension or not, seems likely that his time in Lincoln is rapidly drawing to a close...

[miami_fan]

Looks like ESPN updated the article. It clears up the situation for me now. I have to agree with gstelmack on this one.

LINCOLN, Neb. -- Nebraska athletic director Steve Pederson was fired Monday, two days after the school's once-mighty football team was rocked with its worst home loss in nearly a half-century.

Pederson and head football coach Bill Callahan have come under fire after a disappointing string of performances this season. Heat intensified after back-to-back losses to Missouri and Oklahoma State by a combined 86-20, leaving the Cornhuskers with a 4-3 record.

A 45-14 loss to Oklahoma State on Saturday was the worst at home since a 31-0 drubbing by Missouri in 1958.

"We are, of course, disappointed about the progress in our football program," chancellor Harvey Perlman said in a news release. "Steve has done many positive things for Husker athletics during his tenure, but I think only new leadership can objectively assess the state of our program and make the decisions necessary to move us forward."

Callahan's job is apparently safe for now as Perlman said at a news conference later he's not contemplating any other changes in the athletic department staffing.

At the end of the July, Pederson's contract was renewed for five years. It will cost the university more than $2 million to buy Pederson out of his contract, Perlman said.

This season has been a nightmare for the most part. Even in victory -- a 41-40 nail-biter against Ball State -- the Huskers' defense was far from the force it used to be.

For the first time in its 118-year history, the Cornhuskers have allowed at least 40 points four times in a season.

"You make the best decision you can with the information you have," Perlman said.

Perlman said since July he's noticed a decline in morale and growing concern about keeping key personnel in the athletic department. Paul Meyers, a top fundraiser, was among several people who departed.


Several people came forward with concerns about Pederson's management style and his connection with staff, donors and athletes, the chancellor said.


Less than two hours before Pederson's firing, Callahan said he and the athletic director talked almost daily about the program and how they can improve it.

"We've come under a steady stream of criticism," Callahan said during a Big 12 coaches conference call. "It's important you stand tall. You'll be the direct target of critics. I understand that. You're in the public eye and in a high position in order to lead. We're going to continue to lead in a very positive manner."

Perlman said he will name an interim athletic director, then begin a national search for a permanent replacement.

"It is not clear how long such a process will take or its precise form," Perlman said. "It is important it be done expeditiously but thoughtfully."

Steve Glenn, a Nebraska offensive lineman in the late 1970s, said the firing of Pederson is "the best thing to happen to Nebraska football in 10 years," adding, it "lifts a cloud off the state of Nebraska."

Glenn, who organized a group of former players to call for changes in the program, said speculation former coach Tom Osborne will be named interim athletic director is exciting.

"What a great man of integrity -- he could do great things for the university," especially if the team has to recruit a new coach, Glenn said.

Osborne didn't immediately return a phone message Monday afternoon.

In four seasons under Callahan, the Huskers are 26-18 overall, 14-14 against the Big 12, 3-8 against teams in the Top 25 and 0-6 against the Top 10. They have given up 40 points or more nine times, including four times this season.

"I don't know whether the lynch mob is going to be satisfied with one body," said regent Randy Ferlic, who added he and other regents have received hundreds of e-mails calling for the firing of Pederson, Callahan and Perlman.

Ferlic said he worried the decision sends the message that a few fans can get a ball rolling and get people fired.

Widely criticized for firing Frank Solich, Osborne's long-time assistant and hand-picked successor, and then for conducting a protracted one-man search for a new coach, Pederson has been a polarizing figure in Nebraska.

He may have been his own worst enemy, setting the bar high for Callahan and raising fans' expectations.

"I refuse to let the program gravitate into mediocrity," Pederson said the day he announced Solich's firing. "We won't surrender the Big 12 to Oklahoma and Texas."

Despite firing a coach with a 9-3 record that season and a 58-19 career mark, Pederson said he was not running a "win at all costs" program.

He said he did not like the direction the program was taking after going 16-12 in Solich's last 28 games.

"The byproduct of excellence in every area of your program is winning, and I don't apologize for having high expectations," Pederson said.

"This is the best job in the country, and anyone who doesn't want to win the national championship shouldn't bother applying for this job. I understand we aren't going to win the championship every year, but I believe we should be playing for or gaining on the championship on a consistent basis."

Pederson had at least four candidates turn down the job before he hired Callahan, who had just been fired by the Oakland Raiders.

The Huskers went 5-6 in Callahan's first season but improved to 8-4 in 2005. They were 9-5 last year, winning the Big 12 North and losing to Oklahoma in the conference title game. They then lost to Auburn, 17-14, in the Cotton Bowl.

Any traction gained last year had been lost this season.

Pederson, who grew up in North Platte, Neb., and worked at Nebraska in the sports information office and football program, was athletic director at the University of Pittsburgh when Nebraska hired him in 2003.

"The selection of Steve Pederson in 2003 as athletic director was widely thought to be the only clear choice because of his experience, his roots and his knowledge of our traditions," Perlman said. "I know Steve made the decisions he thought best for the interests of the program and the university. I am disappointed that I had to come to this decision."

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press

[Karlifornia]

Just throw a huge pile of cash at a former NFL coach...I'm thinking Rich Kotite.

[TazFTW]

Trev Alberts for AD!

[A-Husker-4-Life]

Just throw a huge pile of cash at a former NFL coach...I'm thinking Rich Kotite.

Nope, we are going with a coach with Nebraska ties or someone like Bo Pelini DC at LSU. I'm glad Pederson is out, he's made some bad moves in the last couple of years and the booster are not happy. One of his main jobs was securing funding for our new stadium expansion and he didn't do that. Good luck to him and now Tom Osborne can fill the position as interim AD.

[cschex]

Nope, we are going with a coach with Nebraska ties or someone like Bo Pelini DC at LSU. I'm glad Pederson is out, he's made some bad moves in the last couple of years and the booster are not happy. One of his main jobs was securing funding for our new stadium expansion and he didn't do that. Good luck to him and now Tom Osborne can fill the position as interim AD.

Nebraska's new AD will have to some serious mending of fences to land Pellini, IMO. He was very unhappy about how he was essentially given a cursory interview for Callahan's job (admittedly by Pederson) and he will likely have quite a few major college suitors in the offseason for HC positions (possibly including LSU).

[DeToxRox]

Nebraska needs someone with an edge as well as Big 12 ties .. I am thinking Dave Bliss.

[Raiders Army]

I wonder if Callahan is thinking that the Huskers are the dumbest team instead of the Raiders now.

....nahhhhhhh.

[miami_fan]

Nope, we are going with a coach with Nebraska ties or someone like Bo Pelini DC at LSU. I'm glad Pederson is out, he's made some bad moves in the last couple of years and the booster are not happy. One of his main jobs was securing funding for our new stadium expansion and he didn't do that. Good luck to him and now Tom Osborne can fill the position as interim AD.

Sounds like this is something that was festering for a while. Has anyone connected with the university explained the reasoning behind renewing Pederson's contract in July and then allowing him to extend Callahan's contract?

[Vinatieri for Prez]

Harvey Perlman, brings back memories. He was the dean of the law school when I went there and taught contracts and copyright law. Nice guy. If anyone cares.

[Z²+]

Will Pederson go back to Pitt since Long just went to Arkansas?

Even though he left on good terms, local sports media in Pittsburgh said this move is unlikely. Even though he did a lot of good things for the athletics department, he is still remembered just as much for his 2 biggest mistakes --1) moving the football team into Heinz field, thus moving the football stadium 15 minutes off campus, and 2) going on a crusade to end "Pitt" and make everything "Pittsburgh" -- than he is for his successes.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

May end up being a very interesting Mizzou connection in the mix for Nebraska AD. Evidently, Ed Stewart, former associate AD at Mizzou and now working for the Big 12 offices, is being considered because of his Nebraska roots.

Ed's wife has made more national news that Ed thus far. You may remember that his wife and the chancellor's wife were the ones on that embarrassing jailhouse phone recording with Ricky Clemmons that came out in the NCAA investigation reports when MU's b-ball program was in trouble. They produced memorable quotes such as......

"Dem crackas be shakin' !"

and

"Ricky, don't ever date a pink-toed girl!"

Ah, memories...........

[TroyF]

Nebraska's new AD will have to some serious mending of fences to land Pellini, IMO. He was very unhappy about how he was essentially given a cursory interview for Callahan's job (admittedly by Pederson) and he will likely have quite a few major college suitors in the offseason for HC positions (possibly including LSU).

Enter Osborne. . . I think you can book on Pellini being offered the job. I don't know if he actually takes the thing.

[A-Husker-4-Life]

I may have to change my name to "TO-4-Life".. Tom Osborne is BACK and it's the best thing for Nebraska. After listening to the Presser and remembering how great TO is, he's going to give Cally some advice on how to run the team. Some of the things he's going to bring back are;

- Unity Council with Jack Stark

- The Walkon Program

- Power Football (yes the WCO can be power football)

Those are just a couple of things I picked up on. It's a glorious day for HuskerNation. TO forever.

[Vinatieri for Prez]

Yes, its good to have Dr. Osborne back. He can only help things. I also like the fact that he won't be out to "prove" anything and so should bring a measured approach, which was all we needed the last time around - not a complete 180 to the WCO and fundamental changes to the program like the walk-ons.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

There's already rumors spreading that Callahan and staff may be fired before the end of the season. One site leaked that he was fired, but then recanted. That usually indicates there's a whole lot of smoke.

It appears that some of the recruits may not wait on Nebraska to make the move. Blaine Gabbert (5-star QB) and Will Compton (4-star LB) are both currently verballed to NU. Both are visiting Mizzou this weekend. Will Compton has told friends and family that he wants to switch his commitment to Mizzou. Gabbert reportedly is also wanting to switch to Mizzou or Alabama.

[vex]

Gabbert is horribly overrated.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Gabbert is horribly overrated.

I'd agree with that personally, but I'll take a 5-star QB as a backup in our program. :) Mizzou is likely to land a better QB from the KC area in '09, so Gabbert would likely be a backup most of his career if he came here.

[vex]

Good point.

[A-Husker-4-Life]

Gabbert is horribly overrated.

He's the only good player on his team is what I was told. Always running for his life and probably pressing too much. 5 star players are great but it how you coach them up that makes the difference. Currently Cally is having a hard time developing his players and getting them motivated. I feel TO will try and help him as much as possible but the writing's on the wall.

We need Pelini, he understands defense and has the fire you need to coach at Nebraska.

[Z²+]

In a somewhat surprise move, Pederson ends up back at the University of Pittsburgh, taking over the AD position he left just 4 years ago...

http://www.postgazette.com/pg/07334/838061-142.stm

Also, it appears his first move will be to give Coach Wannstedt a contract extentions. In my opinion, a good move, because the Panthers have lost 3 last-second games this year, which in my mind make them somewhat better than their poor record would indicate, and have had top 20 recruiting classes the past 3 years running. I think sticking with Wanny will pay off in a year or two, similar to Rutgers sticking with Shiano at the beginning.

http://www.postgazette.com/pg/07334/838102-233.stm

[Butter]

Maybe sticking with Wanny will pay off tomorrow night?

Go Pitt! Win the Backyard Brawl! Help out your neighbors to the West!

[henry296]

Will Pederson go back to Pitt since Long just went to Arkansas?

good call ;)

[Vinatieri for Prez]

Pelini looks to be the man.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3135858