Can Rhule Do What Devaney Did 61 Years Ago?

Husker head football coach Matt Rhule faces challenges similar to what Bob Devaney did during his first year at Nebraska.

Nebraska Athletics photo

Sixty-one years ago, Bob Devaney took Husker AD Tippy Dye's offer to be the head football coach at Nebraska. It took some coaxing by Michigan State's head man Duffy Daugherty.

"You can win there," he told Devaney. But Bob's decision still probably wasn't an easy one. He had turned around the Wyoming program. Took them to bowl games. So why would he want to risk coming to Nebraska?

Maybe it was because he knew if he could win at Wyoming, he could probably win anywhere.

But prior to 1962, Nebraska with few exceptions was a college football doormat. True to Daugherty's words, Devaney built a loser into a winner in just one year at Nebraska. In the year before Devaney arrived, Nebraska posted a 3-6-1 record. In '62 the Huskers went 9-3 including a Gotham Bowl win over the Miami Hurricanes.

During his 11 year stint at Nebraska, Devaney's teams soared to a 101-20-2 (.829) record. That included the first two national championships in school history.

Will Rhule be able to resurrect the once proud Husker football program? Let's take a look at each coach entering his first year at Nebraska.

Bob Devaney
Born: April 13, 1915 in Saginaw, MI
Age in 1962: 47
Played College Ball: Alma College
Position: End
First Coaching Job: Assistant at Michigan State
Previous Hd. Coaching Job: University of Wyoming
Record there: 35-10-5 (1957-'61)
Prior College Head Coach Record: See above
NU Assistants Retained: George Kelly, Cletus Fischer
Starting QBs inherited: Dennis Claridge and John Faiman
Stadium Capacity 1962: 31,080
Conference: Big 8
NU's Prior 20 Year Record: Three winning seasons.
No. Of Bowl Games: One
NU's Prior 6 Year Record: 16-34 (.320)
NU Head Coaches Prior 6 Years: Bill Jennings/Pete Elliott)
1962 Schedule Included: @Colorado (conference) and @Michigan (non-conference)
Scholarship Limit? None
NIL Allowed? No
Transfer Portal Allowed? No
Games On TV? Some
No. Of Assistants Allowed: 6
Home Sellout Streak: None

Matt Rhule
Born: January 31, 1975 in NY, NY
Age: 48
Played College Ball: Penn State
Position: LB
First Coaching Job: LB coach for Albright College (PA)
Previous Hd. Coaching Job: Carolina Panthers of the NFL
Record: 11-27 (2020-2022)
Prior College Head Coaching Record: 47-43 (28-23 at Temple and 19-20 at Baylor)
NU Assistants Retained: Donovan Raiola OL
Starting QBs inherited: Chubba Purdy
NU's Prior 20 Year Record: 11 winning seasons
NU's Previous 6 Year Record: 25-42 (.373)
Previous NU Head Coaches: Scott Frost/Mike Riley
No. Of Bowl Appearances: 12
Stadium Current Capacity: 91,000
Conference: Big Ten
2023 Schedule Includes: @Colorado (non-conference) and at home vs Michigan (conference)
NIL Allowed? Yes
Transfer Portal Allowed? Yes
Games On TV? All
No. of Assistants Allowed? 10
Scholarship Limit: 85
Home Sellout Streak: 389

The good news this year for Husker fans is that It appears Matt Rhule's path to re-building the Husker football program is going to be easier than the one Bob Devaney walked down in 1962.

   Rhule is no stranger to turn-arounds. In his career at Temple, his Owl teams went from 2-10 (2013) to 10-4 (2015) and 10-3 (2016). At Baylor, Rhule took over a Bear team that was in dissaray due to a sex scandal that saw the dimissal of the previous coaching staff and the departure of many of its players. But within two years, Rhule's

  Baylor team went from 1-11 to 11-3.

  Rhule knows what he's doing.

Deja Vu All Over Again?
The game that put Devaney and Nebraska on the college football map back in 1962 was NU's 25-13 win over Michigan September 29th in Ann Arbor. Matt Rhule also gets a chance to maybe define his legacy when Nebraska hosts Michigan at Memorial Stadium Spetember 30th. The Huskers might not win the game, but one thing is for certain: Memorial Stadium in Lincoln is going to be where every Husker football fan will want to be.

How ’Bout Them Huskers
Former Husker great O-lineman Jeremiah Sirles is our special guest on this week's podcast. He talks about his days at Nebraska and when he played six years in the NFL (Chargers, Vikings, Bills and Panthers), He gives his prediction on how the Huskers will do this fall and what the team must first achieve if it is to have winning seasons. Jeremiah tells a great story about why he chose Nebraska over home state Colorado. His account of the relationship he had with Husker teammate Cole Pensick is also memorable. If you'll recall, Cole died tragically in a car accident earlier this year. You'll also learn about One West World Agency, a sports agency Jeremiah co-owns. Grandson Will and I had a great time visiting with Jeremiah. Don't miss this one!