Nebraska Tenure
Pederson was hired as Nebraska's 12th athletic director on December 20, 2002. After records of 7-7 and 9-3 in the previous two seasons, Pederson fired head football coach Frank Solich. Pederson justified the move by stating he would not "let Nebraska gravitate into mediocrity" and would not "surrender the Big 12 to Oklahoma and Texas". Solich's 58 wins during his first six seasons as Nebraska's head coach exceeded that of his two College Football Hall of Fame predecessors: Bob Devaney (53 wins) and Tom Osborne (55 wins).
Shortly thereafter, interim head coach Bo Pelini led Solich's team to its 10th victory of the season and later interviewed for the permanent head coach position. Quarterbacks coach Turner Gill did the same, and after a 40-day coaching search, Pederson hired former Oakland Raiders coach Bill Callahan as Solich's permanent successor. Under the leadership of Pedersen, Callahan led the Huskers to a 27-22 record in 4 seasons as Nebraska's Head Football Coach.
On October 13, 2007, the football team lost its homecoming game 45-14 to Oklahoma State. Two days later, Pederson was fired during a five-minute meeting with chancellor Harvey Perlman. Perlman cited Pederson's leadership style as his rationale for the change. Six weeks after Pederson's firing, Callahan was also dismissed.
Read more about this topic: Steve Pederson
Famous quotes containing the words nebraska and/or tenure:
“What should concern Massachusetts is not the Nebraska Bill, nor the Fugitive Slave Bill, but her own slaveholding and servility. Let the State dissolve her union with the slaveholder.... Let each inhabitant of the State dissolve his union with her, as long as she delays to do her duty.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
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