Tom Morrow Remembers The 1983–84 Huskers

Tom Morrow played for the Nebraska Cornhuskers as a right tackle between 1980–84. Morrow lettered in 1983 and was a full time starter in 1984. He was academic All Big 8 during his senior year in 1984. Tom was kind enough to share with me his memories of this great era in Nebraska football history.

The interview has been slightly edited for clarity but it accurately reflects Morrow’s remarks.

Q: Where did you grow up and play high school football?

A: I grew up in Lincoln and attended Pius X High School. I played both offensive and defensive tackle. We won the state title my junior year.

Q: Were you offered a scholarship at NU? Any where else? Why did you choose Nebraska?

A: I walked on at Nebraska. I was recruited by Air Force and some smaller schools. I always wanted to play at Nebraska. I was “mono-focused.” Johnny Rodgers’ punt return was in your head. It was a cultural thing. It was about pride for your community and yourself. My motivation was to get better so I could play.

Q: Please tell me about your experience as a walk on.

A: The coaches were patient. They gave you the resources to succeed. If you worked hard enough, you got a chance. Most guys didn’t play until their third or fourth years. Just about everybody redshirted. Everybody accepted the system. Scholarship and walk on players were treated the same by the coaches.

Q: What position did you play?

A: I played offensive tackle the whole time. I played sparingly in 1982. I played a lot more in 1983. I made the travel team for several games due to an injury to John Sherlock. I mainly played because we were already beating people. I played in nine games in 1983. I was a full time starter in 1984.

Q: What was it like to play for Coach Milt Tenopir?

A: My position coaches were Milt Tenopir and Cletus Fischer. Coach Tenopir was detail oriented and technical.

Q: What was it like to play for Coach Osborne?

A: You spent most of your time with your position group. Coach Osborne would walk around and watch all of the players during practice. He addressed the team the Monday after a game to review the previous game and discuss our next opponent. My only one on one meetings with Coach Osborne were after spring practice where he would tell me what I did right and what I needed to do to improve.

Q: Describe the NU option offense of that era.

A: The point is to create a numbers advantage. You wanted to have one defender on the ball carrier and the option man. You wanted the defender to commit. The fullback was the first option.

Coach Osborne used to say don’t get discouraged about 2 or 3 yard gains in the first half. They would turn into 6 and 7 yard gains in the third and fourth quarters. The goal was to wear out the defense. We were bigger than other teams most of the time.

Q: Was there a sense of unfinished business in August 1983?

A: I didn’t sense much national championship talk from the coaches. Coach Osborne said win your games, win the Big 8 conference, get to a good bowl game and things will fall into place.

The game against Penn State was the first early game or first Kick Off Classic. Coach Osborne asked the players to vote on playing the game. We voted yes. We reported early to fall camp due to the early game. We were aware Penn State was a good team. Their defense was their strength. Guys paid more attention to detail.

The national championship talk built up as the year went on. More and more out of state media showed up in the locker room. I remember a NPR reporter there. Reporters would just show up in the locker room — there was no security.

Q: What games did you play in during the 1983 season?

A: I played in every game with the exception of Minnesota, Missouri, Oklahoma and Miami. I lettered in 1983 and 1984.

Q: Players talk smack on the field?

A: Brian Bosworth never shut his mouth. Against UCLA in 1984, we gained one or two yards on the first play. The Bruins started yelling that they weren’t Wyoming. We said that we weren’t San Diego State. We beat UCLA that day 42–3.

There was a lot of trash talking. It wasn’t every play. Some of it wasn’t G rated. A Minnesota player talked trash to Irving Fryar in 1983 and he pointed at the scoreboard.

Memorial Stadium was loud. You had to yell your line call to the guy next to you. When you’re running the play, you don’t hear anything. After you’re laying on the ground, you might hear the roar of the crowd. That meant we broke a long run. It was really loud when the fans did the wave.

Q: Did some of the guys play with injuries and pain?

A: Everybody was nicked up as the season went along. By the end of the year, the trainer would put my neck in traction. My left knee would swell up. You had lots of bumps and bruises. You also had astro turf burns all over your body. The astro turf was hard by November — it felt like concrete.

Q: Environment/reaction from fans in Miami?

A: We left early because the weather in Lincoln was so cold and the field was frozen. We couldn’t practice long passing offense and defense. Some of the local fans in Miami would come up to us and say they hoped we got beat.

Q: Condition of the turf at the Orange Bowl. Impact the game?

A: It was the worst field I’ve ever seen. It was spray painted sand. The field was beat up by high school teams playing there. It was a disgrace. It slowed down the faster players but really had a neutral effect on the game.

Q: Tell me about Coach Osborne’s post game speech after the Miami game.

A: It was real quiet in the locker room. Silence. Coach Osborne told us the sun would come up in the morning and that one billion Chinese didn’t care about the game.

Q: Did you get a lot of playing time in 1984?

A: I was the starter at right tackle. I played in all of the games. We should have never lost to Syracuse. We had four starters go out with injuries very early in the game. The crowd was loud and we couldn’t hear a thing. The game was played in a domed stadium. It really effected us. We couldn’t hear the quarterback change the play at the line of scrimmage. Sometimes, half of the team would run one way and the other half would run the other way.

In 1984, we were a blue collar team. We didn’t have the offensive stars like we did in 1983. The offense was inconsistent but the defense were world beaters.

Q: Former Oklahoma quarterback Thomas Lott told me the Nebraska-Oklahoma rivalry was clean and respectful. What was the Oklahoma rivalry like?

A: The rivalry was respectful. There were no cheap shots.

Q: The 1984 team beat Louisiana State in the Sugar Bowl and finished third in the final polls.

A: I thought for being the team that followed the Scoring Explosion, we were a top level team. It was a great experience. We were very business like. We did our jobs. You didn’t want to disappoint Coach Osborne. You wanted to hold up your end of the bargain. You didn’t want to disappoint the previous teams and players. That feeling was prevalent.

Q: Why was Nebraska so good during the early 1980s?

A: It was the talent. Having the Triplets helped. Recruiting was good. We had Boyd Epley as our strength and conditioning coach and a very good training table. Most teams didn’t have that. We were also on television more than most teams. That helped recruiting.

Mike Rozier was a great guy. He was a normal guy in the midst of all of the Heisman hype. He had a big heart and gave Nebraska his all. In 1982, he played against Missouri with with his all ankle taped up. It was a close game that we won. Turner Gill was also out with an injury.

Q: What did you like about playing for NU?

A: At the time, it was a big deal. We had tremendous support from all over the state. It meant a lot to play for Nebraska. You learned how to deal with people and work hard to achieve your goals. The coaches were great. It was a great time.

Q: What did you do after you left Nebraska football?

A: I signed a free agent contract with the Dallas Cowboys and attended their camp for a short time. I went to the University of Nebraska Law College between 1985–88. After I graduated from law school, I have always done insurance defense work.

Q: Did your Nebraska football experience help you in your professional life?

A: It was the most valuable experience I’ve ever had. I think about it everyday. You get what you deserve. You have to work. The overwhelming majority of my teammates have done well.