BO PELINI HEAD COACH | FIFTH SEASON OHIO STATE | 1990 39-16 CAREER RECORD (.709) THE BO PELINI FILE COACHING EXPERIENCE » 2008-present, Nebraska Head Coach » 2005-07, LSU Assistant Coach (Defensive Coordinator) » 2004, Oklahoma Assistant Coach (Co-Defensive Coord./Defensive Backs) » December 2003, Nebraska Interim Head Coach (for Alamo Bowl) » 2003, Nebraska Assistant Coach (Defensive Coordinator) » 2000-02, Green Bay Packers Assistant Coach (Linebackers) » 1997-99, New England Patriots Assistant Coach (Linebackers) » 1994-96, San Francisco 49ers Assistant Coach (Assistant Secondary) » 1993, Cardinal Mooney (Ohio) High School Assistant Coach (Quarterbacks) » 1991, Iowa Graduate Assistant PLAYING EXPERIENCE » 1987-90, Ohio State “It is about the process.” Any Nebraska fan or casual observer of the Cornhusker football back-to-back weeks knocking off Oklahoma State and Missouri in late October to take control program has heard Head Coach Bo Pelini use that phrase to describe his guiding philosophy of the Big 12 North. The victories marked the first time NU had defeated top-20 teams for his team to be a success. in consecutive games since 1999. The win at No. 17 Oklahoma State marked the highest One other fact is very clear: as the disciplined, no-nonsense head coach begins his fifth ranked team NU had defeated on the road since 1997, while the victory over seventh-ranked season at Nebraska, Pelini’s process is working. The results speak for themselves. Missouri in Lincoln was the highest-ranked team NU had defeated in nine seasons. Pelini has won at least nine games in each of his first four seasons on the Husker Pelini’s expertise has always been defense, and the 2010 Blackshirts reflected his sideline. Pelini has also captured at least a share of the conference divisional title in three defensive acumen. The Huskers ranked 11th nationally in total defense, after finishing of his first four seasons, after inheriting a Nebraska program that was in a rebuilding seventh in that category in 2009. Nebraska also finished in the top 12 in pass efficiency mode at the time of his arrival. defense, passing yards allowed and scoring defense. With four straight nine-win seasons to open his head coaching career, Pelini joins Bob In 2009, Pelini guided Nebraska to a 10-4 record and the Big 12 North championship. Devaney, Tom Osborne and Frank Solich as the only Husker coaches to accomplish that The Huskers posted their first 10-win season in six years and were ranked No. 14 in both feat. Pelini has also put himself in an elite group of BCS Conference coaches. final national polls, NU’s highest ranking at the end of the season since 2001. Nebraska fell In NCAA history, Pelini is only the sixth first-time head coach to win nine games in each of just one point and one second short of its first Big 12 title in a decade, dropping a 13-12 his first four seasons among the 66 schools that currently reside within a BCS Conference, decision to second-ranked Texas in the Big 12 Championship Game. Nebraska capped the plus Notre Dame. Including coaches with previous head coaching experience, Pelini is only year with a dominant 33-0 shutout of Arizona in the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl, giving Pelini the 15th coach at a BCS school to win nine games in each of his first four seasons, and the the third of three straight bowl wins to open his head coaching career. first since Urban Meyer at Florida from 2005 to 2008. Nebraska’s path to the conference title game was not an easy one. After a pair of Pelini’s 38 wins over the past four seasons are the most among any of the 18 head disappointing October losses, Nebraska stood 4-3 overall and just 1-2 in Big 12 play. coaches who were hired prior to the 2008 season. His 38 wins in four full seasons have also However, for a second straight year, Pelini did not waver, using his steady process to get tied Devaney for the second-most victories among all head coaches in Nebraska history, his team back on track as Nebraska played its best football to close the season. The Huskers one more than Osborne. reeled off five straight wins to end the regular season, including three road victories, and In 2011, Pelini faced the challenge of preparing Nebraska for its first season in the Big Ten captured the division title by two games. Conference. Pelini was up to the task, leading the Huskers to a 9-4 record. Nebraska faced The resurgence of the Nebraska program under Pelini has been due in large part to one of the nation’s most challenging schedules, highlighted by facing 11 new opponents. remarkable defensive improvement – Pelini’s area of expertise before taking over as head Four of Nebraska’s eight conference foes were ranked at the time of the game, including coach. Just two seasons removed from ranking near the bottom of several Big 12 and the Huskers’ 24-3 victory over No. 9 Michigan State on Oct. 29, that gave Nebraska a national defensive categories, the Blackshirts ascended to a position as one of the nation’s win over a top-10 opponent for the second straight season. A win at No. 12 Penn State most dominant defenses in 2009. in November represented the highest-ranked team NU had defeated on the road in 14 Nebraska led the nation in scoring defense in 2009, allowing just 10.4 points per game, seasons. In addition to the ranked teams, seven of the Huskers’ eight Big Ten opponents while pitching a pair of shutouts. The 10.4 points per game marked the lowest average played in a bowl game, and nine of Nebraska’s 11 FBS opponents reached the postseason. allowed by Nebraska since the Blackshirts also led the nation by allowing 9.5 points per Individually, several Huskers flourished under Pelini’s coaching in 2011. Lavonte David game in 1984. The 2009 season also marked the first time NU posted two shutouts since was chosen as a first-team All-American, the Big Ten Linebacker of the Year, and he also 2003 when Pelini served as defensive coordinator, and the 2009 Huskers held eight of 14 became just the fourth Husker to be named a finalist for the Butkus Award. David, who was opponents to 10 or fewer points. only the fifth Blackshirt to post back-to-back 100-tackle seasons, was also a semifinalist The Blackshirts also topped the pass efficiency defense and red zone defense lists and for the Chuck Bednarik Award and the Lott Trophy. Despite playing only two seasons at ranked in the top 10 nationally in sacks, rushing defense and total defense. The 272.0 yards Nebraska, David ranks fourth in school history in career tackles. per game allowed ranked as NU’s best since 1999. Fellow Blackshirt Alfonzo Dennard battled through injuries to earn the Big Ten Defensive Under Pelini’s guidance, defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh was one of the most decorated Back-of-the-Year award. David and Dennard’s honors come on the heels of a Husker being defensive players in college football history. The first defensive lineman to be a finalist named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year in both the 2009 and 2010 seasons. for the Heisman Trophy in 15 seasons, Suh finished fourth in the voting. He was also the Brett Maher was also named the Big Ten Punter and Place-kicker of the Year, becoming first defensive player to be named the Associated Press Player of the Year, and was a the first player to win both awards. Maher also became the first player to earn first-team unanimous All-American. Suh’s hardware included the Outland, Lombardi, Nagurski and All-Big Ten recognition as the punter and place-kicker in the same season since 2001. Bednarik awards. The award-winning season for Suh came just two seasons after LSU Pelini’s leadership helped NU overcome the challenge of playing in a new conference in defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey won three major national awards and was an All-American 2011, while featuring a first-time offensive coordinator and four new assistant coaches. The while Pelini served as LSU’s defensive coordinator. Suh and Dorsey are the only players in Huskers also dealt with their share of injuries, among them playing without Dennard for the the past 15 seasons to sweep the Nagurski and Bednarik awards. beginning of the season and losing 2010 All-American Jared Crick for the year in October. Pelini guided the Huskers to a 9-4 record in 2008, capped by victories in the Huskers’ In Pelini’s third season in 2010, Nebraska finished with a 10-4 record, giving the Huskers final four games and six of the season’s final seven contests. The late-season surge allowed consecutive 10-win seasons for the first time since 2000 and 2001. Nebraska to earn a share of the Big 12 North championship, and the Huskers picked up During the Huskers’ 2010 run, Pelini also guided Nebraska to wins over ranked teams in their ninth win with a 26-21 come-from-behind victory over Clemson in the Konica Minolta 60 THISISNEBRASKA.COM | HUSKERS.COM The Pelini Family (from left): Kate, Mary Pat, Caralyn, Bo and Patrick. Gator Bowl. The win was a fitting conclusion for a team that developed a toughness that Pelini has made regular public appearances around the state, reaching out to the nation’s was a direct extension of its head coach. most loyal fans.