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News Nuggets, 12.17.04
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Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

Nebraska icon Osborne irked with aloof AD's

OMAHA — Tom Osborne has been out of college football for seven years, and now he can't even get a phone call returned.

The Nebraska coach-turned-congressman on Thursday bemoaned the lack of response he received from athletic directors he called to tout former Cornhusker assistants and players for job openings.

Osborne declined to name names, but said there were a lot of athletic directors who blew off his messages.

``It's really amazing to me, the lack of common courtesy and lack of decency,'' Osborne said. ``It's disconcerting. It isn't the way I normally would think people would conduct their business.''

Osborne said he's made many calls on behalf of Frank Solich, Turner Gill, Jimmy Williams and Tony Samuel. Solich was hired Thursday as Ohio University's head coach.

Osborne said he knows ADs are busy, but there should have been some way to let him know whether the school was interested in his candidate.

``I know they have a whole stack of phone messages ... but you'd think you could at least get an assistant AD, a secretary, somebody, to call you back and say we're not interested.''

The athletic directors who have called him back haven't given him much time, Osborne said.

``Maybe they don't think I know what I'm talking about,'' he said.

Osborne was 255-49-3 with three national championships in 25 years as Nebraska's head coach. His .836 winning percentage ranks fifth all-time in Division I-A, and he is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.

He's now serving his third term as Nebraska's 3rd District congressman and has been mentioned extensively as a candidate for the 2006 Nebraska governor's race.

William & Mary QB captures Payton Award

CHATTANOOGA — William & Mary quarterback Lang Campbell won the Walter Payton Award on Thursday night as the top offensive player in Division I-AA.

Campbell received 40 first-place votes and 315 points from a panel of Division I-AA sports information directors and media.

Sam Houston State quarterback Dustin Long finished second with 17 first-place votes and 185 points.

Appalachian State wide receiver DaVon Fowlkes was third with eight first-place votes and 151 points.

Campbell, the Atlantic 10 offensive player of the year, threw for 3,037 yards and 21 touchdowns, with just one interception, during the regular season. He also ran for 201 yards and seven touchdowns.

He led William & Mary to a share of the Atlantic 10 title with a 9-2 regular season record, but the Tribe lost to James Madison in the semifinals of the Division I-AA playoffs.

James Madison plays Montana for the Division I-AA championship Friday in Chattanooga.

Meanwhile, Southern Illinois coach Jerry Kill won the Eddie Robinson Award as the I-AA coach of the year. In his fourth season, Kill led the Salukis to a 10-2 record and a Gateway Conference championship, posting a perfect 7-0 league mark.

Cal Poly linebacker Jordan Beck won the Buck Buchanan Award as the top defensive player in I-AA. The 6-foot-2, 231-pound senior finished the season with 135 tackles, 18 1/2 tackles for loss, 5 1/2 sacks and six forced fumbles.

News Nuggets are compiled periodically based on material supplied by staff members; data published by ECU, Conference USA and its member schools; and reports from Associated Press and other sources. Copyright 2004 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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