Pelini, Callahan Share Awkward Exchange

Story by Bryce Wergin 

| Published Oct 14, 2008

Bo Pelini, head football coach at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, had several awkward moments last Thursday after his daily practice with his new team. Pelini was at a nearby Kabredlo’s gas station refilling the tank on his car when he ran in to none other than the most recent ex-football coach of the Nebraska football program, Bill Callahan.

The two coaches, out of politeness, stood and talked for several minutes. After the conversation had subsided, both men retired to their vehicles and drove away quickly amidst large exhales and eye-rolls.

Pelini spoke with the Dailyer about his awkward experience.

“Man, you will never guess who I randomly ran in to today. Fuckin’ Callahan. At the gas station of all places,” he said. “Oh, it was so awkward because he fully knows I’m coaching the Huskers now. He looked over the pumps the same time I did, and I said ‘hi’ because I didn’t want it to be too weird. I was nice to him, but man I could tell he hates my gut’s. He wouldn’t make direct eye contact with me, and there were all these huge pauses in the conversation. I would have paid double if that fucking pump would have filled up my car twice as fast.

“After about 25 seconds of silence, he finally asked me how the huskers were doing. I told him ‘good. Things are going well,’ and he told me, ‘Yeah, the Huskers sure are a great program. Hold on to them. Don’t mess things up like I did.’ Can you believe that? I asked him how the Jets were doing just to change the subject, and he was like, ‘The Jets are doing wonderful. I’m really happy there,’ but you could totally tell he was lying! So awkward, man. It was so much worse because I had just got done practicing with the team, and he could totally tell.”

UNL fired Callahan last season after a “lousy” performance as the football team’s head coach. Close friends say that Callahan was not ready for things to end with the Huskers, and there still may be some hard feelings toward the program.

“Bill just wasn’t doing enough to please the fans of the program,” said UNL Athletic Director Tom Osbourne. “I mean, a football program as prestigious and attractive to recruits as Nebraska really needs a guy who knows what he’s doing down there on the sidelines. Bill wasn’t performing well enough for the programs standards, so I had to step in and end things.”

Some speculate that Osbourne had already been talking with Pelini while Callahan was still coaching at Nebraska.

“It really doesn’t matter when we started talking to Bo. We sort of had a thing with him after Solich left us in 2003. He was just there to fill the void Frank had left behind,” said Harvey Perlman, UNL Chancellor. “And between me and you, he was amazing in the Alamo Bowl against Michigan State.”

“Coach Callahan has enough to worry about dealing with the offensive line of his new team,” said Stan Podelak, publicist for the New York Jets. “If this is going to work out, his being offensive line coach for the Jets, he is just going to have to put the past behind him and let us make him happy.”

Callahan had less to say about his conversation with Pelini, saying “It isn’t anybody’s business,” and “Who cares, I’m with the Jets now. Whatever. Huskers can be coached by whoever they want, not my problem. They can go back to Solich for all I care.”