"Her dream job" PART 1

A little over nine years ago my daughter Sarah and I drove up to where the football team was practicing near the old Buck Beltzer field. We looked through the wire fence as two offensive units were going against two defensive units. We were hoping to get a look at this writer's cousin's boy who was to start in the offensive line that year. His name was Ben Gessford.

Sarah said I would do anything to work around the football team. She meant it. She said it would be her dream job!

Well things worked out her junior year. She got to be the student secretary for Frank Solich. Many days she would call me to tell me about a former player she got to meet in the office or she got to talk to on the phone. She loved Mary Lynn, Coach Solich's secretary. She was also the secretary for Tom Osborne for many years.

That year, 2003 turned out to be Solich's last. She was heart-broken for a long time because when you work in the football office, you are working with family. She admired Frank Solich, his assistant coaches, and the football staff. She was fortunate to go to the Alamo Bowl that year and she was there when Bo Pelini won his first game as head coach.

Bill Callahan was hired as head coach. Tim Cassidy was put in charge of football operations. He was basically Sarah's boss. In 2005, Sarah took the job as Recruiting Office Assistant. She was directly involved with recruits and their coaches and families. You'll see more about her job later.

Sarah got to go to two more bowl games. In 2005 and 2006, NU went to the Alamo and Cotton Bowls. She liked both bowls. Sarah was close to Bill Callahan and his staff also after being with them for four seasons.

Last Saturday was Sarah's last day at the football office. Because of the long hours, she decided in August she needed to make a change, as she is getting married this spring. She needed to switch from her "dream job" to a real job. This writer knows how much passion she had for her job. He knows how much she will miss the coaches, players, staff and their families.

We have asked Sarah to answer some question which she has agreed to answer. Hopefully you can learn more about the NU football office from the interviews.

Her is the question for Part I:

What will you miss most of not being involved anymore?

There is a lot that I will miss - I have had such a great experience. I'll miss being around the coaches and players, meeting the recruits and their families, the amazing people that I have worked with and met, walking out onto the field with the recruits on game days - I could go on and on :-) I'll just say, almost everything.


Was the football office like family? Why?

The football office is very much like a family. You spend a lot of hours there and you get very close to the people you work with. You spend holidays with them and you go through a lot together. It's a very special place.


What was your responsibility at the football office?

I was a Recruiting Staff Assistant in the Football Office. Basically, I did a lot of work 'behind the scenes'. Some of my job duties included sending correspondence to our recruits, coordinating official visits and helping with them on the weekends, assisting the coaches with various projects, expense reports, compliance paperwork and supervising our 6 student assistants.


Who was some of your favorite high school coaches you worked with?

The coach I worked with the most was Larry Martin - the head football coach at Omaha North High School. He is a great mentor for his athletes and would do everything he can to help them succeed. He is the epitome of a great head football coach.


Where are you going to work now?

I will be working at National Research Corporation as a Project Assistant in Client Services.


Was it fun working with your sister, Kim?

Working with Kim was one of the biggest highlights of my career in the Football Office. We have become a lot closer since she started and the best part was being able to share the experience with her. It is fun for her to see what I do and what goes on there. She has developed herself into one of the bright spots in the office and will continue to grow and learn from the amazing experience she will continue to have there.