It was once known as "The House That Boyd Built."
The University of Nebraska's weight-training program was born in the late 1960's when a young man by the name of Boyd Epley -- an injured pole vaulter on the UNL track team -- caught the eye of then-assistant football coach Tom Osborne.
Epley was lifting to gain strength, and he had a few football players joining him in the weight room. The common thought, at that time, was that bigger, stronger football players were also slower. Epley's efforts caught the eye of Osborne and then-head coach Bob Devaney, who hired Epley as the team's first strength coordinator.
The rest, as they say, is history. Epley's efforts not only helped Nebraska become one of the elite football powers, but the school's weight program eventually became the envy of all in college athletics. Before long, coaches from other schools were coming to Epley for advice and copying the Nebraska strength program.
Strength coaches in college athletics are now one of the most important people of an athletic program. Today, Nebraska's program is being run by James Dobson, who came over from the University of Iowa. Dobson's job is an interesting one, as he not only is responsible for improving the strength and conditioning of the Husker football program, but he has the opportunity to get to know all of the athletes before many on the coaching staff will.
That knowledge will serve the Nebraska football coaching staff well as they prepare for spring practice. They hope to have players in good condition for the annual Red-White Spring Game, set for Saturday, April 19 at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln.
You can get your Spring Game tickets, as well as all Nebraska football tickets, at Ticket Express -- where no Husker game is ever sold out.
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