imported_ankle23
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http://www.omaha.com/huskers/blogs/...cle_85b76ea8-939a-11e5-94ce-7b7ec620c312.html
Larry Station isn’t much for trash talk.
The former Omaha Central superstar and All-American linebacker at Iowa has certainly had his opportunities this fall living in Omaha. But he knows football.
“The game can turn on a single play. Any given day, you can win or lose the game on one play.â€
Nebraska's 5-6 record is proof of that. Iowa, meanwhile, is proof that confidence and chemistry can make all the difference between misery and joy. Station didn’t see the turnaround coming.
“It’s like all the stars aligned for Iowa this year.â€
I called Station because he’s one of the most famous and beloved Hawkeyes alive. And he grew up in Omaha. In the fall of 1981, Iowa beat Nebraska 10-7 in Iowa City. Reactions to that game — on both sides of the river — influenced Station’s next move.
Station was as versatile as any athlete of his generation. He was a tennis standout andstate champion in the shot put.
Iowa assistant Bill Snyder, who recruited Station, told the Central linebacker he could play right away at Iowa. Nebraska, on the other hand, had a tradition of redshirting freshmen. Station didn’t want to sit.
Moreover, Iowa football was fresh and exciting, he said. Fry was turning the program around. Nebraska was expected to win. When NU started 1-2 in ’81, Station remembers fans calling for Tom Osborne’s job. Wow, Station thought, “there was not a lot of loyalty. Everybody was so used to winning all the time.â€
He picked Iowa and walked into an incredible learning environment. Fry’s staff included Snyder, Barry Alvarez, Kirk Ferentz and Dan McCarney. Mike and Mark Stoops were players on the team; Bob became a graduate assistant in ’83.
Ferentz the offensive line coach was laid-back. “Almost like half asleep,†Station said. Nothing fazed him. McCarney “was more like a volcano.â€
Alvarez, his linebackers coach, showed wisdom in how he treated players individually. He catered his methods to the player’s personality. Station tells a great story about the first week of practice in August 1982.
“It was like my first day of two-a-days — I’m with the scout-team defense — and they ran a counter play toward my side. I read the play quickly, filled the play and stopped the running back for no gain.
"Coach Snyder is over there with the No. 1 and 2 offense. He didn’t like the fact that I stopped the guy right there at the line of scrimmage. And he was like, ‘Larry, did you see that guard pull around? How come you didn’t follow your key?’
“I said, well, because the running back came this way. The guard didn’t have the ball, so I’m not gonna follow him. They ran the same play again and basically ended up with the same result. I was reading the plays too quickly.
“After I did that, Coach Snyder sent me down with the No. 1 and defense. He told me to get off of the scout team. That’s how my career started.â€
His career finished in the Rose Bowl. Any similarities between the ’85 Hawkeyes and the 2015 version?
Thirty years ago, Iowa had a few standouts, Station said. Chuck Long, Ronnie Harmon and him. This Iowa bunch is even more blue-collar.
Station’s daughter, Nia, is a junior at Omaha Burke. She won the Class A state golf championship in October. Larry and Nia spend most fall Saturdays on the course. But it’s cold now. It’s crunch time. He’ll be watching.
“I always root for Nebraska — until they play Iowa.â€
Larry Station isn’t much for trash talk.
The former Omaha Central superstar and All-American linebacker at Iowa has certainly had his opportunities this fall living in Omaha. But he knows football.
“The game can turn on a single play. Any given day, you can win or lose the game on one play.â€
Nebraska's 5-6 record is proof of that. Iowa, meanwhile, is proof that confidence and chemistry can make all the difference between misery and joy. Station didn’t see the turnaround coming.
“It’s like all the stars aligned for Iowa this year.â€
I called Station because he’s one of the most famous and beloved Hawkeyes alive. And he grew up in Omaha. In the fall of 1981, Iowa beat Nebraska 10-7 in Iowa City. Reactions to that game — on both sides of the river — influenced Station’s next move.
Station was as versatile as any athlete of his generation. He was a tennis standout andstate champion in the shot put.
Iowa assistant Bill Snyder, who recruited Station, told the Central linebacker he could play right away at Iowa. Nebraska, on the other hand, had a tradition of redshirting freshmen. Station didn’t want to sit.
Moreover, Iowa football was fresh and exciting, he said. Fry was turning the program around. Nebraska was expected to win. When NU started 1-2 in ’81, Station remembers fans calling for Tom Osborne’s job. Wow, Station thought, “there was not a lot of loyalty. Everybody was so used to winning all the time.â€
He picked Iowa and walked into an incredible learning environment. Fry’s staff included Snyder, Barry Alvarez, Kirk Ferentz and Dan McCarney. Mike and Mark Stoops were players on the team; Bob became a graduate assistant in ’83.
Ferentz the offensive line coach was laid-back. “Almost like half asleep,†Station said. Nothing fazed him. McCarney “was more like a volcano.â€
Alvarez, his linebackers coach, showed wisdom in how he treated players individually. He catered his methods to the player’s personality. Station tells a great story about the first week of practice in August 1982.
“It was like my first day of two-a-days — I’m with the scout-team defense — and they ran a counter play toward my side. I read the play quickly, filled the play and stopped the running back for no gain.
"Coach Snyder is over there with the No. 1 and 2 offense. He didn’t like the fact that I stopped the guy right there at the line of scrimmage. And he was like, ‘Larry, did you see that guard pull around? How come you didn’t follow your key?’
“I said, well, because the running back came this way. The guard didn’t have the ball, so I’m not gonna follow him. They ran the same play again and basically ended up with the same result. I was reading the plays too quickly.
“After I did that, Coach Snyder sent me down with the No. 1 and defense. He told me to get off of the scout team. That’s how my career started.â€
His career finished in the Rose Bowl. Any similarities between the ’85 Hawkeyes and the 2015 version?
Thirty years ago, Iowa had a few standouts, Station said. Chuck Long, Ronnie Harmon and him. This Iowa bunch is even more blue-collar.
Station’s daughter, Nia, is a junior at Omaha Burke. She won the Class A state golf championship in October. Larry and Nia spend most fall Saturdays on the course. But it’s cold now. It’s crunch time. He’ll be watching.
“I always root for Nebraska — until they play Iowa.â€
