HASTINGS, Neb. -- Former Nebraska football coach Tom Osborne
plans to seek the Republican nomination for governor instead of a
fourth term in Congress.
The 68-year-old Osborne made the announcement Saturday in his
hometown at Hastings College, his alma mater.
"You can tell by looking at me that I've got more miles behind
me than I've got in front of me," said Osborne, who retired as a
coach at the end of the 1997 season.
"When you reach that point, if you've got some good years left,
you want to make sure that you use them wisely."
Osborne has hinted about seeking the gubernatorial nomination
for months.
The decision to run took him more than a year, he said. Osborne,
who had open heart surgery 20 years ago, said he had a physical and
talked with his doctor before making decision, "to make sure I'd
be vertical for the next five years."
Retiring wasn't really an option for him, Osborne told the crowd
of about 100 people including family members, well-wishers and the
media.
"I'm not really good at retiring. I tried that one time and
Nancy ran me out of the house," Osborne said, referring to his
wife.
If elected, Osborne said that he intended to serve only one term
but would not rule out a second term if he felt it were necessary.
To get to the governor's mansion, the famed former coach will
face at least two opponents in the Republican primary -- Gov. Dave
Heineman and Omaha businessman David Nabity.
Osborne has parlayed his enormous popularity into a political
career. He won three national titles in his last four years at
Nebraska, got 82 percent of the vote in his first run for Congress
in 2000, 93 percent in his re-election bid in 2002 and 87 percent
last year.
In his announcement, Osborne also set out three main goals that
he would try accomplish if elected, such as helping unite the
state, which he said is often divided into factions such as east
and west and urban and rural.
He noted that he worked to unite his football teams for the
common goal of winning.
"That same type of thinking can certainly translate to the
state of Nebraska," Osborne said.
Mark Quandahl, chairman of the state GOP, welcomed Osborne's
announcement.
"Congressman Osborne is a great American," Quandahl said.
"He's done a great job as our congressman for the 3rd District,
and he's a good example of a public servant living his life and
exercising his public duties in a manner that makes all Nebraskans
proud."