Osborne visit

Lorri Sughroue/McCook Gazette

Osborne visit

Legendary Nebraska Husker coach Dr. Tom Osborne made a stop in McCook Friday at Sehnert's Bakery, in recognition of the TeamMates mentoring program he started 25 years ago. Osborne said the program began in 1991 when he asked if any of his Nebraska football players would like to mentor seventh and eighth grade boys at Lincoln Public Schools. "Twenty two hands went up," he said. Of those students, 18 went on the college and the program has now spread across Nebraska, with 8,300 kids in 150 school districts, including those in Kansas, Wyoming and Kansas. "It's a very powerful gift you can give, your undivided time," he said. The mentoring relationship with a student can have a ripple effect across generations, Osborne said, by "changing the culture one person at a time." Members of the McCook TeamMates program were present at Osborne's McCook appearance, with TeamMates director Janae Solomon and board member Dennis Berry. Fans of all ages also showed up for a coveted autograph, photograph or just to hear him speak, including a contingent of "Red Hat Ladies" and Kristin Collicott, 15, of McCook.