College Football

Ohio U. to name field for former Husker head coach

Ohio U. to name field for former Husker head coach

The Ohio University athletic department announced Thursday evening that the Board of Trustees has agreed to name the field at Penden Stadium Frank Solich Field. The former Husker head coach, Solich, coached at Ohio from 2005-2021, earning a record of 115-82 with four MAC East Division Championships. In his 16 years in Athens, Solich appeared in 11 bowl games and finished with a 5-6 postseason record. For perspective on Solich’s impact on the Bobcat program, Ohio went 53-122-3 with zero bowl appearances in the 16 years before his arrival.

Solich is best known to Cornhusker fans as the Nebraska head coach from 1998-2003. He had a record of 58-19 in six seasons in charge in Lincoln and even played for a national championship during the 2001 season. It was following the conclusion season finale against Colorado in 2003 that then-athletic director Steve Pederson made the senseless decision to fire the Husker coach.

Pederson sold the university brass on the idea of making a change by stating that he had a plan in place to hire a replacement. It took him 41 to settle on former Oakland Raider head coach Bill Callahan. During that time, he was turned down by Chiefs Offensive Coordinator Al Saunders, Arkansas Head Coach Houston Nutt, and Dallas Cowboys Defensive Coordinator Mike Zimmer. Callahan would go 27-22 (15-17), be fired following the 2007 season, being replaced by Bo Pelini. Pederson would be fired before the conclusion of the 2007 football season and would be replaced by former Head Coach Tom Osborne.

The decision to remove Solich after a 9-3 regular season has proven to be one of the worst firings in recent college football history.

Scroll below for social media’s reaction to the recent news about Solich as well as a look back at each one of his six seasons on the sidelines in Lincoln.

https://twitter.com/OhioFootball/status/1560349593333743616

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