Steven M. Sipple: Pelini practices what dad preaches
In many ways, we’re still getting to know Nebraska’s new head football coach.
We know a lot. We continue to learn.
For instance, who knew Bo Pelini was a heck of a high school basketball player, talented enough to be recruited by legendary Missouri hoops coach Norm Stewart?
Pelini has been known to keep a basketball in his office. He grew up idolizing NBA players such as Dennis Johnson and Elvin Hayes (Pelini won’t be rooting for the Lakers. He’s not a big fan of Kobe and company).
One thing becomes clear as you talk to Pelini about his development as a coach and person: His father played a huge role. Dad’s tenets still help guide Pelini.
Put it this way: Bo isn’t likely to forget ol’ pops on Father’s Day.
Since being formally hired by Nebraska on Dec. 2, Pelini has worked to instill a disciplined approach on and off the field. He’s been known to show up at Lincoln downtown bars to check if players are abiding by team rules. He also shows up in classrooms on occasion to make sure players are attending.
Anthony Pelini, a retired pharmaceuticals salesman, probably would appreciate such diligence.
Bo Pelini says his father’s impact began to take hold when Bo was a kid playing a variety of sports in his hometown of Youngstown, Ohio. Anthony Pelini taught his five sons to conduct themselves in sports with a sense of pride and respect for the game.
“That meant acting the right way, which I didn’t always do,” says 40-year-old Bo, the youngest of five brothers. “But I heard about it when I didn’t.”
His dad’s overall message was clear. Play hard. Play with sportsmanship. Be a team player. Don’t worry about individuality. Represent your team the right way all the time, on and off the court.
“My dad would never criticize me for how I played,” Bo Pelini says. “But if I got a technical or threw my helmet or something like that, there was hell to pay when I walked into my home. He wouldn’t scream and yell, but he’d say, ‘If you want to play, you’re going to do it the right way.’
“Believe me,” he says now, “that went a long way.”
In addition to his father’s influence, Pelini’s coaching style was shaped in large part by his experiences as a multi-sport star at Cardinal Mooney High School.
“I always go back to my high school days as a key period,” Pelini says. “We had good talent, don’t get me wrong. But mostly I saw how the commitment part of things and the sacrifice and the team-building and the stresses from the coaches to do things the right way and be committed to team — all those things are what I thought separated us from everybody else and enabled us to overachieve.
“It sticks with you.”
His father was watching all the while, mainly to make sure his sons were working hard to improve. Anthony Pelini instilled work ethic in his sons long before they could shave.
“It was never about stats,” Bo Pelini says. “Going 3-for-3 in a baseball game, he didn’t care about that, as long as I was giving my best effort. He stressed that if you want to be good, you have to do more than the next guy. If you’re a basketball player, you have to be out there shooting balls. If you miss free throws, you’d better shoot 100. You had better practice your trade at home.”
Pelini could practice batting in his home’s garage, where his father hung a baseball from the ceiling. Dad even mapped out a batter’s box.
It’s easy to imagine Bo Pelini practicing in the garage and emulating his favorite Pittsburgh Pirates (Willie Stargell and Omar Moreno) or his favorite Cleveland Indians (Duane Kuiper and Rick Manning).
“(Dad) didn’t sit there and watch me practice, but he’d have things to say like, ‘This is how you practice. This is what you do. You’re not just going to show up and be good,’ ” Pelini recalls.
Pelini’s four older brothers — including Carl, the Huskers’ defensive coordinator — also had a significant impact on his development as an athlete and person. Bo says he listened to his brothers’ wisdom.
“They would take me to the playground and I’d play basketball against the older kids,” Bo says. “Even though I was a little over my head, they would take care of me.
“I learned a lot of lessons doing that stuff.”
Lessons that guide him to this day.
Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com.
We know a lot. We continue to learn.
For instance, who knew Bo Pelini was a heck of a high school basketball player, talented enough to be recruited by legendary Missouri hoops coach Norm Stewart?
Pelini has been known to keep a basketball in his office. He grew up idolizing NBA players such as Dennis Johnson and Elvin Hayes (Pelini won’t be rooting for the Lakers. He’s not a big fan of Kobe and company).
One thing becomes clear as you talk to Pelini about his development as a coach and person: His father played a huge role. Dad’s tenets still help guide Pelini.
Put it this way: Bo isn’t likely to forget ol’ pops on Father’s Day.
Since being formally hired by Nebraska on Dec. 2, Pelini has worked to instill a disciplined approach on and off the field. He’s been known to show up at Lincoln downtown bars to check if players are abiding by team rules. He also shows up in classrooms on occasion to make sure players are attending.
Anthony Pelini, a retired pharmaceuticals salesman, probably would appreciate such diligence.
Bo Pelini says his father’s impact began to take hold when Bo was a kid playing a variety of sports in his hometown of Youngstown, Ohio. Anthony Pelini taught his five sons to conduct themselves in sports with a sense of pride and respect for the game.
“That meant acting the right way, which I didn’t always do,” says 40-year-old Bo, the youngest of five brothers. “But I heard about it when I didn’t.”
His dad’s overall message was clear. Play hard. Play with sportsmanship. Be a team player. Don’t worry about individuality. Represent your team the right way all the time, on and off the court.
“My dad would never criticize me for how I played,” Bo Pelini says. “But if I got a technical or threw my helmet or something like that, there was hell to pay when I walked into my home. He wouldn’t scream and yell, but he’d say, ‘If you want to play, you’re going to do it the right way.’
“Believe me,” he says now, “that went a long way.”
In addition to his father’s influence, Pelini’s coaching style was shaped in large part by his experiences as a multi-sport star at Cardinal Mooney High School.
“I always go back to my high school days as a key period,” Pelini says. “We had good talent, don’t get me wrong. But mostly I saw how the commitment part of things and the sacrifice and the team-building and the stresses from the coaches to do things the right way and be committed to team — all those things are what I thought separated us from everybody else and enabled us to overachieve.
“It sticks with you.”
His father was watching all the while, mainly to make sure his sons were working hard to improve. Anthony Pelini instilled work ethic in his sons long before they could shave.
“It was never about stats,” Bo Pelini says. “Going 3-for-3 in a baseball game, he didn’t care about that, as long as I was giving my best effort. He stressed that if you want to be good, you have to do more than the next guy. If you’re a basketball player, you have to be out there shooting balls. If you miss free throws, you’d better shoot 100. You had better practice your trade at home.”
Pelini could practice batting in his home’s garage, where his father hung a baseball from the ceiling. Dad even mapped out a batter’s box.
It’s easy to imagine Bo Pelini practicing in the garage and emulating his favorite Pittsburgh Pirates (Willie Stargell and Omar Moreno) or his favorite Cleveland Indians (Duane Kuiper and Rick Manning).
“(Dad) didn’t sit there and watch me practice, but he’d have things to say like, ‘This is how you practice. This is what you do. You’re not just going to show up and be good,’ ” Pelini recalls.
Pelini’s four older brothers — including Carl, the Huskers’ defensive coordinator — also had a significant impact on his development as an athlete and person. Bo says he listened to his brothers’ wisdom.
“They would take me to the playground and I’d play basketball against the older kids,” Bo says. “Even though I was a little over my head, they would take care of me.
“I learned a lot of lessons doing that stuff.”
Lessons that guide him to this day.
Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com.
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