LINCOLN — The full Nebraska Legislature is set to weigh whether to make an exception in state law to add former Husker football coach and former U.S. Rep. Tom Osborne to the Nebraska Hall of Fame as the first living inductee after a legislative committee Friday advanced the proposal.

The Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee voted 6-0 to advance Legislative Bill 1159. The proposal from State Sen. Dan Lonowski of Hastings was requested by Gov. Jim Pillen, a former Husker defensive back in the 1970s. If passed, the Nebraska Hall of Fame Commission would need to induct a member matching only Osborne’s description by Jan. 1.

Under state law, Nebraska Hall of Fame inductees must have been dead for at least 35 years to be considered for inclusion. The Hall of Fame Commission can name just one new member every five years. Nominations for the next inductee are due by Dec. 31.

There are now 27 members of the hall, whose busts are displayed in the Capitol. The last inductee was slain civil rights leader Malcolm X, an Omaha native whose bust was installed in 2024 after a years-long fight to include him.

‘Why Wait?’

Lonowski, a member of the Government Committee, at a hearing last week said Osborne “exceeds” the requirements to be named to the Hall of Fame. Of the 35-year requirement, he asked: “Why wait?”

“For all the joy and celebration Coach Osborne has brought us over his 89 years of life, he deserves to enjoy the celebration of his induction into our great state’s Hall of Fame,” Lonowski said.

It would not be the first time Osborne has been inducted early into a hall of fame. After Osborne retired following the 1997 season, the National Football Foundation waived a three-year waiting period to induct him into the College Football Hall of Fame in December 1998.

State Sens. Megan Hunt and Dunixi Guereca, both of Omaha, missed the committee vote while attending other hearings. Neither responded to texts seeking to confirm their votes, though Guereca was listed as a cosponsor.

The four requirements for the exception to the inductee rules under LB 1159 would be:

Be a prior member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Osborne represented Nebraska’s sprawling, largely rural 3rd Congressional District, from 2001 to 2007.

Be a former head football coach for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Osborne coached 25 seasons, from 1973 to 1997.

Have served as UNL’s athletic director. Osborne took over the NU Athletics Department in 2007 and retired in 2013.

Have attended Hastings High School. Osborne graduated in 1955.

Constitutionality And Costs

During Friday’s meeting to discuss LB 1159, the Government Committee’s legal counsel, Dick Clark, flagged that the bill could run afoul of the Nebraska Constitution because it could be considered “special legislation.” That’s because, by Jan. 1, Osborne would be the only person to legally qualify. No other living Husker athletics meets the proposal’s criteria.

Clark said he didn’t know whether anybody might bring a legal challenge but wanted to flag the committee.

State Sen. John Cavanaugh of Omaha, a Government Committee member, suggested eliminating the Jan. 1, 2027, deadline, making it possible that anyone who theoretically meets the same criteria as Osborne could be added in the future. 

If passed, Osborne, who just celebrated his 89th birthday last week, would become the first and only living member of the Nebraska Hall of Fame. 

The Hall of Fame Commission estimates a bronze bust of Osborne to be placed in the Capitol to cost $45,000 in taxpayer funds. The Legislature annually puts $10,000 in a fund for the busts already, which, over time, helps fund the next time someone is inducted. 

The push for Osborne comes as the Legislature is filling a major projected budget shortfall, including pursuing budget cuts as small as $86,000 a year by capping lawmakers’ annual travel reimbursements. 

Lonowski said he has no concerns about the proposed legislation for Osborne.

UNL Students Support The Bill

Pillen has invited Osborne to various events throughout his first term. Nebraska has also directed tens of millions of state dollars toward Osborne’s mentoring nonprofit, TeamMates, which connects adult mentors with K-12 students, according to reporting from the Flatwater Free Press.

“Scheduling conflicts” prevented Pillen from testifying for Lonowski’s bill, the senator said.

Nicholas Stefanik, a sophomore studying political science at UNL, was the lone testifier. He supported the bill on behalf of UNL’s student government, adding that Osborne left a “lasting legacy” long before Stefanik and other students were born. Stefanik said honoring Osborne’s legacy “is truly the least we can do.”

“I don’t think I need to tell anyone here what it is like to watch a game on Osborne Field, but as a student, specifically, I can tell you that it is simply incredible, in large part because of Mr. Osborne’s legacy and lasting contributions to the program and the university,” Stefanik said.

Bipartisan Cosponsors List

A few people wrote online letters against LB 1159, including letters questioning the need for the change and the purchase of the bust now, given the state’s financial position, according to reporting from Nebraska Public Media.

Lonowski said a member of the Hall of Fame Commission has reached out about revamping the program, such as changing the 35-year waiting period or adding the ability to remove an inductee years later.

“As every Nebraskan knows, Tom Osborne is the most deserving person,” Lonowski told the Examiner, noting the parameters also keep out people like Johnny Carson, who died in 2005, but whom Lonowski said is also deserving of being in the Hall.

In a Jan. 29 statement, Pillen described his former mentor as a “Nebraska icon” who “unquestionably deserves a spot” in the Hall of Fame for his service.

Said Pillen: “I’m pleased that a bipartisan majority of senators are supporting this effort that will allow us to honor his many achievements and lasting impact on the people of this great state.”

Lonowski is still exploring his options to get LB 1159 into law, with one option being to amend it into a package from the Government Committee. Doing so would require at least 25 votes.

Thirty-five lawmakers have already cosponsored Lonowski’s bill: State Sens. Bob Andersen, Beau Ballard, Carolyn Bosn, Tom Brandt, Machaela Cavanaugh, Rob Clements, Stan Clouse, Barry DeKay, Myron Dorn, Rob Dover, Dunixi Guereca, Bob Hallstrom, Ben Hansen, Brian Hardin, Rick Holdcroft, Jana Hughes, Teresa Ibach, Mike Jacobson, Loren Lippincott, Terrell McKinney, Fred Meyer, Glen Meyer, Mike Moser, Dave Murman, Jason Prokop, Dan Quick, Jane Raybould, Merv Riepe, Rita Sanders, Tony Sorrentino, Tanya Storer, Jared Storm, Paul Strommen, Brad von Gillern and Dave Wordekemper.

This story was published by Nebraska Examiner, an editorially independent newsroom providing a hard-hitting, daily flow of news. Read the original article: https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/03/02/committee-advances-bill-with-exception-for-tom-osborne-to-join-nebraska-hall-of-fame-early/