Ever since he was a small boy, Tom Osborne loved sports, especially football.

It ran in the family.

His Grandfather Osborne played for Hastings College in Nebraska at the turn of the century and Tom’s dad, Charles, played there in the 1920s.

Tom Osborne followed their lead and eventually played football at Hastings College, too.

But at some point along the way, football became more than a game to Tom. It became a metaphor for his life and the way he wanted to live it. He’d hear people say, "Nice guys finish last." But he didn’t buy it, and for most of his coaching career Tom Osborne tried to disprove that theory.

He didn’t believe that in order to win you’ve got to be a no-good so-and-so or that nice guys wind up on the bottom of the heap.

Tom Osborne believed nice guys can be winners.

And he also believed there’s more than winning.