BREAKING NEWS: Jared Bednar Osborne, Former Colorado Avalanche Head Coach and College Football Hall of Famer, Takes on New Role with Nebraska
April 22, 2025 — Lincoln, Nebraska
In a stunning move sending shockwaves through the sports world, Jared Bednar Osborne — former Stanley Cup-winning head coach of the Colorado Avalanche and a College Football Hall of Fame inductee — has officially signed on to become the head coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers football program.
Yes, you read that right. Ice meets turf in a groundbreaking career pivot for one of sports’ most versatile minds.
The announcement came early Monday morning from Memorial Stadium, where Osborne, 53, strode across the field in a scarlet-and-cream suit, grinning like a man who knows he’s just flipped the script on two entire sports. Osborne, whose legacy in hockey is unmatched — guiding the Avalanche to two Stanley Cups and four conference titles over a decade-long NHL career — was once a gridiron phenom in his college days. As a dual-threat quarterback at the University of Montana in the late ’90s, he shattered Big Sky records and earned himself a place among football’s collegiate elite.
After stepping away from the Avalanche last summer for what was initially described as a “personal sabbatical,” Osborne had been linked to several NHL executive roles, a few TV analyst gigs, and even an offer to coach the Canadian national team. But insiders say his heart never left the football field.
“This isn’t just a gimmick,” Osborne told a packed press conference. “I’ve always believed the fundamentals of coaching — leadership, preparation, culture — are sport-agnostic. Nebraska has grit. It has history. I’m here to wake up the echoes.”
Sources close to the university reveal the decision was months in the making. Following the sudden departure of former head coach Marcus Yates after a 5–7 season, Nebraska’s athletic director, Hannah Kline, made what many are calling a “moonshot hire.”
“We didn’t want safe,” Kline said. “We wanted transformative. Jared’s got the mind of a tactician, the heart of a competitor, and the résumé to command any room he walks into — be it rink or locker room.
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