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Then-athletic director Steve Pederson poses in front of the expansion of Memorial Stadium in December 2005.
JAMES R. BURNETT/THE WORLD-HERALD
Then-assistant coach Ron Brown led players from Nebraska and Penn State in a pregame prayer in 2011 after the Jerry Sandusky scandal brought turmoil to the Penn State campus.
ALYSSA SCHUKAR/THE WORLD-HERALD
Penn State coach James Franklin greets his players after a touchdown in the Nittany Lions' 2017 win over Nebraska.
BRENDAN SULLIVAN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Nebraska football coach Bo Pelini speaks at his final press conference as a coach following the Iowa football game.
RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Dec. 4, 2014: After a four-day search, then-Athletic Director Shawn Eichorst announced Oregon State’s Mike Riley would succeed Bo Pelini as Nebraska’s football coach. During his introductory press conference the next day, Riley said “we are in this together to build young men and win championships, and they don’t have to be exclusive of one another. We’re going to do it the right way.”
- RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Nov. 7, 2015: Mike Riley earned his first victory over a ranked opponent — one of only two he’d have during his Nebraska career — after defeating then-No. 6 Michigan State with a controversial 30-yard touchdown catch by Brandon Reilly with 17 seconds remaining.
- CHRIS MACHIAN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Nov. 27, 2015: Mike Riley concluded his first regular season in Nebraska with a 28-20 loss to then-No. 3 Iowa. The Huskers finished the year 5-7 but still qualified for a bowl thanks to the program’s Academic Progress Rate. NU would go on to defeat UCLA in the Foster Farms Bowl.
- CHRIS MACHIAN/THE WORLD-HERALD
June 5, 2016: Dressed in a red “Calibraska” t-shirt, Mike Riley and the Husker coaches conducted a satellite camp in California. That camp was one example of Riley’s push to attract recruits from California. Nebraska signed seven recruits from that state in the 2016 and 2017 recruiting classes.
- REBECCA S. GRATZ/THE WORLD-HERALD
July 23, 2016: Nebraska punter Sam Foltz died in a car accident. “This day will be stuck in time forever,” Mike Riley said after a team meeting the following day. Foltz’s memory became a rallying point for Riley and the Huskers throughout the 2016 season.
- SARAH HOFFMAN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Nov. 25, 2016: Nebraska finished Mike Riley’s second regular season with losses in three of its final five games, including a 40-10 beatdown to Iowa in the finale. The Huskers would also go on to lose to Tennessee in the bowl game.
- RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Jan. 11, 2017: Mike Riley announced the firing of defensive coordinator Mark Banker, who had coached with Riley for nearly two decades. Banker was one of three assistants to leave the program during that offseason — special teams coordinator Bruce Read, another longtime Riley disciple, was fired two days after the Iowa game, and cornerbacks coach Brian Stewart left to become Rice’s defensive coordinator. “I have come to the realization that I have to evaluate this thing all the time, every day, and do what’s best for the program,” Riley would later say.
- MEGAN FARMER/THE WORLD-HERALD
Jan. 14, 2017: Mike Riley hired Bob Diaco to replace Mark Banker as defensive coordinator. Diaco — who had recently been fired as head coach at UConn but had previously built highly-ranked defenses at Notre Dame — was believed to be someone who could quickly fix the Blackshirts’ issues. Riley would later hire assistant coaches Donte Williams (cornerbacks) and Bob Elliott (safeties). Elliott died before the 2017 season and was replaced by Scott Booker.
- BRENDAN SULLIVAN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Feb. 1, 2017: Mike Riley signed another impressive recruiting class that ranked No. 23 nationally with six four-star recruits, including one (Tyjon Lindsey) who was among the country’s top 50 prospects. The Huskers also landed two commitments on this day, including defensive lineman Damion Daniels (pictured).
- LOUIS DELUCA/DALLAS MORNING NEWS
Sept. 21, 2017: Nebraska fired Athletic Director Shawn Eichorst, who had hired Mike Riley less than three years prior. NU administrators said they “weren’t satisfied with the results” across all sports — not just football — in explaining their decision. NU President Hank Bounds would later say “this is not about Mr. Riley right now.”
- MATT DIXON/THE WORLD-HERALD
Oct. 14, 2017: A week after losing by 24 to Wisconsin, the Huskers fell to Ohio State, 56-14, at Memorial Stadium. It was the second-worst home conference loss in program history, and in two games against the Buckeyes under Mike Riley, the Huskers lost by a combined 101 points.
- BRENDAN SULLIVAN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Oct. 15, 2017: Nebraska hired Washington State’s Bill Moos to replace Shawn Eichorst as athletic director. Moos said during his introductory press conference that he doesn’t believe in firing coaches midseason but didn’t mince words about the state of the program. “Nebraska for years has been the hunted. We’re not right now.”
- ADAM WARNER/THE WORLD-HERALD
Nov. 24, 2017: Mike Riley finished his third and final season at Nebraska with a 56-14 loss to Iowa. That concluded a 4-8 season — Nebraska's worst in 56 years — and was the third straight game the Huskers surrendered 50 or more points.
- RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Mike Riley's Nebraska career timeline
A look back at the highs, the lows and the important moments in Mike Riley's Nebraska career.
Dec. 4, 2014: After a four-day search, then-Athletic Director Shawn Eichorst announced Oregon State’s Mike Riley would succeed Bo Pelini as Nebraska’s football coach. During his introductory press conference the next day, Riley said “we are in this together to build young men and win championships, and they don’t have to be exclusive of one another. We’re going to do it the right way.”
- RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Sept. 5, 2015: Mike Riley’s first game at Nebraska ended in heartbreak as BYU won with a Hail Mary in Memorial Stadium.
- RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Nov. 7, 2015: Mike Riley earned his first victory over a ranked opponent — one of only two he’d have during his Nebraska career — after defeating then-No. 6 Michigan State with a controversial 30-yard touchdown catch by Brandon Reilly with 17 seconds remaining.
- CHRIS MACHIAN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Nov. 27, 2015: Mike Riley concluded his first regular season in Nebraska with a 28-20 loss to then-No. 3 Iowa. The Huskers finished the year 5-7 but still qualified for a bowl thanks to the program’s Academic Progress Rate. NU would go on to defeat UCLA in the Foster Farms Bowl.
- CHRIS MACHIAN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Feb. 3, 2016: Mike Riley signed his second Nebraska recruiting class, a group that ranked No. 26 nationally with four four-star recruits and two ranked in the top 125 overall.
- MATT DIXON/THE WORLD-HERALD
Feb. 5, 2016: Mike Riley fired his first assistant coach at Nebraska — defensive line coach Hank Hughes. Less than three weeks later, Riley hired former Husker John Parrella to replace Hughes.
- BRENDAN SULLIVAN/THE WORLD-HERALD
June 5, 2016: Dressed in a red “Calibraska” t-shirt, Mike Riley and the Husker coaches conducted a satellite camp in California. That camp was one example of Riley’s push to attract recruits from California. Nebraska signed seven recruits from that state in the 2016 and 2017 recruiting classes.
- REBECCA S. GRATZ/THE WORLD-HERALD
July 23, 2016: Nebraska punter Sam Foltz died in a car accident. “This day will be stuck in time forever,” Mike Riley said after a team meeting the following day. Foltz’s memory became a rallying point for Riley and the Huskers throughout the 2016 season.
- SARAH HOFFMAN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Sept. 17, 2016: After losing his last seven games against Oregon while at Oregon State, Mike Riley got the “duck” off his back by defeating then-No. 22 Oregon, 35-32, in Memorial Stadium.
- MATT MILLER/THE WORLD-HERALD
Oct. 22, 2016: Nebraska moved to 7-0 with a 27-14 victory over Purdue. It was the Huskers’ best start since 2001, and NU would be ranked as high as No. 7 in the country.
- RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Nov. 25, 2016: Nebraska finished Mike Riley’s second regular season with losses in three of its final five games, including a 40-10 beatdown to Iowa in the finale. The Huskers would also go on to lose to Tennessee in the bowl game.
- RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Jan. 11, 2017: Mike Riley announced the firing of defensive coordinator Mark Banker, who had coached with Riley for nearly two decades. Banker was one of three assistants to leave the program during that offseason — special teams coordinator Bruce Read, another longtime Riley disciple, was fired two days after the Iowa game, and cornerbacks coach Brian Stewart left to become Rice’s defensive coordinator. “I have come to the realization that I have to evaluate this thing all the time, every day, and do what’s best for the program,” Riley would later say.
- MEGAN FARMER/THE WORLD-HERALD
Jan. 14, 2017: Mike Riley hired Bob Diaco to replace Mark Banker as defensive coordinator. Diaco — who had recently been fired as head coach at UConn but had previously built highly-ranked defenses at Notre Dame — was believed to be someone who could quickly fix the Blackshirts’ issues. Riley would later hire assistant coaches Donte Williams (cornerbacks) and Bob Elliott (safeties). Elliott died before the 2017 season and was replaced by Scott Booker.
- BRENDAN SULLIVAN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Feb. 1, 2017: Mike Riley signed another impressive recruiting class that ranked No. 23 nationally with six four-star recruits, including one (Tyjon Lindsey) who was among the country’s top 50 prospects. The Huskers also landed two commitments on this day, including defensive lineman Damion Daniels (pictured).
- LOUIS DELUCA/DALLAS MORNING NEWS
Sept. 16, 2017: Nebraska fell to 1-2 after a 21-17 loss to Northern Illinois. It was the Huskers’ first loss to a team from a Group of Five conference since 2004.
- BRENDAN SULLIVAN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Sept. 21, 2017: Nebraska fired Athletic Director Shawn Eichorst, who had hired Mike Riley less than three years prior. NU administrators said they “weren’t satisfied with the results” across all sports — not just football — in explaining their decision. NU President Hank Bounds would later say “this is not about Mr. Riley right now.”
- MATT DIXON/THE WORLD-HERALD
Oct. 14, 2017: A week after losing by 24 to Wisconsin, the Huskers fell to Ohio State, 56-14, at Memorial Stadium. It was the second-worst home conference loss in program history, and in two games against the Buckeyes under Mike Riley, the Huskers lost by a combined 101 points.
- BRENDAN SULLIVAN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Oct. 15, 2017: Nebraska hired Washington State’s Bill Moos to replace Shawn Eichorst as athletic director. Moos said during his introductory press conference that he doesn’t believe in firing coaches midseason but didn’t mince words about the state of the program. “Nebraska for years has been the hunted. We’re not right now.”
- ADAM WARNER/THE WORLD-HERALD
Nov. 24, 2017: Mike Riley finished his third and final season at Nebraska with a 56-14 loss to Iowa. That concluded a 4-8 season — Nebraska's worst in 56 years — and was the third straight game the Huskers surrendered 50 or more points.
- RYAN SODERLIN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Nov. 25, 2017: Nebraska fired Mike Riley after three seasons as the Husker coach. He ended his tenure with a 19-19 record, the worst winning percentage by a Nebraska coach since 1961.
- JULIA NAGY/THE WORLD-HERALD
sam.mckewon@owh.com, 402-540-4222, twitter.com/swmckewonOWH
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