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Shawn Eichorst, he gave Pelini the boot. But who is HE?

By Kelli Anne

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“HE’s” making the decision. Not a team, or firm, or group. “HE” is choosing the next Nebraska Football Head Coach. “HE” is actually SE (lol). Shawn Eichorst. But just how well do you know him? I’ll admit I don’t. Would be curious to sit down and ask him some questions. (hook me up Harvey)

My Mom says you judge a person by what they say, what they do, and by what others say about you. Like other Husker fans, we are all waiting to see what else he will do next.

Let’s start with the softer side of SE. He’s married to Kristen and has three sons, Jack, Joseph & Bennett. He was born in

Lone Rock, Wisconsin

(which I had to look up). It’s located 48 miles west of Madison and to call it a wide spot in the road would be generous as it boasted only 929 people in the 2000 consensus. Score a

point

for not being a spoiled city brat.

WHAT HE’S SAID

You heard what he said when he fired Bo Pelini. If not click here. Here’s another Eichorst quote when talking about his college football playing days: “It wasn’t big time, but it was big enough for me,” he said. “What I’ve learned on the football field – resilience, persistence, determination, work ethic, teamwork, toughness – would carry me through law school, the business world and college athletics. I have never wavered in my belief that athletics cannot only provide opportunity; it can be one of life’s great teachers.”

Athletic Director Shawn Eichorst (photo credit NU Media Relations)

WHAT HE’S DONE

Eichorst grew up on a farm and did farm chores. Score a point there.

What position did he play? Defensive Back. (I prefer defense more than offense but this is a no score, I mean it IS defense.)

Where did he play? University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Their mascot is the Whitewater Warhawk. SE was a three time letter winner and Team Captain in 1990. Score a point for leadership.

After that it gets murky for me but that’s because I’m naturally suspicious of lawyers. Eichorst obtained a law degree from Marquette in 1995, and then only practiced for 4 years. He gets a point for getting out of the real practice of law but loses a point for being a lawyer, so that’s a wash.)

How many different Universities did he work in some capacity as an Athletic Director? 5 (including NU)

UW-W hired him as their Director of Athletics and he remained there until 2003. They liked him enough to bring him back, score a point.

Senior Associate AD for Administration from 2004 – 2006 for the Gamecocks at University of South Carolina. Gamecocks? Lose a point because of Spurrier, gain a point for their good baseball program.

Senior Associate AD in 2006, Executive Assoc AD in 2007, and Deputy AD at Wisconsin from 2009 – 2011. Lose a point because I don’t like Wisconsin Badgers. Gain a point because Bielema is no longer there.

Athletic Director at Miami 2011 – until 10-4-2012 when he was hired to replace Dr. Tom Osborne. Gain a point for knowing it was time to leave there.

WHAT OTHERS SAY ABOUT HIM:

Nov 15, 2014; Madison, WI, USA; Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez before the start of the Wisconsin Badgers game with the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports

Barry Alvarez, Wisconsin AD “He’s got a tremendous background,” Alvarez said. “He was a college athlete. He has a law degree, practiced law. He was his own boss, ran his own program, albeit Division III initially. He worked at South Carolina, oversaw football with (Steve) Spurrier, (Lou) Holtz. I’ve given him a lot of responsibilities here. He’s very bright. He knows athletics, understands coaches and athletes. He’s a guy that works extremely hard, gets along great with people.”

Other Tidbits: Base salary of $973,000 making him the 3rd highest paid Big Ten AD behind Ohio State’s Gene Smith at $1,074,546, and Wisconsin’s Barry Alvarez who brings down $1,040,800.

More from Husker Corner

I have to admit I have never tuned in to listen to his monthly radio and until just recently I had not ever clicked on his column: Connecting on Campus.

That’s not a lot of points but that’s because HE’s not made his decision yet. Me, I’m going to reserve judgment until I see this whole new football coach decision play out. Gutsy call saying “it’s all on ME.” If his new choice for head coach ends up not working out…well, to quote SE himself, “at the end of the day” I strongly suspect HE will be gone.

In the meantime, be a good fan. Support the remaining coaches and players and be respectful to the other teams and their fans. GO BIG RED!

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