{"id":11774,"date":"2022-02-22T17:24:03","date_gmt":"2022-02-22T17:24:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/?p=11774"},"modified":"2022-02-22T17:24:03","modified_gmt":"2022-02-22T17:24:03","slug":"the-hustle-and-heart-of-augsburg-football-coach-jack-osberg-62","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/2022\/02\/22\/the-hustle-and-heart-of-augsburg-football-coach-jack-osberg-62\/","title":{"rendered":"The hustle and heart of Augsburg football coach Jack Osberg \u201962"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Jack Osberg ’62<\/strong> (Photo by Courtney Perry)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Minneapolis native Jack Osberg \u201962<\/strong> played football from the time he was a kid in the alleys and parks of Minneapolis until his college years, and he entered Augsburg\u2019s Athletic Hall of Fame in 1979. He taught high school biology for 30 years and coached high school and college football for 60. About 22 of those years were at Augsburg, where he compiled a school-record 62 victories and, in 1997, led the team to its first Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship since 1928. At 81, he continues to assist Augsburg\u2019s defensive line and personally connect with students.<\/p>\n

Everyone who knows former Augsburg football coach Jack Osberg has a story:<\/p>\n

\u201cThis giant offensive lineman got a concussion during practice, and I was doing the evaluation,\u201d said Missy Strauch<\/strong>, Augsburg head athletic trainer and athletics health care administrator. \u201cJack waited because he wanted to drive the student home, and when I left the building, the two were sitting on the steps. The young man was sobbing. Jack sat there, listening. Come to find out the student was the sole caregiver for his mother, who was dealing with Alzheimer\u2019s. Jack and his wife, Nina, checked on the student every day, and they are still in touch. That\u2019s Jack. He coached these students to become better players, but he guided them\u2014by example\u2014to become even better people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJack is a lifelong friend, and someone anyone\u2014no matter their age\u2014looks up to because he works so hard and cares so deeply about everyone, whether you are the starting quarterback or the third string,\u201d said Jim Roback \u201963<\/strong>, who met Osberg on the first day of classes at Augsburg in 1958. \u201cI\u2019ve played and coached with him, and there isn\u2019t a more genuine, collaborative person who can pull out the best in anyone. You never worked for Jack, you worked with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was a father figure to us,\u201d said Augsburg Football Head Coach Derrin Lamker \u201997<\/strong>. \u201cI\u2019ll never forget when I was quarterback, and we were getting ready for our championship game. I walked into Jack\u2019s office, and he and Nina were reviewing a list of our parents\u2019 names. I was like, \u2018Coach, what are you doing? We\u2019re getting ready to play the game of our lives.\u2019 He said, \u2018You worry about the game; we want to be able to greet [the student-athletes\u2019] parents by name.\u2019 Well, we won the championship, and they greeted each parent by name.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been taking notes from Jack since my first day of zoology class when he was a biology teacher at Wayzata High School,\u201d said former Augsburg Women\u2019s Hockey Head Coach Jill Pohtilla<\/strong>. \u201cI recall overhearing him with a recruit. He told the young man, \u2018Augsburg is not built with bricks and mortar; it’s built with people,\u2019 and that\u2019s how Jack lived\u2014recognizing that people drive success. So whether it’s athletics or life, you surround yourself with people who make you better.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
Bob Schultz ’98<\/strong> was inducted into Augsburg’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2021, the same year his brother, Ted Schultz ’98<\/strong>, was inducted and Jack Osberg ’62<\/strong> received the Legacy of Augsburg Athletic Award. (Photo by Kevin Healy)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWe had just won the [MIAC] championship in 1997. Nearly everyone had left, but four of us were cleaning up the locker room,\u201d said Ted Schultz \u201998<\/strong>, the student activities director for Minnetonka Public Schools in Minnesota. \u201cJack walked in with an old boom box. He pulled out a cassette tape from his back pocket and popped it in. \u2018We Are the Champions\u2019 by Queen played out. Jack said, \u2018I\u2019ve been waiting to do that my entire life,\u2019 and we all just sat and listened.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJack regularly drove 40 minutes to watch my son\u2019s high school football games. My son, Kyle, was 125 pounds, but he played with heart, like I did, and Jack loves that,\u201d said Michael Weidner \u201983<\/strong>, a former defensive end. \u201cThink about that. My college football coach cares enough about me and my family to show that kind of support, and consider the thousands of people he\u2019s coached or taught and showed the same devotion and support.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I heard an 81-year-old was coming to work with our defensive line, a part of me thought, \u2018What can this guy teach us? How will we relate?\u2019\u201d said Shaquille Young \u201923<\/strong>, a third-year social work major. \u201cWell, I learned you can\u2019t let stereotypes get in the way of learning something new. Coach Osberg is one of the greatest people I have met in my life. He knows football like he invented it, and he makes everyone feel welcome and supported.\u201d<\/p>\n

The first quarter<\/h2>\n
\"\"
Augsburg Hall of Fame member Jack Osberg ’62 <\/strong>(Archive photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Osberg was born in 1940, when football players wore leather helmets. Football was everything to Osberg and his friends, who passed and blocked in the alleys of Minneapolis. In fifth grade, he entered club sports and church group leagues, which were 15 minutes from Augsburg\u2019s campus. Osberg worshiped with Auggie professors and coaches, so when it came time to attend college, there was no other choice.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was the first to go to college in my family,\u201d Osberg said. \u201cMy father was a hardworking man, but he disliked his job working in basements as a lithographer. He wanted us to lead a better life, and I saw my future in those professors and coaches. I knew Augsburg was the place to improve my spiritual, athletic, and academic self.\u201d<\/p>\n

The graduate of Minneapolis\u2019 Washburn High School became a standout football player at Augsburg from 1958 to 1961, earning induction into the college’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 1979. A nose guard\/offensive guard, Osberg was named All-MIAC twice and selected as MVP, team captain, and Lutheran All-American. He also played baseball his freshman year and wrestled for three years.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Jack Osberg ’62<\/strong> [back row, fourth from the left] poses with the\u00a01961 MIAC Championship wrestling team. (Archive photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\u201cI had never wrestled before, but the coach recruited me. I was never all that good, but wrestling made me a better football player. It muscled me up and trimmed me down,\u201d he said. \u201cWrestling demands mental and physical strength, and it instills a natural flow and balance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Osberg didn\u2019t live on campus\u2014he couldn\u2019t afford it. Commuting, Osberg formed a bond with other students from hardworking city families who put themselves through school sorting mail at the post office or loading shotgun shells onto railcars. The gang of about 12, mostly student-athletes, called themselves \u201cThe Syndicate\u201d because they would \u201csometimes skip required chapel [services] to shoot the bull at Smiley\u2019s Pub,\u201d Osberg said.<\/p>\n

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Leading scorer Jim Roback ’63<\/strong> turns the corner behind a block by All-Conference guard, Jack Osberg ’62<\/strong>, during a 1961 game. (Archive photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Since graduation in 1962, the crew has gathered each year for a fall picnic and holiday party. Jim Roback \u201963<\/strong> is one of the core Syndicate members who played football, baseball (as captain), and track at Augsburg. He also coached with Osberg, serving as Augsburg\u2019s defensive coordinator from 1995 to 2001 and 2006 to 2007, with a 2002 season stint as offensive coordinator.<\/p>\n

\u201cI taught and coached for 46 years, and I thought that was a long time. Jack just keeps on going,\u201d said Roback, who taught and coached football, basketball, baseball, track, and women\u2019s tennis in the Anoka-Hennepin School District for 34 years. \u201cJack worked every minute of the day, and when he wasn\u2019t working, he was having lunch with a group of students in his office or helping them through this or that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another Syndicate member\u2014also a teacher\u2014coached alongside Roback and Osberg. Ron Scott \u201962<\/strong> met Jack during college registration and joined him on the offensive line as a three-year, letter-winning center and blocker. From 1997 to 2002, Scott served as an assistant football coach at Augsburg.<\/p>\n

\u201cJack is not a boss; he is a leader, and he motivates people by example\u2014never yelling, but showing and guiding. Whether you were playing or working for him, you didn\u2019t want to disappoint him,\u201d said Scott, who retired in 1997 after 36 years coaching football and working as a teacher or administrator for the Anoka-Hennepin School District. \u201cJack never gave up on those Auggies. Whether winning or losing, his attitude never changed.\u201d<\/p>\n

The second quarter<\/h2>\n

Osberg loves football, but he is adamant the sport does not define him. He is equally passionate about teaching. \u201cI\u2019m not sure if I was meant to coach and teach or teach and coach,\u201d he added. \u201cI loved coaching full-time at Augsburg, but the high school science classroom always tugged at me. I love the living world, and there is something about teaching kids at that age and really digging into science with them.\u201d<\/p>\n

He loved the challenge of figuring out ways to engage all students in biology, developing activities for all learning styles and covering a range of topics to motivate students beyond grades.<\/p>\n

\u201cTeaching helps you appreciate the impact you\u2014as a single human being\u2014can have on a person, and I was OK never knowing my impact because students move on, and you may never reconnect with them. But I\u2019ve had enough students, some of them doctors or scientists, who have reached out to tell me how my classes and outlook helped them find their passionate purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n

Osberg began his teaching (and coaching) career immediately after graduation from Augsburg. He served as a biology teacher and assistant football coach at Minneapolis\u2019 Roosevelt High School from 1962 to 1970, taking one year off in 1968 to serve as a graduate assistant on\u00a0Bob Devaney’s\u00a0staff at Nebraska University. \u201cThat\u2019s where I really learned my x\u2019s and o\u2019s in football,\u201d Osberg said, \u201cbut it is where I also learned that I wasn\u2019t made for a large program. I needed a more personal experience with players. For me, coaching is about more than the game.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Jack Osberg ’62<\/strong> and Nina Osberg (Courtesy photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In 1971, Osberg was named head coach at Wayzata High School in Plymouth, Minnesota, where he served for six seasons. It was in the teacher\u2019s lounge at Wayzata where he overheard a fellow teacher, Nina, talking with the school counselor about alcoholism\u2019s effect on relationships. Alcohol dissolved Osberg\u2019s first marriage, which had left him raising three kids under the age of 5, so he joined the conversation, which eventually developed into a larger support group. Osberg grew close to Nina, who guided Wayzata\u2019s alternative education program for 28 years. In November 1976, the two married and blended their family of six children.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe is a 4-foot-7-inch spark plug,\u201d Osberg said of Nina. \u201cShe dealt with difficult kids all day, then came home to manage our family, then she\u2019d help me with recruitment and other administrative duties. She was a mother to many Augsburg players who needed guidance, and she was a friend to so many of their parents.\u201d<\/p>\n

Osberg recalls asking Nina to join him on a recruiting trip after school because she would \u201calways seal the deal,\u201d he said. Osberg realized on the drive that Tomah, Wisconsin, was a bit farther than he thought. The couple drove three hours through a snowstorm to stand on an unheated concrete floor and watch the recruit play hockey. They thawed over snacks and coffee at the recruit\u2019s home. \u201cWe didn\u2019t get home until 3 a.m., and it was a school night, but she never complained, and that athlete came to Augsburg,\u201d said Osberg, who taught high school while serving part-time as an assistant football coach at Augsburg from 1977 to 1984. \u201cWe were a great team.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Jack Osberg ’62<\/strong>, posing with Nina Osberg, received the Legend of Augsburg Athletics Award in 2021. (Photo by Kevin Healy)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The third quarter<\/h2>\n

Nina continued to be \u201chis everything\u201d as Osberg transitioned to become Augsburg\u2019s head football coach in 1991. The previous coach had been there five years and won four out of 50 games. \u201cThere weren\u2019t many kids in the program, and they knew how to lose and blame someone else,\u201d Osberg said. \u201cIt was difficult for them to look within, to find the gumption and confidence to believe they could turn the program around.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jack had that energy and belief, and then some. He recruited hard, even recruiting his own son, James \u201cJamie\u201d Osberg \u201995<\/strong>, who was set to play for Gustavus Adolphus College.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat first year, Concordia was our last game, and they beat us 62-nothing. The next year, they were our last game, and they beat us 58-nothing. The next year, it was 28-nothing. Those kids\u2019 senior year, we played Concordia our first game of the season, and we beat them 10 to seven. We did it. What a triumph.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
[L to R] Bob Schultz ’98<\/strong>, Jack Osberg ’62<\/strong>, and Ted Schultz ’98<\/strong> (Courtesy photo)
<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>The experience of turning around a program was an exercise in faith, Osberg said. That faith, focus, and family-like atmosphere continued to build the program. Ted Schultz recalls Osberg driving to Hudson, Wisconsin, to watch him and his twin brother, Bob Schultz \u201998<\/strong>, play in their senior homecoming game.<\/p>\n

\u201cJack was not afraid to speak about faith and the larger picture of why we come together as a football team, and not many coaches lead with that during a recruitment visit. He was genuine and made the program feel like a family, which it was and continues to be,\u201d said Ted Schultz. \u201cIf you break down any transformational coaching, it\u2019s about relationships. Being able to connect with the players and make an impact and build a relationship beyond the field is what separates a good coach from a great one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bob Schultz, the fifth-grade teacher at Kimberly Lane Elementary in the Wayzata School District, said he continues to reflect on Osberg, whether in his parenting, teaching, or coaching. Having been a teacher for 24 years and a high school football coach for 20, he knows both the challenges and the triumphs of the profession.<\/p>\n

\u201cJack approached every day with purpose and energy,\u201d said Bob, who earned conference honors as a linebacker for Augsburg. \u201cHe taught me to value every kid, no matter how well they played on the field. And he taught me to be vulnerable, as we saw him balance parenting and football.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Schultzes were part of the storied 1997 MIAC championship team along with current Augsburg Football Head Coach Derrin Lamker \u201997<\/strong>.\u00a0The relationship between Lamker and Osberg sounds like a ping-pong match: Osberg coached Lamker in the \u201990s, then Lamker worked for Osberg as an assistant coach at Augsburg from 1999 to 2002. When Lamker was football head coach at Osseo High School, Osberg came out of retirement to coach the Osseo line for eight years. In Fall 2020, Lamker recruited Osberg to help guide Augsburg\u2019s defensive line.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was so humbling and exciting when Jack came to work for me at Osseo. I\u2019d ask him for advice, and he would give it, but he was never overbearing,\u201d said Lamker, who led Osseo to three conference championships in 11 years. \u201cI was equally thrilled when he agreed to help coach Auggies in 2021. You might think \u2018kids these days\u2019 wouldn\u2019t listen to an old guy, but they do. They soak up his energy and knowledge. He has this inspiringly subtle way of uniting coaches and players from different life experiences and backgrounds together for a common purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n

The fourth quarter<\/h2>\n
\"\"
Shaquille Young \u201923<\/strong> (Courtesy photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Auggie defensive lineman Shaquille Young \u201923<\/strong> said \u201cold\u201d doesn\u2019t apply to Coach Osberg.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s exciting to watch on the football field, running back and forth alongside the players, pushing us around, and the few times he yells, he never curses. One of the players knocked him over in practice, but he got right up and cracked a joke about the time his hip popped out of place.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has so much knowledge to offer our young minds,\u201d Young said. \u201cHe\u2019s one of the greatest individuals I have met in my life, with his ability to make everyone feel welcomed and valued. He brings his best every day, and if he can do it, so can we. He speaks, and we listen.\u201d<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s not only what he says, Young said. Each day of practice, Osberg sets up a folding chair on the field for his wife, Nina, 77, who has Alzheimer\u2019s disease. He is her sole caregiver. Lamker said the players and coaches see his devotion to her and are reminded of the fragility of life and the importance of relationships.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s unbelievable how dedicated Jack is to Nina, watching her 24\/7 during the COVID-19 pandemic. He\u2019s living out the marriage vows\u2014for better or worse,\u201d Lamker said. \u201cDuring games, she sits on the bench with players who are injured or not playing. They talk with and cheer alongside her. It\u2019s really neat to see their connection to and love for her as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Augsburg Athletic Director Jeff Swenson \u201979<\/strong> said the Jack-Nina bond is one for the record books, and he would know. Swenson worked alongside the powerhouse couple for more than 45 years: first as a student-athlete when he backed Auggie\u2019s defensive line, as an assistant football coach for 10 years, as a colleague, and finally as a boss, when Swenson transitioned into administration in 2001. The shift in roles never altered their relationship, Swenson said. Jack\u2019s ability to treat everyone with respect, honor, and dignity\u2014regardless of roles\u2014is the greatest lesson Swenson adopted from his coach.<\/p>\n

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Nina Osberg and Jack Osberg ’62<\/strong> at Disney World (Courtesy photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cJack is a living representation of Augsburg\u2019s mission. He pushes everyone around him to give their best to meaningful pursuits, to be informed about the world and to make a difference where and when you can. He pushes people to lead with faith and value all people and what they bring to the table,\u201d Swenson said. \u201cWhen you meet someone like that, you want to keep them in your lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

Former Auggie defensive end Michael Weidner \u201983<\/strong> also kept in touch with the Osbergs after graduation. They\u2019d talk on the phone or meet for lunch; Jack and Nina came to Weidner\u2019s kid’s games. By Summer 2020, Weidner recognized Jack needed a break from 24-7 caregiving. Weidner emailed former players and friends, asking them to visit with Jack and Nina\u2014outside and distanced\u2014some evening that summer.<\/p>\n

\u201cJack was hurting and struggling during the beginning of the pandemic, when nobody was socializing,\u201d said Weidner, who is a lawyer based in Eagan, Minnesota. \u201cJack would do anything for one of his players. He\u2019s been there for all of us, through good times and bad, so people came out of the woodwork. A bunch of us rotated going to his house in the evenings to talk about anything for an hour or two.\u201d<\/p>\n

Osberg said the chats saved him. \u201cWith everything in my life, I\u2019ve been able to hustle to change the program or win the game, I\u2019ve been able to work hard to achieve success or a positive outcome. But this is a game we can\u2019t win. It\u2019s incurable. It\u2019s deadly. I\u2019m getting to the point where I can\u2019t care for her anymore, and it\u2019s killing me. She is my everything,\u201d said Osberg, who received the Legacy of Augsburg Athletic Award during the 2020\u201321 Augsburg Athletic Hall of Fame Ceremony. \u201cThose chats meant the world to me. To get out and coach or to talk with friends and former players about anything other than this disease was and is a gift.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
Nina Osberg and Jack Osberg ’62<\/strong> (Courtesy photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But Osberg does not accept defeat. He quickly shifts to the positive, referencing their strong and active circle of friends and family, including 12 grandchildren and six kids\u2014three of whom graduated from Augsburg: Peter Osberg \u201993<\/strong>, Jamie Osberg \u201995<\/strong>, and Anne \u201cAnnie\u201d (Osberg) Moore \u201901<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all have to play the hand we are dealt,\u201d Osberg said. \u201cI am glad I focused so much of my life on relationships because now, when I need people most, they are there. I\u2019ve been a part of Augsburg all my life, and Nina is an honorary Auggie. It\u2019s reassuring to know that even though she may forget Augsburg, the people who make up that great institution won\u2019t forget her, and they won\u2019t forget us. It\u2019s family.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Top image: Jack Osberg ’62<\/strong> (Photo by Courtney Perry)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Minneapolis native Jack Osberg \u201962 played football from the time he was a kid in the alleys and parks of Minneapolis until his college years, and he entered Augsburg\u2019s Athletic Hall of Fame in 1979. He taught high school biology for 30 years and coached high school and college football for 60. About 22 of <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":278,"featured_media":11802,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44,7],"tags":[111,137,206,190,109,209,183,210,211,207,208,212,147,194],"class_list":["post-11774","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-athletics","category-featured-stories","tag-alumni-news-and-updates","tag-athletics","tag-class-of-1962","tag-class-of-1963","tag-class-of-1979","tag-class-of-1983","tag-class-of-1993","tag-class-of-1994","tag-class-of-1995","tag-class-of-1997","tag-class-of-1998","tag-class-of-2001","tag-class-of-2023","tag-winter-2021-22"],"wps_subtitle":"At 81, he still goes the extra mile for student-athletes\u2014and now they\u2019re backing him through the toughest contest of his life","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11774","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/278"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11774"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11774\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11942,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11774\/revisions\/11942"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11802"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11774"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11774"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11774"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}