Bo Pelini Spends Off-Season Moonlighting as Frank Solich's PR Man

It was an messy, messy breakup when Nebraska fired Frank Solich in 2003. So messy that it led to the failed Bill Callahan experiment and the darkest days in the history of Husker football. Now Bo Pelini - a member of Solich's final coaching staff in Nebraska in 2003 – is back as the head coach. So too, are the painful memories of the way in which Solich was let go. What is perhaps surprising, however, is that it is Pelini who is banging the drum on Solich's behalf.

Pelini first mentioned the way Solich was treated in a 45-minute speech to a crowd in Columbus, Nebraska. During that night, Pelini responded to a question about not being named head coach in 2003, by stating that Frank Solich should not have been fired in the first place.

More recently Pelini, expressed his views even more clearly.

"He [Frank Solich] played a big part in me being where I am tonight," Pelini said.

"I do know this: The one person I feel sorry for in the whole thing is Coach Solich," Pelini told a crowd of 525 Thursday night. "I wish he could be back here with us. Just through the whole thing, I thought he was the one who got the short end of the stick, and that's too bad."

Like many messy breakups the unresolved emotions are apparently reciprical as Frank Solich admits that he still has feelings for Nebraska as well.

"It's gotten easier," he said. "It was extremely tough early on. I found it difficult to even look at the scores at the bottom (of the TV screen) when they'd come across. Then it got to the point where I could take some glimpses of a Nebraska game. And then I'd watch a quarter . . .

"Obviously my heart is there in a lot of ways. A big part of my life was spent there in the state of Nebraska."

All of this seems to be leading to a chance for Solich to return to Nebraska where his contributions to the school can be recognized in a fitting manner. Unfortunately, the empty reconciliation and feigned sense of closure won't turn the clock back to 1995. Nebraska will still be coming off a disastrous 2007 season and Bo Pelini will still have his work cut out for him.