Omaha World Herald
Steve Pederson, the man who would rewrite Nebraska football history, became a footnote 15 years ago today when he was exiled from the ivory tower.
Less than three months after giving Athletic Director Pederson a five-year contract extension, Chancellor Harvey Perlman fired him in a five-minute meeting Oct. 15, 2007, highlighting a turbulent month in Nebraska athletics. Two days before the firing, the Husker football team lost 45-14 at home to Oklahoma State, a result that wasn't as close as the score indicated.
Leadership deficiency, not the football season, forced Perlman's hand.
Perlman admitted fault for extending Pederson's contract through 2013 and bumping his salary to $500,000.