Steve Pederson Fired as Nebraska AD

He may make the biggest headline in the state of Nebraska this year: Steve Pederson, former athletic director at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

That's right, former athletic director.

Word out of Lincoln is that Chancellor Harvey Perlman asked Pederson to step down.

It will be made official at a 4 p.m. news conference.

There has been talk of his firing, particularly over the past two weeks—and especially after Nebraska lost 45-14 against Oklahoma State last weekened in its Homecoming game.

It was a move that even big-name boosters, such as Dale Jensen (part-owner of the Arizona Diamondbacks), were starting to call for.

If there were one single man responsible for the current state of the athletic program, it was Pederson—no question, it was the right move.

But who should replace him?

Obviously, it should be someone who knows Nebraska, someone who has the same down-to-earth passion for the school.

Pederson was a Nebraska man who'd worked under Tom Osborne, but he never looked the part while he was AD. He turned the athletic department into a corporate headquarters office.

Nebraska needs someone who knows how to run an athletic department, but who's also as approachable as the farmer down the road.

One thing that's almost official—Bill Callahan is done after this year.

The football team now has a decision to make: to roll over and play dead like lame ducks, or to fight to the bitter end.

Finally, some excitement for the future of Husker Nation.