COACH BILL BUSCH: FROM MY OWN PERSPECTIVE

MY INSPIRATION: People often assume that me growing up with a dad who was a high school football coach is what inspired me to become a coach myself. Not exactly. It wasn't really his career I was enamored with; I simply wanted to emulate him -- a man of character and integrity, someone who developed amazing, life-long relationships with people, a guy who captivated a room with his sense of humor and wit, a man with an unrivaled passion for his work, for family, and for the importance of traditions. His career choice was a perfect fit for those qualities, as he mentored young men and impacted lives for the 40 years he was in the profession.

With those principles inspiring me, I did choose to coach--but at the college level. Over the years, I've been very fortunate to experience some extraordinary peaks (like coaching on the LSU team that won a national championship and being promoted to interim Defensive Coordinator for the Nebraska Cornhuskers). And of course, I have also experienced some significant setbacks along the way, both professionally and personally. For those, I'm grateful, too, because they led me down some remarkable, unexpected paths where I gained insights worth sharing.

SPEAKING: I've always taken great pride in finding the best way to present and teach new concepts to players in our meeting rooms. Now that I've stepped away from coaching football, I'm seizing the opportunity to "coach up" different audiences.

MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER

CO-HOST OF SPORTS RADIO STATION

A COACHES JOURNEY

1990-2021

A LIFETIME OF COACHING

My coaching career feels like it should have that Johnny Cash song, "I've been everywhere, man," playing as a background track. For the past 30 years, special teams and defenses have been the focus of my attention, either as a defensive coordinator or position coach. In addition to my time(s) at Nebraska, I've coached at LSU, Wisconsin, the University of Utah, Utah State, Rutgers, New Mexico State, and Northern Arizona. Many might point to being named co-defensive backs coach of the year, or winning the national championship at LSU as the pinnacle of my career (and I will admit--that was incredibly awesome). But truthfully, the relationships with players and coaches at every stop have been even more rewarding. I've also been uber-privileged to coach with some of the best coaches and leaders in the nation, including 5 Hall-of-Fame head coaches. Granted, not every coaching opportunity turned out to be the lifetime assignment that I had hoped for, and some of those "forced career changes" were incredibly challenging. However, the lessons I've gleaned along the way about leadership styles, navigating life's changes, team-building, and culture have impacted my life in immeasurable ways. The stories...oh, man, the stories! I have so much to share that I truly believe will have a positive impact on your life.

1990-2022

RECRUITING + RELATIONSHIPS

Whether it's a football team needing players, a CEO hiring employees, or even a business seeking customers, recruiting the best people is the foundation for success. I hope that doesn't sound cliche--because I really prefer to think of my experiences as anti-cliche. I am proud to have recruited Joe Burrow, a quarterback at Ohio State (who had never started there) to LSU, where he led us to a National Championship, then went on to be the number one pick in the NFL draft. Alex Smith, also a number one NFL draft pick, was a relatively unknown player in high school. (Sidenote: Catch the documentary, Project 11, about Alex's life on ESPN+, and you'll understand why I'll forever be his biggest fan.) So, sure, recruiting those two turned out to be life-changing experiences, but developing a lifelong friendship with Alex, Joe, and hundreds of other players I've recruited and coached, means even more to me. To say recruiting matters is an understatement in building the foundation for success. But building relationships is the most important work any of us will do in this life. Consequently, I have a lifetime's worth of "anti-cliche" lessons to share that I truly believe will benefit YOUR "team." Oh, and I'd also be remiss if I didn't mention my all-time best recruiting success, which was when my wife, Laura, said "yes" when I proposed!

2020-2021

DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR, SPECIAL TEAM COORDINATOR-- NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS

This was actually my third stint--yes, third-- coaching at Nebraska. Right out of the gates in college, I landed a graduate assistant position at UNL in 1990 by making a "cold call" to the man, the legend, the 3-time national championship coach, Tom Osborne. Later, after subsequent career moves, Coach Callahan invited me to join the staff as the special team's coordinator and position coach for the secondary. Sixteen years after that, I landed back at my "dream job" --and had the privilege of being promoted to Defensive Coordinator just 4 games into the season.

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