The Program: Nebraska — A Curated History of the Cornhuskers

by Sean Callahan, Tom Osborne (Introduction)

In The Nebraska , take a more profound and unique journey into the history of a historic team.

This thoughtful and engaging collection of essays captures the astute fans’ history of the celebrated program, going beyond well-worn narratives of yesteryear to uncover the less-discussed moments, decisions, people, and settings that fostered the team's iconic identity.

Through wheeling and dealing, mythmaking and community building, explore where Nebraska football has been, how it rose to the pinnacle of college sports, and how it will continue to evolve and stay in contention for generations to come.

Cornhusker fans in the know will enjoy this personal, local, in-depth look at team history.

Genres: History

228 pages, Hardcover

Published July 29, 2025

About the author

Sean Callahan has covered Nebraska football since 1999. He currently is the publisher of HuskerOnline.com, which is a part of the Rivals.com network. In addition, he reports for KETV Channel 7 (ABC) in Omaha, Nebraska, along with Big Red Radio 1110 KFAB in Omaha. A 2003 graduate of Nebraska, Callahan also serves as a sideline reporter for NET and as a recruiting analyst for their weekly Husker show, Big Red Wrap-Up. A two-time Nebraska Sportswriter of the Year, Callahan grew up in Omaha, and he and his wife, Lisa, and daughter, Kit, currently reside in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Reviews

[Zach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sean does a great job of capturing the heart and soul of Nebraska football in this book. It’s a solid mix of history, memorable moments, and behind-the-scenes insight that any Husker fan will appreciate. You can tell he really knows and loves the program. He’s likely the biggest part of Husker media today and this book shows it.

[Jeremy Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was a good, quick read. Gave a quick history from Bob Devaney to Scott Frost.

[Mark Donner · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good, light read for avid Cornhuskers fans. You'll likely learn a few nuggets of new, fresh information - which is really cool! Sean's sources are good, but in all honesty they pretty much make up the book's entire subject matter. If I had to guess, 30% of the book is made up of various Tom Osborne quotes alone, and another 10-15% from Bob Devaney's son, Mike. Very little of the book is Sean truly writing, which is probably to be expected, and maybe even enjoyed by some, but I feel like there was a lot of potential for him to create a better picture for the reader. It sometimes feels as if it's just a mass copy & paste of quotes that are strung together into various timelines.

All in all, for a die-hard Husker fan bored in the off-season, its an informative and often interesting read.