Former Husker coach Frank Solich named to College Football Hall of Fame

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Former Husker coach Frank Solich will be forever enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.

Solich is among the 19 players and three coaches in the 2024 class, officials announced Monday.

Welcome to the @cfbhall Coach Solich 👏🏆

🔗 https://t.co/F7wcvWA2at#GBR x @NFFNetwork pic.twitter.com/Fo1u7vM33J

— Nebraska Football (@HuskerFootball) January 8, 2024

The inductees were selected from a national ballot.  It was the second time Solich had appeared on the ballot.

“I can’t think of a better person, player, coach, and friend to be joining the College Football Hall of Fame,” former Husker quarterback Eric Crouch said in a press release.  “Frank Solich has earned it the hard way, through perseverance and dedication to college football.”

He is the seventh Husker coach to join the hall of fame, joining Tom Osborne, Bob Devaney and others.

“Frank Solich is very deserving of his selection in the College Football Hall of Fame,” Osborne said in the release.  “I want to thank him and congratulate him on all that he has done for the sport of football.”

Solich – who had already spent 25 years on the Husker coaching staff – was handed the keys to the program in 1997, when Osborne announced his retirement.

In 1999, Solich led Nebraska to a 12-1 record, the Big 12 Championship and a No. 2 final ranking in the Coaches Poll.

He was fired after going 9-3 in 2003, ending his tenure with a 58-19 record.

Solich went on to Ohio University, where he coached for 16 seasons.  He stepped down in 2021 due to health reasons.

In April, the Huskers honored Solich at the spring game.  He also lifted the “curse” that fans believed Nebraska was under for firing him.

SEE ALSO: ‘Let’s just say it’s gone now’: Frank Solich comes back to Nebraska, lifts fabled curse

“Coach Solich’s record speaks for itself, and he is most deserving of this special honor,” coach Matt Rhule said in the release.  “More importantly, he has always put his players first and greatly impacted their lives on and off the field.”