Osborne's family expects changes By Matthew Waite Senior Reporter NANCY OSBORNE, wife of head Coach Tom Osborne, offers her support during a press conference Wednesday at which Osborne announced his retirement. Osborne told the media her support was important to him during his career. SCOTT MCCLURG/DN For 25 years, Nancy Osborne has been on a different kind of sideline. Throughout the rearing of three children, she has always been the head parental coach, with only an occasional assistant coach to help out. For the 25 years that her husband, Tom, has been head coach at Nebraska, Nancy Osborne has kept the home team together. Now, the children are grown - grandchildren are now in the picture. And football, after the Jan. 2 Orange Bowl, is out. Nancy Osborne is getting her husband back. Tom Osborne, the football coach with the second-best winning percentage in college football history, retired Wednesday, ending an extraordinary career as the Husker head man. In a press conference Wednesday, Osborne said he is stepping aside, allowing Frank Solich, assistant head coach and running backs coach, to step up. Osborne, 60, said his years as head coach have been hard on his family, especially his wife. However, he joked, retirement may be more of a sacrifice for her. "It's going to be tough having me around," he said. Two of Osborne's three children - Mike Osborne and Ann Wilke - said their father's return home would be an adjustment for them both. "They'll have a good time," Mike Osborne said of his mother and father. Ann Wilke said it wouldn't be just his wife and children that would be happy to have her father home for some time. "The grandchildren and the family will love the extra time with him," she said. Ann is now 30 and has a 11/2 year old daughter, Haley. Mike is 33 and has two children: 5-year-old Will and 2-year-old Catey. Osborne has another daughter, Susie Dobbs, 28, of Spearfish, S.D. Tom Osborne said he has missed out on a lot of time with his children. He said he hoped to make up some of that time in retirement. "I'm sure I can find a lot of ways," Wilke said. "I now know that I can call him whenever. I can see we'll have a lot more time and that will be nice." When Mike Osborne was a quarterback on the Lincoln East High School football team, his father was rarely in the stands because of another football team across town. The son said there was still a chance for his father to see him in athletic competition. "Maybe he'll come to my YMCA basketball games." Mike Osborne said he looks forward to spending time with his father. What they will do, however, remains to be seen. "He likes fishing, I like golf," he said. "We'll probably argue over what we'll do."