Greatest Husker to wear No. 62: Ken Mehlin, Offensive Guard, 1989 – 1993
Nebraska’s most famous offensive line is the “Pipeline,” the starting five from the 1994 National Championship team. They were the culmination of two decades of offensive line coaching and development.
Offensive line coach Milt Tenopir, along with assistant Dan Young (and Cletus Fischer before him), ran an offensive line factory that produced dozens of all-conference players, 16 All-Americans, five Outland Trophy winners and four College Football Hall of Famers.
How did they do it? Like any high-quality manufacturing process, they followed a consistent set of steps:
Step 1: Get good raw materials
It didn’t matter if it was a scholarship guy from a big high school or a walk-on from a tiny Nebraska town. As we’ll discuss next time, Nebraska didn’t require a specific set of measurables. Nebraska had an undeniable track record for finding kids they could develop, as well as kids willing to put in the work.
Step 2: Mold and shape them
With a few notable exceptions (such as Jake Young and Will Shields), most freshmen offensive linemen were not ready to play in their first year. Back when the freshman team existed, most offensive linemen would start their careers on the frosh squad. After that, a young offensive lineman would likely redshirt. That time was spent learning – and mastering – technique. Tenopir had a mastery of the fundamentals and understood that football really is a game of inches.
In an interview with the Omaha World-Herald, former tackle Doug Glaser talked about the attention to detail that made Tenopir’s lines so technically sound. “If you were an inch off on a step, he was all over us. That’s what we studied on film. Really every day we would spend our time on our technique and our footwork.” The disciplined and exacting approach would often carry over into other aspects of a lineman’s game (a low number of procedural and holding penalties) and often into his schoolwork and personal life.
A large part of a lineman’s underclassmen years was spent gaining size and strength. This is where legendary strength coach Boyd Epley would come in. He’d take these raw frames and teach them how to become strong, explosive and athletic. Nebraska’s training table, with help from the Husker Beef Club,* would nourish these hungry players.
*The Husker Beef Club would solicit Nebraska farmers and ranchers for donations of cattle, which would be served at the training table.
It was normal for an offensive lineman to gain 25 – 50 pounds over the course of his career, much of it muscle. Part of that was simple physical maturation (young men will continue to grow and mature between 18 and 21). Part was the development system Nebraska had in place. Add it up, and redshirt sophomores looked noticeably different than they did as true freshmen.
Step 3: Testing and Quality Control
As a sophomore – or even a junior – playing time might be tough to come by. The guy ahead of you is likely an all-conference or All-America caliber player. But don’t worry! Nebraska will likely blow out half of the teams on their schedule,* giving you the chance to gain valuable reps in a relatively low-pressure situation.
When tackle Doug Glaser was being recruited by Oklahoma in the 1980s, Barry Switzer tried to tell him he’d start as a true freshman. Glaser was smart enough to see through the lie. Tom Osborne told him the truth: “You’ll play freshman ball, then redshirt, get your strength up, and if you contribute for two years of those last three, you’ll have a successful career here.”
As you’ll recall, Glaser was an All-American.
Step 4: Finished products
Milt’s shiny road graders and bulldozers would roll off the assembly line… and roll over their opponent, gaining awards and accolades on their way to the NFL. Seven Cornhusker offensive linemen are in the college football HOF; four of them (Dave Rimington, Will Shields, Zach Wiegert and Aaron Taylor) were coached by Milt Tenopir.
Forty-two of Tenopir’s offensive linemen were drafted into the National Football League, and several more signed free agent deals. This was despite the nagging (and incorrect) assumption that Nebraska linemen couldn’t pass block.
How were NFL scouts and executives naïve enough to think that the greatest offensive line coach in the history of college football would forget to teach his players how to pass block? Of course, they could pass block. They just didn’t need to do it often, because Nebraska’s lines were so good at run blocking.
Ken Mehlin, an offensive lineman from the early 1990s, is one of many examples of Nebraska’s offensive line assembly line.
Step 1: Get good raw materials
Mehlin played offensive line and linebacker for Humboldt (Neb.) High. As a senior, his team won the Nebraska Class D-2 championship and Mehlin was a first team all-state honoree. For those unfamiliar with how Nebraska classifies their high schools, D-2 is the smallest. Humboldt High played 8-man football. Meylan’s graduating class had 17 people. Two of them, Meylan and teammate Jamie Weyers, walked on at Nebraska.
Step 2: Mold and shape them
Mehlin played on the freshman team in 1989 before redshirting in 1990. Listed at 255 pounds, Mehlin poured himself into the weight room, into learning the playbook, and into his academics. By his senior year, he would weigh 275.
Step 3: Testing and Quality Control
As a redshirt sophomore in 1991, Mehlin played in four games – and the Orange Bowl – as a backup guard. In his junior year (1992), Mehlin earned a starting job – and a scholarship! – with a strong performance in the spring. He was still on the smaller end compared to his teammates (practically scrawny at 265 pounds), but it was obvious he had bought into Epley’s strength and conditioning program. The Huskers once again led the nation in rushing offense (328 yards per game). Mehlin was academic All-Big Eight.
Step 4: Finished products
As a senior, Mehlin played center and guard for the 1993 team that nearly won the national championship. He earned first-team All-Big Eight honors and was a second-team Academic All-American.
It didn’t matter than Mehlin had walked on from an eight-man high school team. Heck, two of his fellow offensive line starters in 1992 (center Jim Scott and tackle Lance Lundberg) also played on eight-man teams. The assembly line – combined with his effort and determination – made him a valuable player.
There’s a quote in “The Assembly Line” – Milt Tenopir’s book about coaching, technique and more – that I love:
“Most young men aspire to be the best, but many don’t realize what it takes to get there. This is where older players become an influence. Their work habits and dedication to excel tends to rub off on the aspiring young players.”
Success breeds success. And established processes with excellent leadership will typically turn out superior products.
Milt Tenopir’s offensive lines were a cornerstone of Nebraska’s success under Tom Osborne.
