Biography:

Tom Osborne was born and raised in Hastings, Neb., where his father was a traveling salesman. Because his father was often away from home, Osborne spent much of his time with his uncle and grandfather, who was a minister and state senator.

Osborne showed athletic talents at an early age in a number of sports _ football, basketball and track. He was named the state's high school athlete of the year in 1955 _ his senior year.

His athletic prowess followed him to Hastings College, where he again earned athlete of the year honors for his performances in the same three sports.

He graduated with a bachelor's degree in history from Hastings College in 1959. He earned a spot as a wide receiver in a brief stay in the National Football League before returning to Nebraska as a graduate assistant to Nebraska football coach Bob Devaney in 1962. He became a part-time coach in 1964 and full-time receiver coach in 1967.

In 1972, he was named assistant head coach when Devaney also picked Osborne to succeed him the following season.

Osborne's teams lost seven straight bowl games from 1988 through 1994. His poor bowl record gave him a label of not being able to win the big games. That ended Jan. 1, 1995, when the Huskers beat the third-ranked Miami Hurricanes on their home field at the Orange Bowl to win Osborne's first national title.

Osborne was sharply criticized the following year by women's groups, academics and the national media for his handling of Lawrence Phillips, a star Nebraska running back who assaulted his ex-girlfriend during the 1995 season.

Osborne suspended Phillips for six weeks but allowed him back on the team to play in the Fiesta Bowl and help the Huskers win their second consecutive national championship. Osborne's team won a share of the national title in his final season in 1997.

Osborne, then 62, retired after the Huskers' 1997 season because of a heart condition and to spend more time with his family and humanitarian work. He had double heart bypass surgery in 1985 and was hospitalized with an irregular heartbeat in November 1997.

During his two-year retirement, Osborne was heavily involved in two pet projects: the Nebraska-based Family First program, which encourages fathers to stay involved with their children, and his TeamMates program, which pairs at-risk youth with adult mentors.

Osborne, who has long been politically active as an advocate for families, youth and environmental causes, announced his first campaign in January 2000.

He was easily elected in 2000 and was re-elected in 2002.

Osborne and his wife, Nancy, have three children and four grandchildren.

Past Campaigns:

His 2000 campaign for the state's 3rd Congressional District seat was his first. He won the Republican primary that year with 71 percent of the vote, defeating two opponents, including a former state GOP chairman. He was elected after defeating a little-known Democrat in the predominantly Republican district with 82 percent of the vote.

Osborne did it all by raising less than $500,000 and refusing to accept political contributions from PACs and following his self-imposed limit of taking no more than $300 from each individual donor.

He was re-elected in 2002 with 93 percent of the vote, facing no challengers.

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