During 1994 spring training, Nebraska put extra effort into their drills.

At every session, to make sure no one forgot how much time was left when Nebraska led in the Orange Bowl and Florida State took over the ball, the coaches added 1:16 to the clock. The team would finish regular practice and then go hard for another minute and sixteen seconds.

The Cornhuskers meant business and got off to a strong start.

In the 1994 season opener, the Kickoff Classic, Nebraska trounced ranked West Virginia, 31 to 0.

But then, both Tommie Frazier and Brook Berringer, Osborne’s star quarterbacks, got hurt. Nebraska was playing a third string quarterback and with the offense in deep trouble, the defense felt the pressure.

Despite the injuries, Nebraska finished the season undefeated. They were headed to the Orange Bowl to play Miami for the National Championship, but as game day drew closer, the team still wasn’t sure who would start as quarterback.

Osborne, as usual, decided to pick the starting quarterback based on who played best in practice. Between Berringer and Frazier, Tommie got the better grade and with it, the nod.

Individual egos were held in check.

The Unity Council worked.

The 1995 Orange Bowl pitted Nebraska’s #1 offense against Miami’s #1 defense. Miami had won 62 of their last 63 games in Orange Bowl Stadium and they hadn’t lost a night game in 17 years.

At the end of the first quarter, Miami led, 10 to 0 and Nebraska players and fans began to get that old Here-We-Go-Again Orange Bowl feeling.

In the second quarter, Nebraska’s offense clicked and at half time the score was Miami 10, Nebraska 7.

Back in the locker room, Osborne once again stressed the importance of hard work and unity. He assured the team that if they played hard they’d take over and win in the fourth quarter. It seemed Tom Osborne had a crystal ball, and his prediction came true.

Near the end of the game, down one point, Osborne went for two points in the same Orange Bowl end zone where the National Championship was lost in 1983. The Cornhuskers beat Miami 24 to 17 and Tom Osborne won his first National Championship.

After playing well in 1982 and ‘83, and with the national title now in his pocket, Tom Osborne knew his team was good enough to be the best. And so did the fans.

But The Championship ring and the trophy were not as important to Osborne as the unity shown by the team and coaches. They’d been through a lot together. They’d grown very close over the course of the season. It was their commitment to one another that really counted.

It meant more than winning.