When Dan Steiner left Columbus, Nebraska, in the late 1970s for Lincoln, he carried little more than a scholarship, a work ethic forged in small-town grit, and a dream to play for Tom Osborne. What he gained was far greater, a degree, lifelong friendships, and lessons that would define the rest of his life. “I came from a poor family,” Steiner recalled. “Getting that scholarship was everything. I always say there were two kinds of kids at Nebraska back then, those who thought the program owed them, and those like me who knew we owed everything to Nebraska. They gave me a chance and I’ve spent the rest of my life thankful for it.”
Steiner’s time under Tom Osborne was more than football, it was a masterclass in discipline, humility, and precision. He still remembers how rare it was to hear a curse word from Osborne or his staff. “They were tough,” Steiner said, “but they didn’t need to yell or swear to make you play hard. Osborne was a business coach, everything was about doing things the right way, every time. You didn’t win because someone screamed at you. You won because you never made mistakes.” That philosophy followed Steiner long after his playing days ended. When he became head football coach at David City, he modeled everything after what he learned in Lincoln, the structure, accountability, and quiet excellence. “We took a one-win team and turned it into an eight-win program within five years,” he said proudly. “That’s what discipline and belief will do.”
As Nebraska’s starting right tackle in 1979, Steiner lined up beside some of the best. His teammates included names like Junior Miller, Jarvis Redwine, and Dave Rimington, players who would go on to make their marks in both college and pro football. Steiner himself earned Academic All–Big 8 honors, proving that toughness on the field could coexist with sharpness in the classroom. He laughs recalling his on field reputation. “I was the crab-blocker, the ‘crab monster,’ they called me,” he said. “I was going to block you until the whistle. And if you swung at me after the play, I’d just laugh, because that meant I’d done my job.”
He played through pain, too, turf toe, bruised arches, and the kind of aches linemen wear like badges of honor. “There was no way I was missing practice,” he said. “I wasn’t giving up my job for anything.” Steiner embodied the definition of a Nebraska kid getting a shot to play for the Huskers. Once he got onto the field it would take more than a minor injury to get him to sit out. His Junior year Steiner tore his ACL, something that he never got fixed, it later turned into a blessing. Working through the pain and pushing himself harder than ever, Steiner ended up with a starting role just a year later. That 1979 season included bruising duels with powerhouses like Oklahoma, Penn State, and Houston. Steiner remembers blocking All-Americans Bruce Clark and Matt Millen and even getting under their skin. “They complained we cut-blocked them too much,” Steiner said with a grin. “I told reporters, ‘We’re not stupid. I bench 365. They bench 565. I’m not going to hit them head-on.’”
Nebraska finished 10–2 that year, falling just short of the national title. But the bonds forged on that offensive line remain among the strongest of Steiner’s life. “Some of my best friends are still the guys I played with,” he said. “Those relationships never go away.”
Today, Steiner sees something familiar in Matt Rhule’s leadership, a quiet strength that reminds him of Osborne’s steady hand. “Coach Rhule has that same presence,” Steiner said. “He’s a builder. He’s not about flash or ego. He teaches kids how to become men. That’s what Osborne did for us.”
Like many former players, Steiner isn’t a fan of college football’s new landscape of NIL deals and constant transfers. “No 18-year-old should be handed a million dollars,” he said frankly. “Back then, the scholarship was the reward. That degree changed your life. You didn’t need money to prove your worth.” Still, he understands the modern pressures coaches face. “You have to adapt,” he admitted. “But culture, the right culture, is what wins in the long run. That’s what Rule is rebuilding right now.”
After graduating from Nebraska, Steiner returned home to Columbus, where he’s now a track and field coach at Columbus High School. His life, he says, is full. A peaceful home, a family rooted in sports, and a career built on giving back. “I owe everything to that scholarship,” he said. “To Nebraska. To Coach Osborne. They gave me the chance to become who I am.”
He looks at today’s Huskers with both hope and perspective. “I think the discipline is coming back,” he said. “They’re playing cleaner, they’re tougher, and they’re buying in again. That’s what it takes.” Then he pauses, reflecting on the young linemen he now coaches, and the game that gave him so much.
“I tell my kids all the time, you might not all go play in front of 75,000 people, but the lessons are the same. Work hard. Stay humble. Be thankful for the opportunity. That’s what Nebraska taught me.”