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Nebraska Academics    Husker Life Skills

Randy York’s N-Sider

Ron Grebe is a longtime supporter and season ticket holder of Nebraska Athletics. He’s also a veteran car dealer who devotes a good chunk of his retired life to help and encourage others. At 83, he’s still an intense listener and insists that nearly three dozen new fans of Nebraska Academics and Life Skills emerged last Thursday when Dennis Leblanc was the Sertoma Club speaker.

For three decades, Grebe has known Leblanc, Nebraska’s senior associate athletic director for Academics, and Keith Zimmer, the Huskers’ associate athletic director for Life Skills. “You don’t just get by with either one,” Grebe said. “You do things right…that’s all there is to it. People who heard Dennis speak didn’t know what all goes into academics and the way Nebraska student-athletes reach out to help others in the community. Dennis did a great job helping people understand what it takes to develop young men and women. Most people had no idea what goes into leading the nation in Academic All-Americans (314) or what it takes to produce the most NCAA Top Ten Award winners (17). Results don’t just happen. It’s a proven process.”

Shavon Shields a Chip Off the Old Block

Leblanc inspired his audience with recognizable names, including Will Shields, a College and Professional Football Hall-of-Famer. Will embraced Nebraska’s academic/life skill rigor and honed his skills to launch a successful Kansas City-area business, Leblanc sees Shavon, Will’s son, as more evidence of doing things the right way. "Dennis said if all 600 Nebraska’s student-athletes were like Shavon, there wouldn’t be any issues to deal with,” Grebe said. “Some kids decide they want to come to Nebraska and don’t need much orientation. The Rolfzen twins (Kadie and Amber) knew what the right path was when they were in eighth grade.” Ditto for Shavon Shields (pictured at the very top with a shaved head in support of leukemia patient Avery Harriman, the son of Husker basketball assistant Chris Harriman). “I like the way Nebraska builds a foundation of character for their student-athletes,” Grebe said. “Shavon’s dad was active in the community when he was here, and Shavon’s following that same path. They're proof you can be an outstanding student and a great servant for others while competing at a high level.”

Pat Tyrance another Inspiring Role Model

Grebe was intrigued when Leblanc mentioned another inspiring role model for Nebraska student-athletes. Pat Tyrance (pictured above) is a 1990 All-America linebacker who earned the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame Scholar-Athlete Award the same year. Tyrance graduated from Nebraska with a pre-med degree in biology and was awarded an NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship. He was also the winner of the NCAA Top Six Award, which has been expanded to a Top Ten Award. It is the NCAA’s highest honor for individual student-athletes, and Tyrance only reinforced that description. Even though he was drafted by the NFL Los Angeles Rams, Tyrance continued his academic career at Harvard University, where he earned two post-graduate degrees – a master’s degree in Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and a Doctorate of Medicine degree from Harvard University Medical School. After serving his residency at Massachusetts General Hospital, Dr. Tyrance is one of the top orthopedic surgeons in Omaha. He is also a motivational speaker, an entrepreneur and still equipped with a passion to learn while striving to succeed mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. “Those I serve will get the best I can offer in any situation,” he said, acknowledging a desire to have a positive impact “in some small way" while encouraging others to do the same.

Learn about Nebraska Academics, Life Skills

Grebe believes both Shields and Tyrance are standards by which others can be measured. “I think Dennis Leblanc may be the most under-the-radar man at the University of Nebraska,” he said. “I think Keith Zimmer is right up there with him. Both encourage student-athletes to be leaders, and both are great examples of the Nebraska program. I just wish that more people come to realize what some of us have known for a long time.” Grebe makes a good point. For those interested in learning more, click Nebraska Academics or Husker Life Skills.

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