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‘He loved sports and he loved people’: Doane and coaching were only the starting points for the late Al Papik | College Sports


Paul Schelstraete was describing Al Papik as a person, a coach and a friend when something came to mind from his days playing for his former college coach.

“Four years playing for him, I never heard him curse once. Not once,” the former Doane football player said. “And believe me, we had some characters that would drive anybody to curse.”

He demanded discipline, but he did so in a humble and gentle way. He was a mentor and he knew how to win football games, too. And when he left Doane, Papik embarked on a decorated administrative career at the University of Nebraska.

Papik’s impact is being remembered this week after he passed away peacefully Saturday at the age of 95. His storied run as a football coach, track coach and athletic director at Doane was followed by a career at Nebraska that began with a role as director of admissions. Later in his career, he worked for then-AD Bob Devaney and served as a compliance officer. He handled football operations for Tom Osborne.

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Papik’s talents and offerings knew no limits. He also was the head official at the state track and field meet for 23 years.

“He loved sports and he loved people,” said Jim Papik, Al’s son.

Among Papik’s first loves was Doane. The 1950 Doane graduate was the architect of the greatest football era in school history, guiding the Tigers to a 38-game winning streak that began in 1965. It was a run that drew national attention, including some ink from Sports Illustrated.

Schelstraete was the starting center on many of those teams.

“He wanted you to show up on time, (and) when you went on road trips, you wore a coat and tie,” said Schlestraete, who practices law in Crete. “Practices, you better make every practice, and he wanted 100% out of you every play. He expected that from you and he gave it back.”

Papik was a great recruiter, Schlestraete added. He knew where to put players, and he didn’t care where they came from.

During an era of social tension and the civil rights movement, Papik was recruiting Black athletes to play for his teams. Larry Green, who played on those great Tiger teams, was believed to be one of the first Black athletes to play quarterback at any college.

“A Black quarterback at those times, it was unheard of,” Schlestraete said.

“(Papik) treated everybody the same. We were teammates and classmates and brothers, really.”

For Papik, the youngest of seven siblings, providing opportunities for all athletes continued at Nebraska.

The range of Papik’s impact can be seen in the numerous halls of fame he is in — Doane Athletics, Nebraska High School Hall of Fame and Nebraska Foundation Football Hall of Fame, just to name a few. He was presented with the Dick Herman Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017. His name is on Doane’s football field and in the Herman Student Life Complex at NU.

“His passion was helping people be successful, and that was whether he was coaching or in administration,” Jim Papik said. “He wanted to make other people as successful as possible.”

A celebration of life service is scheduled for 1 p.m. Friday at Lincoln Berean Church, 6400 S. 70th St. Visitation is scheduled for 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday at Roper and Sons South Lincoln Chapel, 3950 Hohensee Drive.

Reach Clark Grell at 402-473-2639 or cgrell@journalstar.com. On Twitter at @LJSSportsGrell.



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