TeamMates celebrate Coach Osborne’s 85th Birthday

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - Former Cornhusker players are rallying together to help ring in Coach Tom Osborne’s 85th birthday!

That means giving back to the community.

Former players are encouraging folks to donate $85 dollars to his non-profit, TeamMates.

“A lot of people see Tom’s legacy as a football coach, what he’s done on the field but off the field, he has impacted 40,000 mentees,” said DeMoine Adams, TeamMates CEO.

The non-profit is celebrating its 30th year. It’s a mentoring program impacting students in five states.

Leaders with TeamMates say about 10,000 kids are benefiting from the program each year.

“There are relationships that are being established, which leads to trust and hope, engagement, well being. These are all things that happen when a young person is matched with a mentor,” said Adams.

Program leaders say the $85 donated can go a long way.

“$85 will help a lot. Our background checks cost between $30 and $40 so that covers two background checks because safety is one of our core dollars,” said Adams.

Leaders at TeamMates say they hope Coach Osborne’s birthday challenge helps sustain the program for another 30 years, impacting thousands of more children.

“If we don’t show the way for our generation then our future does not look bright,” said Adams.