Capturing Tom Osborne: Local artist tasked with sculpting the Osborne hall of fame bust
Local artist sculpts Tom Osborne’s bust for the Nebraska Hall of Fame
NEBRASKA CITY, Neb. —
Husker football head coach, national champion, congressman, athletic director: Nebraska’s Tom Osborne holds many titles for the state throughout his life
At the age of 89, Tom Osborne is adding another title to his belt — hall of famer.
“As he said, forever, you know, the trophies are all going to tarnish with time. His commitment to people and his commitment to youth has inspired us all to try to do better than what we ever thought we could do,” said Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen.
After a change to state law, Osborne will be inducted into the Nebraska Hall of Fame now. In the past, state law required inductees to have died 35 years before induction. To help commemorate the moment is a local artist, Matthew Placzek.
Placzek has been tasked with sculpting the bust of Tom Osborne.
KETV got a behind-the-scenes look at the sculpting process. Placzek said this job is something he does not take lightly.
“There’s a lot of pressure. Yes, incredible honor to create this sculpture of a legend of a man,” Placzek said.
He created it over the course of several months, spending time studying dozens of photos of Osborne and using a special modeling clay so that he can get a capture the perfect Osborne look.
Once the clay sculpting is complete, they will then make a mold of the sculpture; the mold is then taken to a foundry where the bronze casting begins. Then, Placzek applies the finishing touches before Tom Osborne sees it at his induction. A moment Placzek said makes him a tad anxious.
“I’m just going to feel a great sense of pride and that I was able to be a part of this,” Placzek said.
In all, the process will have taken nearly 300 hours to complete.
Make sure you can always see the latest news, weather, sports and more from KETV NewsWatch 7 on Google search.
NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Local News | National | Sports | Newscasts on demand |