Only the most ardent Nebraska football fans would remember Dick Ryan as a freshman fullback in 1986.
After all, the Omaha Roncalli graduate spent only three months in the program, but it wasn't because he lacked talent. He was a stalwart on the gridiron — fast, powerful and rugged.
However, "I didn't like going to class," Ryan said Saturday as we discussed the death of Muhammad Ali.
Ryan, you see, went on to become an accomplished heavyweight boxer. Nicknamed "Raging Bull," he fought Vitali Klitschko in 1998 (Ryan was TKO'd in the fifth round). Dick once had a contract to fight Mike Tyson — a $250,000 deal that never materialized.