Holy Name honors former Nebraska coach Frank Solich at unveiling of $3M field house renovation

Solich was featured Thursday at the Holy Name Men’s Club’s grand reopening of its alumni field house after a $3.37 million renovation.

Hundreds of Holy Name alumni and supporters gathered for the celebration.

The renovation was funded through the Restore the Glory Capital Campaign, which launched in 2019. The field house was originally opened in 1950 and had been practically untouched until renovation began in January 2023, according to campaign coordinator Colleen Peterson.

Solich coached at Holy Name in 1966 and 1967, before going on to coach at Lincoln Southeast High School and then, of course, to Nebraska, where he coached running backs under Osborne.

In 1998, Solich succeeded Osborne as head coach and went 58-19 during six seasons. Under Solich, Nebraska won its most recent conference championship in 1999.

After his controversial firing from NU in 2003, Solich went on to coach at Ohio before retiring after the 2020 season. Solich was elected into the College Football Hall of Fame in January and will be honored Saturday night at the Nebraska-Colorado football game for his election.

As he spoke during the ceremony, Solich reflected on his time coaching at Holy Name and his marriage to his wife, Pam, at the Holy Name Church 58 years ago.

“It’s really great to be back,” he said. “Pam and I have had great moments here at Holy Name, and we wouldn’t trade them for anything.”

While Holy Name High School closed in 1989, the school continues to operate for kindergarten through eighth grade and hosts an after-school program in partnership with the Hope Center for Kids.

The renovated field house space features space for physical education, the school’s after-school program and a community room. Local organizations will be able to rent out the space, Peterson said.

“It’s just another open space for the North Omaha community to use that lives in their community,” she said. “They don’t have to drive outside of North Omaha to get to us.”

The capital campaign is still fundraising for the second phase, which includes $1.63 million to maintain and operate the facility. The campaign has raised 40% of that phase so far, according to a press release.

Holy Name alumni young and old spoke during Thursday’s ceremony about the importance of the field house to the community.

Phillip Ofafa, a 2021 eighth grade graduate of Holy Name and a senior at Creighton Prep, said he fondly remembered his days playing basketball in the old field house.

“I’m very thankful that everybody came together so we could restore this beautiful place for more kids like me to enjoy,” he said.