Osborne is best known as the former head coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers, the University of Nebraska's football team. Osborne was the head coach from the 1973 season until 1997, and led to Huskers to 13 conference championships and three national championships (1994, 1995, and 1997).
Osborne graduated with a B.A in history from Hastings College in 1959, after which he played three seasons in the NFL. He earned his M.A in educational psychology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1963, and a doctorate in educational psychology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1965.