Al, the youngest of 7 siblings, was born on August 25, 1926, in rural Crete, Nebraska, to Charles and Agnes (Pomajzl) Papik. Al’s competitive spirit developed at a young age when he and his brothers would organize rodeos to ride calves, pigs or other farm animals just for the sake of competition. Al attended Crete High School, graduating in 1944. With that competitive spirit, Al was a three-sport letterman at Crete High School. While it is widely known he played football at Crete High School, Al also excelled in basketball and track.
Upon graduation, he enlisted in the Army. He was stationed in Hawaii and served 2 years. Al then enrolled at Doane College where he played football earning All-Conference honors twice while playing as an undersized 160-pound guard, graduating with a degree in physical education. While at Doane, he was elected captain of the football team and President of the Honor D Club his senior year. He later earned a Master’s Degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in physical education.
Al met Gloria Jacobsen shortly after he started his teaching and coaching career in Laurel, Nebraska. Al and Gloria were married on August 12, 1951 in Sioux City, Iowa. While at Laurel, Al coached football, basketball and track.
Al and Gloria later moved to Crete, where Al continued his teaching and coaching career, first at Crete High School for two years and then as the head football and track coach and athletic director at Doane College. Al’s teams are best remembered for the 38-game unbeaten streak which started with the last two games of the 1965 season and ended after the first game of the 1970 season. During that time Doane College received national notoriety being written up in Sports Illustrated. In addition, Eddie Robinson, the head coach at Grambling University extended an invitation for Doane to play Grambling in the Sugar Cup Bowl in Shreveport, LA after the 1967 season. During those seasons the NAIA was still only one division and did not yet have post-season playoffs. Sadly, Doane was not affiliated with an athletic conference from 1965 through 1969 after the end of the Nebraska College Conference. Arguably the best win during that streak came in the Mineral Water Bowl after the 1968 season when Doane (enrollment of 500 students) defeated Central Missouri State (enrollment of 10,000 students) 10-0. Doane finished the season ranked #7 in the NAIA which in today’s world included the NAIA Division I schools.
Al’s track teams enjoyed great success as well, being assisted by head coach in waiting Fred Beile. Training in a turkey barn west of Crete did not seem to hinder the teams’ performance. The Doane Relays became a regional event in the 1960’s and Al’s teams competed nationally at the Howard Wood, Kansas and Drake Relays.
In 1971 Al retired from coaching and became the Director of Admissions at Doane College and he served in that capacity for two years.
Al’s coaching career at Doane coincided with the civil rights movement in the United States. During that time of heightened racial tensions all across America, Al recruited athletes from multiple countries and of many different races and ethnicities to attend Doane and participate in athletics. Larry Green of Port Arthur, Texas may have been one of the first African Americans to play quarterback at the collegiate level, outside of HBCUs. With Al, there was no tolerance for discrimination within or outside of the athletic program. Al melded together student-athletes from small rural Nebraska towns, from inner-city Chicago, Pittsburgh, PA, Port Arthur, Texas, among others, and internationally from Germany and Panama. It didn’t matter who you were, where you were from or your race or ethnicity; what mattered to Al was your character, your effort and your willingness to compete at a high level. The message that all were equal on the Doane football squad was poignantly demonstrated through an incident in 1968. The team stopped at a roadside establishment in Missouri for a meal. When told that certain members of the football team would not be served, Al sent everyone back to the bus. The team returned to Crete hungry, but having learned a life lesson.
Some have suggested that Al, along with assistance from Doane’s other two Legendary Coaches, Bob Erickson and Fred Beile, helped to change the culture of Doane College, now Doane University, from primarily an in-state college of rural Nebraska students to the diverse institution that it is today.
While in Crete, as if he was not busy enough with his work at Doane, Al served two terms on the Crete High School Board, serving as President his final years on the Board.
In 1973, Al was hired by the University of Nebraska as the director of admissions. He was later asked to serve in the University of Nebraska athletic department. There, he was instrumental in forming the NCAA compliance program, one of the first in the country. The current compliance facilities at UNL bear the name of the “Papik Compliance Center.” Al became an expert in the NCAA compliance world. He was a sought-after resource by many schools and he also assisted the NCAA in putting on compliance workshops for member schools. In fact, he was offered the job of Athletic Director at Oregon State in 1997, a position he politely declined due to his age at the time (71) and having all of his family living in Nebraska. Perhaps his biggest professional disappointment came in 1992 when 22 out of the 23 head coaches at UNL supported Al to succeed Bob Devaney as the UNL Athletic Director, but the chancellor decided (unwisely) to hire someone else. Despite the disappointment, Al continued to serve in various capacities within the athletic department, and retired as senior associate athletic director in 2000.
In addition to his teaching, coaching and administration career, Al found time to be the head starter and referee for numerous high school and collegiate track events. He was the starter for the boys and later boys and girls state high school track championships for 23 consecutive years. He also started Big 8 and Big 12 Championship events and served as head referee for national events including the Drake Relays.
Al was a mentor to his players, his coaches, and all those under his watch. His hobby was helping people be successful, whether through a word of encouragement, writing a letter of recommendation, or just listening. When visiting with Al, whether it was the first or one hundredth time, one could always count on direct eye contact, a firm handshake, a pat on the back along with a question of how their family was doing. One of his greatest joys was seeing the people he coached, recruited, hired, or worked achieve their personal or professional goals. Both of his children, when meeting someone for the first time around the state, will often be asked if they are related to Al. Almost always when the question is asked, he or she will say that “Al did this or Al did that” for me when they were either at Doane College or UNL and were grateful for the help and assistance given to them by Al.
Al was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He loved his family and would do anything for them. He was always the consummate host making sure everyone was cared for, always putting others ahead of himself. Al and Gloria were married 64 years and were members of First-Plymouth Congregational Church in Lincoln, NE. They were blessed with many treasured times with family and friends.
Al was dedicated to caring for Gloria when she needed care in her later years, forsaking his own personal time to be by her side. Al enjoyed watching all five of his grandchildren compete as multi-sport athletes at the high school level.
Al was preceeded in death by his parents, Charles and Agnes; his wife, Gloria; sisters Marie Clark, Helen Korbel, and Emma Brydl; and brothers, Edward, Lumir, and twin brother, Ervin. Survivors include son, Jim (Marta), Stromsburg, NE; daughter, Marcia (Ray) Henning, Roca, NE; Grandchildren, Jon (Rachel) Papik, Lincoln, NE, Kristin (Daniel) Syde, Lincoln, NE, Andrew (Annie) Henning, Omaha, NE, Joy (Tyler) Moore, Vermillion, SD and T.J. Henning (fiancée, Katie Hachen) Lincoln, NE; and Great Grandchildren, Bob, Maggie and Noelle Papik, Ellen and Reid Henning, Quincy and Zoe Moore, and Anna and Taletta Syde along with many nieces and nephews.
The family wishes to give thanks to the Yankee Hill Village staff and residents where Al had made his home for the past 4 plus years. A special thank you to Tabitha Hospice and Tabitha Journey House for the excellent and loving care they gave to Al during his final days.
Celebration of Life Service will be held on May 13, 2022 at 1:00 p.m. at Lincoln Berean Church 6400 South 70th Street, Lincoln, NE. For more information see the Roper & Sons website: https://www.roperandsons.com.
In lieu of flowers Memorials suggested to Teammates, Lincoln, NE and the Al Papik Doane College Athletic scholarship fund.
Al Papik Notable Awards and Honors
Crete High School Hall of Fame
Doane College Athletic Hall of Fame
Nebraska Football Hall of Fame (Lyle Bremser Merit Award)
NAIA Football Hall of Fame (Coach)
Nebraska Basketball Hall of Fame (Contributor)
Nebraska Shrine Bowl Hall of Fame
Husker Track and Field & Field Hall of Fame (Official)
Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame (Contributor)
Nebraska School Activities Association Distinguished Service Award
Lincoln Journal/Star Coach of the Year Award (1967,1969)
Omaha World Herald Coach of the Year Award (1967)
NAIA Coach of the Year Award (1966, 1967, 1968 & 1969)
Doane College Honor “D” and Bert Knapp Awards
Carl A. Donaldson Award-UNL
Herman Lifetime Achievement Award-UNL
Member, Board of Directors of the Nebraska High School Activities Association
Member, Crete High School Board of Education
Cornhusker State Games Service Award
Naming of Al Papik Field, Doane University
Naming of Papik Compliance Center, West Stadium, UNL