Anthony Pelini, father of Nebraska head football coach Bo and defensive coordinator Carl, passed away Tuesday evening in Akron, Ohio of heart failure.  He was 85 years.  The senior Pelini fought in the Battle of the Bulge in World War II and returned from service with a purple heart.

The funeral will be Saturday morning in Youngstown, Ohio.  Bo and Carl will conduct a Friday morning practice for the Huskers in Lincoln, then the rest of the team will head to Jacksonville for the Gator Bowl, while the Pelini brothers head back to their hometown for the unhappy task of burying their father.

Say a prayer for the Pelini family as you celebrate the holiday season.  I feel most for the youngsters in the extended Pelini family, who now will associate Christmas with the loss of their grandfather.