Tom Osborne last saw Dave Humm three or four years ago.
But Osborne talked to him on the phone every 10 days or so.
"I'd been worried the last three or four days that I hadn't been able to get ahold of him," the former Nebraska football coach said Wednesday. "I was afraid that something maybe had happened."
Humm, one of the greatest Nebraska passing quarterbacks in the history of the program, died Tuesday night in his hometown of Las Vegas from complications stemming from multiple sclerosis. He was 65.
He was diagnosed with the disease in 1988 at age 35 and confined to a wheelchair permanently in 1997.
Nevertheless, "I hardly ever talked to David when he wasn't upbeat," Osborne told the Journal Star. "You would think that sometime it'd be pretty negative or down. But he'd always talk about what a great life he was having. He was a very upbeat, positive guy."
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Many Nebraska fans remember Humm as an outstanding passer — the dealer from Vegas. He's one of the best players ever to come out of Las Vegas, recruited by several high-profile programs. His school finalists were Nebraska, Alabama and Colorado, Osborne recalled.
"That was back when the signing date was in May," Osborne said. "Players would start their recruiting trips in December. I know David made 12 or 13 or 14 recruiting trips, as did a lot of really good players at that time. He'd have Bear Bryant and Joe Namath out (in Las Vegas) on a night to see him, then Bob Devaney would go out there the next night, then (former Colorado coach) Eddie Crowder would be there.
"It was one of the longest, most intense recruiting situations I ever witnessed."
During a span of three seasons — 1972-74 — the Huskers were 27-7-2 with Humm at the helm, finishing in The Associated Press top 10 all three seasons. He was an All-American in 1974 and ended up fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting that year.
He played well as a sophomore in 1972, Devaney's last season as head coach. Osborne called the plays that season and coached the quarterbacks.
"It helped that we had Johnny (Rodgers) to throw to," Osborne said of the 1972 Heisman winner.
Like Osborne, Rodgers kept in touch with Humm.Â
"He was just a handsome guy, athletic, debonair — just a guy from Las Vegas who was as suave as you could be," Rodgers said Wednesday. "He was a stud. He could've been a model back in the day when we were playing. He was the man."
Rodgers appreciated Humm's willingness to get him the ball.
"I always caught it, so he always threw it," Rodgers said.
Humm helped Nebraska to victories against Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl, Texas in the Cotton Bowl and Florida in the Sugar Bowl. In a 56-0 win at Kansas in 1974, he completed 23 of 27 passes for 230 yards and three touchdowns. His completion percentage of .852 was a Big Eight record.
"In those days, if you threw it 25 times in a game — that was a lot," Osborne said.
Humm's 5,035 career passing yards stood as the school record until Zac Taylor surpassed that in 2006. Humm now ranks fifth behind Tommy Armstrong (8,871 from 2013-16), Taylor Martinez (7,258, 2010-13), Taylor (5,850, 2005-06) and Joe Ganz (5,125, 2006-08).
A fifth-round NFL Draft pick of the Oakland Raiders, Humm was a backup to Ken Stabler when the franchise won Super Bowl XI and played behind Jim Plunkett when the Raiders captured Super Bowl XVIII. Humm spent his pro career as a backup.
He worked for years as an analyst for Raider games on radio. The late Al Davis, Mr. Raider himself, told Humm he had a job for life.
Rodgers wishes he could've talked to Humm one last time.
"I was in Vegas this past weekend at the National Auto Dealers Association convention and was trying to get Dave (on the phone)," Rodgers said. "He always gets back to me. When he didn't, I kind of figured something could be up.
"He's had a hard time, but he kept a great attitude the whole time."