Dr. Harry Tolly graduated from North Platte High School in Nebraska and spent one year at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire before landing a full scholarship at Nebraska.
Tolly played several positions for the Huskers, including defensive back and punter, but he built his reputation at quarterback. During his senior year in 1959, the versatile athlete led the team in three different categories: passing, punting and interceptions.
Tolly orchestrated one of the greatest upsets in Husker football history in 1959 when Nebraska defeated Oklahoma on Halloween, snapping the Sooners' 74-game conference unbeaten streak, which is still an NCAA record. The game, often cited as the greatest upset in Cornhusker history, is credited by many as launching the storied Oklahoma-Nebraska rivalry.
Tolly won the Tom Novak Award in 1959, given to the senior who best exemplifies courage and determination despite all odds. He also pitched for the Husker baseball team in 1959 and 1960.
A dedicated student, Tolly maintained a 3.3 GPA as a mathematics major, and he belonged to Pi Mu Epsilon, a national honor mathematics society. The 6-foot Nebraska native was also a member of The Innocents Society, which includes the top Nebraska seniors selected by the chancellor for their leadership and superior academic excellence. He was president of Sigma Chi fraternity, a member of the University of Nebraska student council and later served in the Nebraska Air National Guard from 1962-67.
Following in his father's footsteps to teach and coach, Tolly received a bachelor's in math, a master's in education and he became a "grad assistant" on College Football Hall of Fame Coach Bob Devaney's first staff in 1962. Having decided to leave a coaching career and enter dental school, Tolly made space for, as he liked to joke, "some guy named Osborne."
During his senior year at Nebraska, Tolly met the love of his life, Ann Marie Hanna, and they were married in 1962. He graduated from dental school in 1966, and the couple moved to Honolulu, Hawaii, for one year so he could extern at Queens Hospital before moving back to Lincoln.
Tolly practiced general dentistry for 40 years in University Place. Patients still recall how he would call the evening after a procedure to check on them. He continued to serve as a professional, notably as President of the Lincoln District Dental Association and President of the UNL Dental Alumni Association.
Tolly passed away April 22, 2021, in Lincoln, Nebraska. He was 83.
