In what can only be described as a nod toward the 21st Century, Nebraska's athletic department officially welcomed Thursday the voluntary services of TDAmeritrade Holding Corporation Chairman Joe Moglia in NU's LifeSkills Department.

Moglia, who was a football coach at several levels prior to his work in the financial industry - including a defensive coordinator at Dartmouth - will advise and guide Husker athletes on preparing for life after sports, whether that be right after college, or after a stint in the professional ranks. Frequent viewers of any financial channel know Moglia's face and generally no-nonsense take on matters well.

TDAmeritrade, a well-known personal investment company, become the largest online brokerage firm in the world under Moglia's direction, and will still be his day job. But since moving from CEO to chairman, NU athletic director Tom Osborne said, he has more time to devote to a project like this.

"He can interact with student-athletes in all of our sports programs and teach them the fundamentals of finance and how to invest," Osborne said. "Working with Nebraska and seeing how a top program operates administratively is a good way to reconnect with football. With his background and track record, Joe could be leading any number of major corporations, but he wants to be here to learn how we operate and show how he can contribute.”

Said NU head coach Bo Pelini: “We’re delighted that Joe will support our student-athletes in football. It’s not every day that the only person in the world who’s written a book on both football and investment strategies wants to volunteer his expertise. We appreciate what he’s accomplished, and we’re looking forward to working with him.”

Those books Pelini is referring to are Coach Yourself to Success: Winning The Investment Game and "The Perimeter Attack Offense."

The impact? What else? Recruiting. Having a pro-bono investment guru in one's athletic department - who also knows football - is the kind of intangible that, once a kid gets on campus for a visit (with his parents) is mighty impressive. Given the way some modern athletes burn through their paychecks, a solid financial philosophical foundation in college that embraces modern realities like the market and Internet sounds pretty fetching.

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