LINCOLN — It was 1979, and a college freshman was searching the State Capitol for lobbyist Walt Radcliffe, who was scheduled to speak to young leaders from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Eventually, the freshman, Scott Moore, caught up with Radcliffe, who posed a profane question to the student that was something like, “What the heck am I supposed to say to these kids?”
“I knew right then that this was someone I was going to like,” said Moore, who went on to become a state senator, Nebraska Secretary of State and later, a top executive at Union Pacific.
Stories like that, and many more, circulated across the state as word spread about the death of Radcliffe, 77, on Thursday afternoon.
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Work spanned 10 governors
A Lincoln native whose work spanned 10 governors, Radcliffe was the undisputed dean of the statehouse lobbying corps. He had his own padded bench in the Capitol Rotunda.
His firm, Radcliffe Gilbertson & Brady, annually ranked among the state’s top in annual revenue.
Patrick O’Donnell, the longtime clerk of the Nebraska Legislature, retired at the end of 2022. (Courtesy of the Clerk of the Legislature’s Office)
He also served as a valuable — and engaging — font of institutional knowledge about the Legislature for lawmakers and governors as such knowledge was disappearing due to term limits.
His storytelling was legendary, as were his counsel and history lessons for lawmakers and others.
“He really cared about the institution,” said Patrick O’Donnell, the former clerk of the Legislature and a long-time friend who met Radcliffe in a UNL fraternity. “The Legislature had a big loss today.”
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“Nobody knew the legislative process better than him,” said Lynn Rex, executive director League of Nebraska Municipalities. She said Radcliffe was a mentor to her and many other lobbyists.
Former State Sen. John Stinner, who chaired the budget-writing Appropriations Committee, said Radcliffe once gave him valuable advice on how to tap into a state health care fund to help close a monumental $1 billion shortfall in the budget.
“He was extremely helpful in many instances,” Stinner said. “I’m going to miss him.”
Part of the place
U.S. Rep. Mike Flood, R-Neb., a former speaker of the Legislature, said “people probably think we were too close to Walt as a lobbyist.”
U.S. Rep. Mike Flood of Norfolk speaks to reporters on Sept. 15, 2024. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)
“But he was bigger than a lobbyist,” Flood said. “He was just part of the fabric of the Legislature.”
A graduate of UNL and the NU College of Law, Radcliffe liked to point out that he worked only a couple of miles from where he grew up.
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His first jobs at the Capitol were as a legislative page and a proofreader. He later served as an assistant clerk of the Legislature and as legal counsel to the Judiciary and Banking Committees, and as chief legal counsel in the clerk’s office.
Radcliffe’s lobbying career began in 1977 as a partner with former State Sen. David Tews. He purchased the firm a couple of years later, which became Radcliffe and Associates before the latest name change.
He continued to lobby this spring, though his trips to his bench — which for a time had its own Twitter account — became less frequent.
“He was a people person. That job was his lifeblood,” said Korby Gilbertson, a long-time associate at the firm. “We always knew he’d work until he couldn’t, because that’s what he did.”
Known for NU advocacy
His firm long represented the University of Nebraska, fighting for its programs and funding. But Radcliffe also represented liquor, tobacco and gambling clients because, Gilbertson said, he “wasn’t afraid of a good battle.”
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University of Nebraska at Omaha students walk on campus in September 2024. (Cindy Gonzalez/Nebraska Examiner)
In addition, Radcliffe also lobbied free-of-charge for entities opposed to the death penalty, and, his friends said, was genuinely interested in helping the state, and its institutions, do well.
Moore said that Radcliffe’s greatest skill as a lobbyist was his ability to boil down complicated subjects into simple terms. He worked long hours and was a good listener and storyteller, he said, who didn’t seek to “poach” clients from other lobbyists and was very clear where his clients stood.
”He was a man of integrity,” Moore said. “That’s why people respected him, and why he got so many things passed.”
Former Gov. Dave Heineman described Radcliffe as “very professional, very knowledgeable and a very straightforward lobbyist.”
“I enjoyed working with him,” Heineman said.
Petition work got him in trouble
Radcliffe briefly got in trouble in 1986, when he was indicted for hiring and paying petition circulators seeking to get an issue on the statewide ballot to allow a state lottery. But the charge was dismissed on appeal. Paying petition circulators is now legal and commonplace in the state.
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A Nebraskan signs a petition for a ballot initiative. (Courtesy of Rebecca S. Gratz)
Radcliffe received a liver transplant in 1999, but in recent years battled other health issues. Gilbertson said he entered hospice care on Thursday morning after battling an infection for several days. He died hours later from kidney failure and other health issues.
Flood said he spent many hours in Radcliffe’s office across the street from the Capitol as a young state senator and later as speaker, listening and learning about past lawmakers and speakers.
“It wasn’t like he was telling me what to do in a certain situation, but he’d say, ‘We had this same problem, and this is what a past speaker did,’ and how it worked or didn’t work,” Flood said.
“While he was an advocate, he wanted the Legislature to look good, too.”
LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – John Cook and the Nebraska volleyball team landed a big time transfer Sunday, getting a commitment from former Baylor star Allie Sczech.
The 6-foot-4 opposite hitter announced her commitment in a post on Instagram:
Courtesy @allie.sczech on Instagram
The Sugarland, Texas, native was previously the No. 32 recruit in the nation when she committed to Baylor in 2022.
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Sczech finished the 2024 season with 268 kills, totaling 2.44 kills per set. She had a .273 hitting percentage and also totaled 0.65 blocks per set.
The Huskers have a big hole in the offense with the departure of outside hitter Merritt Beason, and Sczech’s high production will help fill that void.
Sczech will have one season of eligibility remaining.
Categories: Husker Sports, Sports
Tags: allie sczech, Baylor, Bears, college volleyball, Huskers, Instagram, John Cook, Merritt Beason, NCAA, Nebraska, sugarland, Texas, Volleyball
Radio: Sunday’s game will be carried on the Huskers Radio Network with Kent Pavelka and Jake Muhleisen on the call, including KLIN (1400 AM) in Lincoln, KXSP (590 AM) in Omaha and KRVN (880 AM) in Lexington. The pregame show begins an hour before tipoff and will also be available on Huskers.com and the Huskers app.
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TV/Online: Sunday’s game will be on BTN with Kevin Kugler and Stephen Bardo on the call. It will also be available online on the Fox Sports app.
Jarek’s Pre-tipoff Thoughts: Ok, eventually Nebraska has to win a game in the conference again, right? This will be a big game for Connor Essegian, the former Badger who gets to play against his old team at his old home. The rest of the Huskers will have to match his intensity levels, as it is a different breed of animal to face a former team. If, and it’s a big if, they can do that, Nebraska just might have a chance. Nebraska’s last road game, which was Maryland, was a much better performance on the road than any other this season. Hopefully that momentum continues. Having said all of that, I just don’t see Nebraska winning, making the Conference losing streak 6 games. Prediction: Wisconsin 91 Nebraska 76.
Women’s Basketball
The style of play used by the Buckeyes – a full court press and pressure defense has flustered the Huskers in their most recent matchups. The Buckeyes try to take their opponent out of the game early and has an offense that comes at you from every position on the floor.
Can the Huskers stay composed and handle the early punches from the Buckeyes? Will they be in position to pull off one of their patented fourth quarter surges?
RV/25 Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. 12/12 Ohio State Buckeyes Sunday, January 26, 2025, 2 p.m. (CT) Pinnacle Bank Arena – Lincoln, Nebraska Special Event: Pack PBA Giveaway: ”For Three” Roller Banners (500) Live TV: B1G+ Live Radio: Huskers Radio Network (1:30 p.m.)Matt Coatney (PBP), Jeff Griesch (Analyst)Lincoln (107.3 FM), Huskers.com, Huskers App Live Stats: Huskers.com (statbroadcast – public)
Nebraska Cornhuskers (12-7, 2-6 Big Ten) at Wisconsin Badgers (15-4, 5-3 Big Ten)
Madison, Wisconsin; Sunday, 1 p.m. EST
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BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Badgers -7.5; over/under is 151.5
BOTTOM LINE: No. 18 Wisconsin faces Nebraska after John Tonje scored 24 points in Wisconsin’s 85-83 loss to the UCLA Bruins.
The Badgers are 10-1 on their home court. Wisconsin is sixth in the Big Ten scoring 82.5 points while shooting 47.1% from the field.
The Cornhuskers have gone 2-6 against Big Ten opponents. Nebraska is 0-3 in one-possession games.
Wisconsin makes 47.1% of its shots from the field this season, which is 5.7 percentage points higher than Nebraska has allowed to its opponents (41.4%). Nebraska averages 5.3 more points per game (76.4) than Wisconsin gives up (71.1).
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The Badgers and Cornhuskers match up Sunday for the first time in conference play this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Max Klesmit is averaging 10.4 points for the Badgers. John Blackwell is averaging 17.7 points over the last 10 games.
Brice Williams is scoring 18.5 points per game with 3.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists for the Cornhuskers. Juwan Gary is averaging 13.9 points and 4.5 rebounds while shooting 42.5% over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Badgers: 7-3, averaging 82.1 points, 31.6 rebounds, 15.5 assists, 4.5 steals and 2.1 blocks per game while shooting 48.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 73.0 points per game.
Cornhuskers: 5-5, averaging 73.2 points, 32.6 rebounds, 13.5 assists, 7.1 steals and 2.8 blocks per game while shooting 46.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 70.4 points.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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