Spotlight on NGF Board Member Mike McGlade

Current associate Dean for Administration of Finance for UNMC, Mike McGlade is a former All-Conference OG for UNK from 1976-79. Those years, the ‘Lopers won four conference titles, qualified for the NAIA playoffs twice and finished each year in the national Top 10.

McGlade and wife Carol have two adult children, Jake and Maggie. Jake followed his father and played football at UNK.

As a senior administrator at Nebraska Medicine, the Covid-19 crisis has been front and center in your world. What’s it been like?

I now know what people mean when they compare a learning curve for something with drinking from a fire hose! Overall it has been an exciting challenge to assist Nebraska’s health science center lead all Nebraskan’s and others around the country and in some cases the world as we learn and deal with this pandemic.

How do you think Nebraska has fared through the Pandemic?

Overall Nebraskan’s either have been or will be directly impacted in one way or another by this Pandemic and in all those cases Nebraskan’s are stepping up and doing the right thing. I am very proud of how Nebraskans have responded.

Nebraskans should be excited about how UNMC and Nebraska Medicine has been the “go to place” for infectious diseases?

From early on late last Fall and early last Winter our infectious disease experts have been consulted by other experts around the world and have maintained a deep involvement in this Pandemic.

As leaders of the global response to Ebola a couple years ago we had a head start on dealing with an infectious disease outbreak and have kept up that leadership pace as we have responded to the Pandemic.

Talk about your football career at UNK.

I was very fortunate to play for great coaches that were more importantly also great men. They taught us football, but more importantly they taught us how to lead on and off the field as well as how to be a teammate.

What really puts a smile on my face is thinking about all the people I met while at Kearney. Some of the best friends I have today were my teammates at Kearney.

Talk about some of the great players you played with or against.

We were 33-5-2 in my years….one thing we all had in common was that we came from successful high school programs that we simply did not know how to lose.

We earned the opportunity to play in 2 national playoffs including our senior year during those 4 years. In the playoff game our senior year we faced a team from Oklahoma and that team had a running back and a defensive tackle both go on to play in the NFL. The other unique part of that Oklahoma team was that they had many transfers from the University of Oklahoma. In addition, while they were at the University of Oklahoma they were also members of the James Bond Club, which is players who had a grade point average of .007, (Ha!) We lost!

What lessons did you learn on the football field you’ve parlayed into your professional life?

Team work is fundamental to success. From the time I participated at UNK until now I have been part of many group/team efforts. When we work together we can accomplish what some say isn’t achievable.

Talk about why the NGF is an organization you want to be a part of.

In my short time with Nebraska Greats I have seen yet another example of team work by its’ board members and leadership. I love the mission which for my simple mind is to help others. Working as a team to identify those that need help and helping them will always put a smile on my face.