Nebraska has been good to Pete

Playing football was a violent way to make your way in the world. Lawrence Pete understood that from a very young age.

"I played for the Wichita Colts when I was a little boy, and for some reason somebody just stuck me in front of the other team's center," Pete said. "Nose guard was the only position I ever played. And I found out pretty quickly that if there was a test on the football field, I could pass it. That was all I needed to know about the game, because that was when I knew I was going to use it to get what I really wanted out of life."

His senior year at Wichita South, former Nebraska coach Tom Osborne walked into his house and made a promise to Pete's mother, Vera, that holds up to this day.

" (Osborne) looked at my mom, and he told her ,' I can guarantee he's going to get an education and he's going to get a chance to play football.' That was all either one of us needed to hear."

He got more than an education at Nebraska, where he'll be inducted into the Huskers' football Hall of Fame on Sept. 10. He got drafted by the Detroit Lions in the fifth round of the 1989 NFL draft, and played there for five years before pursuing his lifelong dream of a career in finance.

"When I left Detroit, I left money on the table. I could've played longer, but I didn't see a reason to," Pete said. "I was vested, I'd been able to take care of my mother and I had enough money to set a good base for myself financially. My gift was for finance. It was my passion."

Pete, 45, is an assistant vice president for Bank of the West and lives in Elkhorn, Neb., a a suburb of Omaha. He also has a securities license, real-estate holdings, and owns two investment companies. He specializes in low-to-moderate income lending. And football was the key to making his dream come true.

"The thing about the state of Nebraska is that if you play for the Huskers and you kept your nose clean and did things the right way, they DO NOT forget you," Pete said. "That's why I live here. That's what I tell the kids who play now. I tell them to use football to set yourself up for the rest of your life. I planted this apple seed, now I'm watching it grow."

He lives with Lori, his second wife, and his 16-year-old daughter Aaliyah, one of two children from his first marriage. He and Lori have been married for five years.

"I was going through my divorce and I saw Lori with her sister at one of my son's football games," Pete said. "She said she heard I was going through a divorce and I was joking around and said 'yeah, so now I need you to marry me.' "

Some 20 years after they'd dated, Lori was quick to answer.

"I told him he had too much baggage," Lori said, laughing. "But the truth was there was something that was still there from when we were kids. Life is so crazy with its twists and turns, and we both experienced so much that we can kind of look at each other now and appreciate what we've been through. And that's our life together. I tell people that it's not always pretty, but it's all mine and I love it."

Pete likes to play down his connection to the game today — there is no memorabilia from his career in his house other than a Nebraska bobblehead — but last weekend's surprise visitor to the Pete residence offers some pretty solid evidence to the contrary.

"One of my nephews came up to see his Uncle Dewey over the holiday weekend, out of the blue," Pete said. "That's my full name, Lawrence Dewey Pete. That's what they call me. Uncle Dewey."

The nephew was Kansas State sophomore tailback and Wichita native Bryce Brown. Bryce and older brother Arthur, a K-State linebacker, are the sons of Pete's younger sister, Lelonnie.

" (Bryce) was just bored, I think he's ready to play some football," Pete said. "We didn't really talk about football other than to talk about Arthur, who he gushed about. We talked more about life, and I'm proud of those two for the young men they're becoming. They're All-Americans in the game of life, which is what I care about. They're in a good spot at Kansas State with (Bill) Snyder. I think the perception of them is so different from what the reality is. They've got an old-school mentality and that's why they love playing for Snyder so much."

Nebraska's shift from the Big 12 to the Big Ten this season also spared Pete from having to watch his nephews play against his former team.

Although....

"I would've cheered for my nephews to have success, of course," Pete said. "But the final score? I want Nebraska to win, always. The state's been too good to me."

This story was originally published July 10, 2011 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Nebraska has been good to Pete."