Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne is retiring as of Jan. 1.

The 75-year-old Osborne announced his decision Wednesday at a news conference. He says "the perception" that you're getting old "can get in the way." Osborne says he doesn't want to be a distraction.

Osborne was one of the most successful football coaches in history. Every one of his 25 teams won at least nine games, and three of his last four teams won national championships. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1998, the year after he retired.

After serving in Congress and losing a gubernatorial bid, he returned to the university in 2007 to take over the athletic department and shepherd the school's move from the Big 12 to the Big Ten.

- Associated Press