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The best center in Nebraska history had a simple explanation for why he sat at a table on West Stadium’s third floor Tuesday afternoon, flanked by University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chancellor Ronnie Green and sporting an “N” lapel pin on his black suit jacket.

“I love this place and I’ll do anything I can to help,” said Dave Rimington, the school’s new interim athletic director thanks to an appointment slated to last up to 60 days and finalized late Monday.

Rimington, a two-time All-American during his mid-1980s Husker career and the 22-year president of the Boomer Esiason Foundation, made clear he is not a candidate for the permanent post.

“I’m not here to fire anybody, I’m just here to calm things down,” Rimington, 57, said. “We’ve got a great university here and I’m going to do the best I can to help with whatever I can to make it better.”

Green first reached out to Rimington on Thursday morning, within hours of firing Shawn Eichorst and before the school announced that move. He said Rimington was the first person he thought of for the interim job. At the time, Rimington was working from his New York home on Long Island.