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From Trash Cans to March Madness: 10 Things to Know About UNO

Omaha Basketball took college hoops by storm as a trash can smashing Cinderella story, but the University of Nebraska at Omaha is also making noise off the court.

  • published: 2025/03/18
  • contact: Sam Peshek - Office of Strategic Marketing and Communications
  • email: unonews@unomaha.edu

If you’re a college basketball fan, you might know the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) as the team that smashed its way into the NCAA Tournament—literally.

The Omaha Men’s Basketball squad made headlines with trash can-slamming celebrations and a historic run to the Big Dance. Even our Chancellor Joanne Li, Ph.D., CFA, got in on the action, emerging from a trash can with an AEW Title belt in a viral moment that sports fans won’t forget.

But UNO isn’t just about March Madness magic. Here are 10 things you need to know about the university behind the Cinderella story before the No. 15 seed Mavericks face No. 2 St. John’s on Thursday, March 20, on CBS at 8:45 P.M. CT.

Know the O

  1. Warren Buffett Taught at UNO —Yes, That Warren Buffett
  2. UNO is Omaha’s University
  3. UNO is the Nation’s Best Public University for Military Veterans
  4. UNO Co-Hosts the College World Series
  5. UNO Students Intern and Work for Fortune 500 Giants
  6. UNO is an Academic and Research Powerhouse
  7. Do You Recognize These Famous Mavericks?
  8. UNO Athletic Excellence Goes Beyond Basketball
  9. We Wrote the (Virtual) Textbook on Online Learning
  10. What’s Not to “Like” About UNO?

1. Warren Buffett Taught at UNO —Yes, That Warren Buffett

Before becoming the Oracle of Omaha, Warren Buffett taught investment courses from 1952 to 1962 at UNO’s College of Business Administration (CBA). Today, the CBA offers the Genius of Warren Buffett course, where students take a deep dive into his legendary investing strategies.

Warren Buffet teaching at now UNO



2. UNO is Omaha’s University

Omaha is our campus. UNO is Nebraska’s only public urban-metropolitan university and a member of the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities (CUMU), meaning we’re built for the city we serve. As part of the University of Nebraska System, we combine big-time academics with big-city opportunities. About 15,000 students are enrolled at the university and half of our 125,000 living alumni live and work right here in Omaha. In fact, 81% of Maverick graduates stay after graduating.



3. UNO is the Nation’s Best Public University for Military Veterans

Military Times ranked UNO the top public university in the nation for veterans in 2024. The Office of Military and Veterans Services helps veterans and military-connected individuals, prepare for civilian careers, build connections with employers, access Veterans Affairs (VA) education benefits, navigate the university admissions and financial aid processes

Military recognition at Baxter Arena before hockey



4. UNO Co-Hosts the College World Series

Every June, Omaha becomes the epicenter of college baseball, and UNO plays a major role in making it happen. We co-host the greatest show on dirt, welcoming fans from across the country to Charles Schwab Field in Downtown Omaha, just minutes from campus.

Maverick student ambassadors stand near the Road to Omaha statue.



5. UNO Students Intern and Work for Fortune 500 Giants

Berkshire Hathaway. Union Pacific. Mutual of Omaha. Kiewit Corporation. All four have headquarters in Omaha, and UNO students regularly land paid internships (and full-time gigs) with these industry leaders.

A few of the Gene Leahy Mall in downtown Omaha, looking west.



6. UNO is an Academic and Research Powerhouse

With consecutive years of record-breaking research, innovation is in our DNA. Some of our unique programs include:

🎯️ Counterterrorism: UNO is home to NCITE, the Department of Homeland Security's Center of Excellence for terrorism prevention and counterterrorism research. NCITE is the nation's leading academic center for the study of emerging and novel terrorism threats.

🤖 Artificial Intelligence: UNO is one the only universities to offer a bachelor’s degree in artificial intelligence in the Midwest.

🦾 Biomechanics: The Biomechanics Research Building – home to the Pitching Lab, the Center for Cardiovascular Research in Biomechanics, and more – calls our campus home. It’s the only building like it in the entire world.

✈️ Aviation: Students have a direct pipeline to careers in aviation thanks to the Aviation Institute. With state-of-the-art flight simulation technology and partnerships with United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and more, careers take flight at UNO.

With the guidance of Jorge Zuniga, Ph.D., Rue Gillespie, 4, uses a prosthetic arm 3D-printed at UNO to complete exercises that require precise movements.



7. Do You Recognize These Famous Mavericks?

Once a Maverick, always a Maverick! Here are just a handful of Mavericks who attended classes at UNO or are degree-holding UNO alumni that have gone on to do big things:

🇺🇸 Chuck Hagel: Former U.S. Senator representing Nebraska and Secretary of Defense (pictured below).

🎬 Peter Fonda: Award-winning actor from films that include “Easy Rider,” “3:10 to Yuma,” and “Ulee’s Gold”

🥎 Connie Claussen: Women’s sports pioneer and legendary softball coach.

🎵 Conor Oberst: Indie music icon and Bright Eyes frontman.

🏒 Jake Guentzel: Omaha native and 2017 Stanley Cup champion with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

🏈 Marlin Briscoe: The first Black starting quarterback in professional football and 2016 College Football Hall of Fame inductee.

🏈 Shaq Barrett: Super Bowl-winning linebacker.

🏈 Greg Zeurlein: NFL kicker with a big leg and a bigger nickname, “Legatron.”

🏈 Zach Miller: Record-breaking Mavericks quarterback and NFL tight end-turned country music artist.

Chuck Hagel



8. UNO Athletic Excellence Goes Beyond Basketball

Omaha Athletics fields 16 men’s and women’s sports teams. While 15 sports compete in the Summit League, men’s ice hockey competes in the powerhouse National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC). In addition to the men’s basketball team’s 2025 Summit League championship, the following teams have clinched conference titles since 2019:

⚽️ Men’s Soccer: 2020, 2023

⚽️ Women’s Soccer: 2022

🏀 Men’s Basketball: 2025

⚾️ Baseball: 2019

🥎 Softball: 2022, 2023

🏐 Volleyball: 2023

Omaha Volleyball competes in Volleyball Day in Nebraska at Memorial Stadium.



9. We Wrote the (Virtual) Textbook on Online Learning

UNO has been a pioneer in online education for more than 25 years, with online programs regularly ranking among the best in the nation according to U.S. News & World Report. The 2025 rankings were no different:

#4: Best Online Master’s in Criminal Justice Programs for Veterans

#6: Overall Rank for Best Online Master’s in Criminal Justice Programs

#29: Best Online Bachelor’s Programs for Veterans

#41: Best Online Bachelor’s in Business Programs

#57: Overall Rank for Best Online Bachelor’s Programs

Katie Plaza works rom home on her degree



10. What’s Not to “Like” About UNO?

According to Rival IQ’s 2024 Higher Education Social Media Engagement Report, UNO has one of the highest engagement rates in all of higher education. Stay connected with UNO (@UNOmaha) through March Madness (#MarchMAVness) and beyond on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter (X), and LinkedIn!

Students pose with handwritten signs on the first day of class.