When Nebraska officials were considering firing football coach Bo Pelini, they surely braced for criticism. After all, Pelini had been fairly successful at Nebraska and had led the team to a 9-3 record in 2014.

But what Nebraska officials may not have expected is that in firing Pelini they may also have forced the closing of the parody Twitter account @FauxPelini, and that has some fans furious.

Through a mix of lighthearted humor and diehard fandom, the Twitter user behind @FauxPelini racked up 162,000 followers. That's 70,000 more than the real Pelini.

The man behind @FauxPelini has remained anonymous, although he's revealed that he's a Cornhuskers fan living in the Chicago area.

"[T]he what-comes-next-question depends on a couple of variables," the account's creator told For The Win. "One is whether he gets a job and how quickly and where it is. Another question is who’s the next (Nebraska coach) going to be …

"I haven’t figured out what it will be if anything. I do know what it probably won’t be, which is I’m not really up for following him to the next place. I’m a Husker fan, that’s how I got started with this thing.”

@FauxPelini's legend grew as the account interacted with opposing players, schools, bowl games, police forces and even the man himself.

In an homage to @FauxPelini, Nebraska's head coach hoisted a cat above his head before his team's spring game.


After Pelini was fired Sunday, many fans turned to @FauxPelini for his reaction. He did not disappoint:





While there are certainly parody accounts that live on after their inspiration is canned, the man behind @FauxPelini apparently hinted at his fate earlier this year to Teddy Greenstein of the Chicago Tribune:


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