Blast
to the Past is a collection of shorts about great moments and players in Husker
history. For a huge collection of
Nebraska Cornhusker history check out Husker history.You will
find all the stats, facts, stories,re-caps of past games,teams and seasons in husker history.
Larry Jacobsen
Larry Jacobson, who wore No. 75, was Nebraska's first major award winner,
capturing the Outland Trophy following his senior season. He also was one of
three Huskers selected in the first round of the 1972 NFL Draft. He was a
first-round pick (No. 24 overall) by the New York Giants.
Rich Glover
Rich Glover was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1995.
Glover is one of only nine players in college football history to win both
the Lombardi and Outland Trophies. He did that in 1972. Also in 1972, Glover
finished third for the Heisman Trophy. He also helped Nebraska capture
back-to-back national titles in 1970 and 1971. He wore No. 79.
Johnny Rodgers
Leading the nation's number one team the Nebraska
Cornhuskers, Rodgers proved his worth as one of the best backs in Cornhusker history. The
Huskers used Rodgers as a punt returner, pass receiver, blocker, and runner, he broke
offensive records by the dozens. In his three-year Husker football career he racked up
5,586 all-purpose yards for an NCAA record.His 72-yard punt return for the first touchdown
ignited the Huskers's thrilling 35-31 victory over Oklahoma in the Game of the Century in
1971. Johnny Rodgers was signed by the Montreal Alouettes where his quickness and
versatility made him a valuable favorite over several seasons. He also had a career with
the San Diego Chargers in the NFL.Rodgers remains one of the Husker football fans all time
favorites and most notable legends. More links to Johnny 'The Jet' Rodgers
below....
Memorial Stadium
It was the fall of 1922 when faculty, students, alumni
and friends of
the University of Nebraska started a drive for $430,000 to build a stadium .
That sum was reached and surpassed and construction began. In honor
of all the Nebraskans who served in the Civil and Spanish American Wars,
the 751 Nebraskan's who died in World War I, the 3,839 in World War II,
the 225 in Korea, and the 422 in Vietnam the stadium was named Memorial
Stadium in their memory.It only took a little over 3 months for construction
to be completed.Memorial Stadium was dedicated on Oct.
20, 1923. It was the homecoming game in which Nebraska was held to a
scoreless tie by Kansas.
Inscribed on the four corners of Memorial Stadium are the
following
words, written by former UNL professor of philosophy Hartley Burr
Alexander: Southeast: "In Commendation of the men of Nebraska who served and
fell in the Nations Wars" Southwest: "Not the Victory but the action: Not the
goal but the
game: In the deed the glory."
Northwest: "Courage; Generosity; Fairness; Honor; In these are the
true awards of manly sport."
Northeast: "Their Lives they held their country's trust; They
kept
its faith; They died its heroes." Memorial Stadium
Mike Rozier is still the best !
Mike Rozier had his No. 30 jersey retired in
1983. He was only the second rusher over 2,000 yards in a season. Rozier was
Nebraska's first-ever NCAA rushing champion (179.0 yards per game) and its
second national scoring leader (Bobby Reynolds ws the first in 1950). He was
a first-round selection by both the USFL (first pick overall) and the NFL
(second pick overall in the supplemental draft).Mike Rozier became Nebraska's second Heisman winner in 1983,
when he rushed for a school-record 2,148 yards and 29 touchdowns. Rozier's 4,780 rushing
yards are tops on Nebraska and Big Eight Conference career charts and his 312 points and
51 touchdowns are NU records. Rozier still holds 28 individual game, season and career
records for the Huskers, and posted seven 200+ rushing games in his career and 26 games
topping the century mark.
1997 Osborne Steps Down After
25 Years Legendary coach Tom Osborne announced his
retirement after an
unmatched 25 year stint at Nebraska. Osborne compiled a 254-49-3
(.828) record as head coach for the Huskers.Assistant and running
backs coach Frank Solich,Osbornes hand picked succesor took over
as Head Coach.Osborn is the only coach in NCAA history to retire as
the reigning National Champion,doing so after back to back titles in 94-95
and another in 97,that's 3 championships in the last 4 years he coached.
That looks good on the resume.More Osborne info:Tom Osborne
Dean Steinkuhler Dean Steinkuhler had his No. 71
jersey retired in 1983 along with Rozier's No. 30 jersey. Steinkuhler swept
both the Lombardi Award and Outland Trophy in 1983. Steinkuhler was named to
nearly every All-American list in 1983, giving his hometown of Burr,
Nebraska, (population 110) the distincion of being the smallest town at the
time to ever produce a consensus All-American. Steinkuhler was the
highest-drafted Husker lineman ever, when the Houston Oilers selected him as
the second pick in the 1984 NFL Draft. He followed fellow Husker Irving
Fryar in the draft, marking only the second time in NFL history, and the
first since 1967, that the top two players were from the same school.
"Touchdown"
Tommy Frazier Tommie Frazier had
his No. 15 jersey retired in 1996. Frazier won the 1995 Johnny Unitas Golden
Arm Award. Frazier ranks as NU's career leader in total offense yards
(5,476), touchdowns (79), most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback (36) and
most passing TDs (43). He holds the record for the most rushing touchdowns
in a single season by a quarterback (15). He also led the Huskers to
back-to-back national titles in 1994 and 1995 and captured MVP honors in
both championship games.
Dave Rimington
Dave Rimington is the first player ever to win the Outland Trophy in
consecutive years.Rimington was a two-time first-team All-American selection
in 1981 and 1982 wearing No. 50. He helped Nebraska win back-to-back Big
Eight titles in 1981 and 1982. He was a first round selection of the
Cincinnati Bengals in 1983. He is currently the head of the Boomer Esiason
Foundation. Which helps raise money to find a cure for cystic fibrosis.
Possibly the best lineman in the history of Husker football Dave had his
jersey retired in 1982.
Trev Alberts
Trev Alberts had his No. 34 jersey retired at the 1994 Spring Game. Trev was
Nebraska's first Butkus Award winner in 1993. Alberts was the fifth pick in
the 1994 NFL draft by the Indianapolis Colts and played for the Colts until
1996. Currently, he is a college and pro football analyst for CNN and serves
as a co-host for their pregame show.
Thanksgiving Day Tradition
Thanksgiving day has traditionally been a big
day for Nebraska football.In the recent past
many Oklahoma -Nebraska games have been played
on that date,with the most memorable being the
game of the century in 1971.But the game of last
century,as far as Nebraska was concerned ,was
played on Thanksgiving Day 1890.This day was
the very first game ever played by the University
of Nebraska,thus starting Big Red's proud football
tradition without helmets or pads none the less.
The site was Omaha,as a group of 40 students,14
of them players took a train ride from Lincoln to
play the Omaha YMCA team.The Huskers of today
were known as the uni's on this day.A 10-0 Nebraska
victory made for a happy trip back to Lincoln,
where the train was met by a large throng of N.U.
students,who celebrated well into the nite.So
started a tradition that to this day is carried
on by the Husker faithfull.
More Husker History.
In 2000 Turner Gill is entering his 7th season as
the QB
Coach for Nebraska .Turner was the quarterback for Nebraska
from 1980-1983. During 1981-1983 he led the Huskers to a
28-2 record. In his 4 year career for Nebraska he was: 231-428,
3,317 yards, 34 touchdowns, for a .540 completion percentage.
Turner finished 4th on the all-time total offensive chart with
4,634 yards. He has coached such standouts as: Mike Grant,
Tommie Frazer, Brook Berringer and Scott Frost,Bobby Newcomb,
and Eric Crouch.
1995 Orange Bowl Nebraska vs Miami
Miami,January 1,1995 "There is life and there is athletics,but this is the
highest I have reached in either.There is no doubt we are national champions.No doubt.We
beat Miami in Miami."The words of Tommy Frazier after the Huskers beat Miami 24-17 in
the 95 Orange Bowl and winning the first of back to back championships.It was a special
night for Tommy ,a junior who had sat out the final eight games of the season because of
blood clots behind his right knee. The win ended a Husker 7 game losing streak in bowl
games.
Frazier started the game,but was relieved by Brook Berringer at the start of the
second quarter.Berringer finished 8 of 15 passing for 81 yards and one interception for
Nebraska.Rushing he was minus four yards on seven carries.Brooke threw one TD pass,a 19
yarder.Frazier re-entered the game for the Huskers with 11:59 remaining in the fourth
quarter.Frazier's numbers don't tell the whole story,although he was chosen as the games
MVP.Frazier was 3 for 5 passing for 25 yards with one interception.He also accumulated 31
yards on the ground in seven carries for Nebraska.The one that sticks out was a 25 yard
burst with about five minutes remaining.The run set up an eventual Husker touchdown run by
Cory Schlesinger with 2:46 left.Tommy also had a two point conversion toss to tight end
Eric Alford.The Husker defense was equally responsible for the win holding Miami to minus
37 total yards in the fourth quarter.
It was a story book ending for Osborne,Frazier,his husker teammates,and the many
Nebraska fans that had migrated to Miami for the umpteenth time,most without success.To
win a national championship is one thing ,but to do it at the Orange Bowl against a Miami
team that had won the last four meetings between the two teams and sported the number one
defense in the nation, made it very special for the Nebraska Cornhuskers indeed.
NU First to Win 100 Games in Back-to-Back Decades
Nebraska recorded its 100th win of the 90s with a 40-10 win over Missouri in Columbia on
Sept. 25 and finished with a 108-16-1 mark in the 90s (.868, second). Nebraska is the
first Division I program to win 100-plus games in consecutive decades as NU won 103 games
to 20 losses in the 80s. The only other team to post 100-plus wins in the 80s was Brigham
Young with 102 wins and 26 losses. Oklahoma (102-13-3) and Alabama (103-16-1) posted
100-plus wins in the 70s, while Nebraska came close to achieving the mark in three
consecutive decades, as NU won 98 games in the 70s. Florida State finished the 90s with a
109-13-1 record (.890, first), but had just 87 wins in the 80s. By decade, the Huskers
were 75-30-1 in the 60s (.712); 98-20-4 in the 70s (.820, fifth nationally) and 103-20-0
in the 80s (.837, first). Nebraska posts the best record over the past three decades with
a 309-56-5 record. The Huskers have not lost more than 20 games in any of the last three
decades.
NU Posts Stellar 90s Record
With three national championships, there's no doubt that the Nebraska Cornhuskers were
among the best in the last decade. Nebraska had 108 wins in the 90s. NU's 60-3 five-year
run from 1993-97 was not only impressive, but unprecedented in NCAA Division I-A. NU is
81-8 over the last seven years and its five-year record of 58-6 from 1994-98, led the
nation. In 1993, the Huskers went 11-1 losing only to Florida State, 18-16, in the Orange
Bowl for the national championship. That began a run of wins, records and crystal
collections. Nebraska followed 1993 with three perfect seasons in four years, winning
national titles in 1994(13-0)1995(12-0)and 1997(13-0)No other team won three titles in the
90s.
Grant Winstrom
Grant Wistrom had his No. 98 jersey retired in 1998. During his career at
Nebraska, the Huskers compiled a 48-2 record from 1994-97, winning three
national titles in that span (1994, 1995 and 1997), becoming only the second
program in Division I history to win three national titles in a four-year
span. Wistrom was the 1997 Lombardi Award winner. He was a first-round
selection (sixth overall) by the St. Louis Rams in the 1998 NFL Draft. He
played a reserve role as a rookie before earning a starting position in
helping the Rams win the Super Bowl in 1999. He also wears No. 98 in the
NFL.
1971: Rodgers' punt
return in the Game of the Century
In one of the most hyped games ever played, matching
defending national champion and number 1 Nebraska with No. 2 and also undefeated the
Oklahoma Sooners. The Cornhuskers had won 21 consecutive games prior to, but the Sooners
and their powerfull option appeared the team capable of knocking off Nebraska. Obvious to
most this would be a shootout.There was Johnny Rodgers, the Cornhuskers unbelievable
wingback,setting the pace. Only four minutes into the game, after Nebraska had forced OU
to punt, Rodgers caught it at his own 28 yard line. He fought through a couple of tackles,
reversed direction, darted through a hole, cut to the outside, and hauled ass 72 yards in
the most remembered moment of one of the most amazing games ever played. This was his
seventh punt return for a touchdown in his career. The final score was Nebraska 35,
Oklahoma 31, Rodger's became a legend,as he went on to win the 1972 Heisman
Trophy,and years later inducted into the college football Hall of Fame. Heisman | Hall
of Fame | Game of the Century | Champs
1997: The
Flea-Kicker
A perfect season often needs a perfect play to sustain itself, and the 1997 Nebraska
Cornhuskers got theirs as the clock ran out in Columbia, Mo. The top-ranked Cornhuskers
trailed Missouri, 38-31, with 1:02 remaining in the fourth quarter when they drove down
the field trying to score the game-tying touchdown. Quarterback Scott Frost got them as
close as the 12-yard line, with time for only one more play. He dropped back and zipped a
pass into the end zone that wingback Shevin Wiggins couldn't corral as he fought off
defenders but as the ball was tipped away, it went off Wiggins' foot (impossible to
tell if he really meant to kick it, which would have been illegal) and into the air
and diving out of nowhere was Matt Davison, laying out to slice beyond two Missouri
defenders, snatch the ball off the tips of the turf and hold the ball into the air. It was
a touchdown that was not to be believed. Nebraska coach Tom Osborne, realizing that his
team had gained every bit of the momentum from the underdog Tigers, calmly had his team
kick the extra point and then roll in overtime -- scoring in three plays and then denying
Missouri a point, to win the game, 45-38. Interestingly, NU dropped to No. 3 in the AP
poll the following week, but eventually emerged as the national champion, anyway.
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