Anyone who knows me knows I’m a Husker through and through. I love September, October, November and December. My team is and always will be the Cornhuskers. Yes, it is where I received my bachelors degree so my allegiance is to the school.
I grew up on Husker football. Saturdays were for chili and listening to football on the radio and of course wearing red. Back then, the games were rarely on TV except for the Friday after Thanksgiving that was the Huskers vs the Sooners. Forget Black Friday listening to the Huskers was far more important than any sale. A defensive game that was won 14-3 or even a lesser score was completely acceptable and hoped for. I love a defensive battle; much better than a high scoring ‘west coast offense’.
Memorial Stadium, where the Huskers play, is famous for holding the record for consecutive sell outs. That means I’m not alone in my love for the team. We’ve had great years under Devaney and Osborne when we won 5 National Title games, even Heisman Trophy winners. But most of all Nebraska continues the tradition of producing players with academic honors.
Every year there is a spring Red & White game that attracts thousand of people. Last year 76,881 attended. Yes, 76,881 attended a scrimmage. Because of the sellout streak, it is hard for people to get to see a regular season game, so the scrimmage is also a hot ticket.
For many of the close schools Nebraska fans will travel hours for a ticket. Many schools end up having more Husker fans in attendance than their own. Some go as far as to tell people not to sell to Nebraska people. I remember one year when Nebraska played Notre Dame in South Bend. The nationally televised game had announcers that commented on how there were many more Husker fans than Notre Dame fans. Though I don’t know the exact distance between South Bend and Lincoln, I’m sure it is at least an eleven hour drive. That’s dedication.
Here’s a great video about Nebraska football and a young kid. It’s a very touching story.
Jack Hoffman
This isn’t just a one time thing, I remember greats back in the day coming to my High School to participate in a fund raiser for a local kid with Leukemia. I love Nebraska and the people there; it is a good Midwestern school with true Midwestern values.
Now back to the 76,881 number. Let’s put that into perspective. Memorial Stadium becomes the third largest city in Nebrasks on game day Saturday.
Here’s the census information:
1. Omaha: 408,958
2. Lincoln: 258,379
3. Bellevue: 50,137
4. Grand Island: 48,520
5. Kearney: 30,787
With only a little over 1.8 million people in the state is is quite impressive how people support the team even for scrimmages. This year’s scrimmage is today. Unfortunately I can’t watch it on TV but I will be wearing red regardless. GBR!! (Go Big Red for those of you who don’t understand Husker jargon)