Between the inaugural Nebraska football season of 1890 and the Rose Bowl season of 1940 – over a span of 51 years – the Huskers recorded just 3 losing seasons and ranked as the 8th winningest program in the nation
{7th best over the 72 yrs stretching from the inaugural college football season of 1869 to 1940}
What accounts for Nebraska’s remarkable success in the early days of the game?
Certainly, we had some great players…
From Tackle, Vic Halligan, the 1st ever All American west of the Mississippi River to Fullback, Sam Francis, 1st runner up in the 2nd ever Heisman race – we benefited from such great players as Guy Chamberlin, Clarence Swanson, Ed Weir, George Sauer, and Lloyd Cardwell having come through Lincoln
Likewise, we had some very good coaches in those days
From the celebrated Fielding Yost, who spent one season at Nebraska, to Lawrence “Biff” Jones, who memorably led the Huskers to Pasadena – we enjoyed the services of such top notch coaches as Bummy Booth, Jumbo Stiehm, E.E. Bearg, Fred Dawson, and D.X. Bible
All this said, it is my personal belief that Nebraska’s early success was primarily attributable to the fan support that existed across the state, itself
Practically from the very beginning, Nebraska football enjoyed unparalleled fan support!
To wit:
1915
Nebraska plays Notre Dame for the 1st time
An 11 year series is kicked off
{a series split right down the middle – 5 wins, 5 losses, 1 tie}
Of the 11 contests, 9 are played In Lincoln and this is at the behest of none other than Notre Dame and it’s legendary head coach, Knute Rockne
The Irish preferred playing in Lincoln as they would earn more money from their visitor’s share of the Nebraska gate than they would playing the Huskers, at home, in South Bend
1916
Nebraska takes it’s 1st ever road trip outside of the Midwest
The Huskers travel to Portland for a game against Oregon St
A 3 day journey by train – 3 days there and 3 days back
No small undertaking in those days
And so many hundreds/thousands of Husker fans clamor to accompany the team that the university is forced to contract special coach cars to accommodate them all
Such things were unheard of
Truly, Nebraska football enjoyed {and continues to enjoy} the greatest fan support in the country!
It’s equally true, though, that fans do not make tackles, throw blocks, or score touchdowns
How, then, can I maintain that the fans were primarily responsible for Nebraska’s on field success?
Simple…
Most of the players who were making tackles, throwing blocks, and scoring touchdowns WERE the fans!
The vast, overwhelming majority of Nebraska football players throughout the pre-modern era were natives
They were kids who grew up in the state, dreaming of one day playing for the Cornhuskers
Given the intensity of the fan support, both then and now – it is my theory that the kids who grew up to find themselves wearing the scarlet and the cream simply cared more than their counterparts at other schools
I believe it meant more to the Nebraska kid to be a Cornhusker than it did to a Kansas kid to be a Jayhawk or Wildcat
I believe the Nebraska kid took more pride in being a Cornhusker than the Iowa kid did in being a Hawkeye or a Cyclone
And more pride means a willingness to work harder and make greater sacrifices in order to succeed
At any rate, this is my theory
How, then, do you think it relates, if at all, to now?
{7th best over the 72 yrs stretching from the inaugural college football season of 1869 to 1940}
What accounts for Nebraska’s remarkable success in the early days of the game?
Certainly, we had some great players…
From Tackle, Vic Halligan, the 1st ever All American west of the Mississippi River to Fullback, Sam Francis, 1st runner up in the 2nd ever Heisman race – we benefited from such great players as Guy Chamberlin, Clarence Swanson, Ed Weir, George Sauer, and Lloyd Cardwell having come through Lincoln
Likewise, we had some very good coaches in those days
From the celebrated Fielding Yost, who spent one season at Nebraska, to Lawrence “Biff” Jones, who memorably led the Huskers to Pasadena – we enjoyed the services of such top notch coaches as Bummy Booth, Jumbo Stiehm, E.E. Bearg, Fred Dawson, and D.X. Bible
All this said, it is my personal belief that Nebraska’s early success was primarily attributable to the fan support that existed across the state, itself
Practically from the very beginning, Nebraska football enjoyed unparalleled fan support!
To wit:
1915
Nebraska plays Notre Dame for the 1st time
An 11 year series is kicked off
{a series split right down the middle – 5 wins, 5 losses, 1 tie}
Of the 11 contests, 9 are played In Lincoln and this is at the behest of none other than Notre Dame and it’s legendary head coach, Knute Rockne
The Irish preferred playing in Lincoln as they would earn more money from their visitor’s share of the Nebraska gate than they would playing the Huskers, at home, in South Bend
1916
Nebraska takes it’s 1st ever road trip outside of the Midwest
The Huskers travel to Portland for a game against Oregon St
A 3 day journey by train – 3 days there and 3 days back
No small undertaking in those days
And so many hundreds/thousands of Husker fans clamor to accompany the team that the university is forced to contract special coach cars to accommodate them all
Such things were unheard of
Truly, Nebraska football enjoyed {and continues to enjoy} the greatest fan support in the country!
It’s equally true, though, that fans do not make tackles, throw blocks, or score touchdowns
How, then, can I maintain that the fans were primarily responsible for Nebraska’s on field success?
Simple…
Most of the players who were making tackles, throwing blocks, and scoring touchdowns WERE the fans!
The vast, overwhelming majority of Nebraska football players throughout the pre-modern era were natives
They were kids who grew up in the state, dreaming of one day playing for the Cornhuskers
Given the intensity of the fan support, both then and now – it is my theory that the kids who grew up to find themselves wearing the scarlet and the cream simply cared more than their counterparts at other schools
I believe it meant more to the Nebraska kid to be a Cornhusker than it did to a Kansas kid to be a Jayhawk or Wildcat
I believe the Nebraska kid took more pride in being a Cornhusker than the Iowa kid did in being a Hawkeye or a Cyclone
And more pride means a willingness to work harder and make greater sacrifices in order to succeed
At any rate, this is my theory
How, then, do you think it relates, if at all, to now?
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