Any college football fan knows the Nebraska football team of late should not be the only representation of what the Cornhuskers program is all about.
Since 1970, Nebraska ranks second only behind the almighty Alabama Crimson Tide for most National Titles with five. Not to mention that in that time period, the Cornhuskers owned the rest of college football winning more games than any other team and are one of only three schools to win five national titles since 1970. They are also one of seven programs to capture at least three crowns.
Nebraska won back-to-back titles in 1970 and 1971 and then dominated the 90’s winning national championships in 1994, 1995 and 1997. The Cornhuskers routed their opponents in those three title games by a total score of 128-58. During this stretch, Nebraska was led by Tom Osborne who conducted one of the greatest coaching clinics in college football history. During his run, the Cornhuskers went a combined 60-3.
Since Osborne stepped down in 1997, Nebraska football has been a roller coaster ride. When the Cornhuskers stepped away from the Big-12 Conference and first joined the Big Ten in 2011, the season was a moderate success – placing third in the Legends Division and finishing with a 9-4 record. The next season, Nebraska tasted more success going undefeated at home for the first time since 2001 and claimed their Division. Despite the regular season success, the Cornhuskers ended up losing in the Big Ten Championship game to Wisconsin and eventually fell to the Georgia Bulldogs in the Capital One Bowl.
This season has been nothing but heartache for the Cornhuskers. Currently, “Big Red” sits at 3-6 and is seventh in the West Division. The largest margin of defeat this year has been 10 points, which came to the hands of the Purdue Boilermakers on Halloween night. In their other five loses, the Cornhuskers have lost by a combined total of 13 points.
Despite the anguish, Nebraska has one of the most loyal fan bases in all of college football.
Entering the 2015 campaign, Nebraska owns the longest streak in the NCAA for most consecutive sellouts at Memorial Stadium. The streak is at 340 at the moment.
Memorial Stadium is packed every Saturday by “The Sea of Red.” The distinguished title given to Husker nation as waves of red fills the seats inside. Holding 87,000 screaming Husker fans, Memorial Stadium is a perfect venue for any college football fan to attend to.
To give more richness to an already breathtaking stadium, inscribed in the four corners of the stadium are the following words:
[su_quote]“In Commemoration of the men of Nebraska who served and fell in the Nation’s Wars. Not the victory but the action; Not the goal but the game; In the deed the glory. Courage; Generosity; Fairness; Honor; In these are the true awards of manly sport. Their Lives they held their country’s trust; They kept its faith; They died its heroes.”[/su_quote]
Former UNL professor of philosophy Hartley Burr Alexander wrote those words, each sentence inscribed into a separate corner of the stadium.
No matter what the final scores indicates, the Nebraska faithful shows up and provides one of the most beloved atmospheres to play at in all of college football.
