12 Spirit Fall 2020 Edition
LOVE THE BIG RED continued from page 11
point loss at Texas), and that's a pretty good run to end the decade. We'll also include NU's 52-7 stomping of Colorado on Halloween in 1992 in this; perhaps no Memorial Stadium crowd has wanted blood more than the 76,287 in the stands that day. It was a momentous run of seasons for Nebraska — a defining stretch for a program that was already among the game's elite. Five national titles Few can match Nebraska's success when the stakes are highest over the past 50 years (even if the past 20 or so have been, uh, void of great success). Since winning its first in 1970, Nebraska is one of only three schools to win five national titles. All five came in a 26-year span, between 1970 and 1995.
Nebraska has two of the best to ever do it. Over 36 consecutive seasons, Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne combined to win 356 times in 430 games, a nearly 83% clip. Devaney won two national titles, Osborne three. Devaney won eight conference titles, Osborne 13. When each man retired, he was the winningest active coach in the sport. Devaney went into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1981. Osborne followed in 1999. Both served as Nebraska's athletic director, to varying degrees of success. On the field, though, there was no arguing the results. In the 130-year history of Nebraska football, only two coaches rank ahead of Devaney and Osborne in winning percentage: E.O. Stiem went 35-2-3 (.913) from 1911-15 and W.C. Booth went 46-8-1 (.845) from 1900-05. On a national level, of men who coached at least 10 years of college football, Osborne ranks fifth all-time in winning percentage and Devaney ranks 15th. After running the offense for Devaney as a full-time assistant from 1967-72, Osborne took over and won 255 games, reaching 200 wins and 250 wins faster than any coach in college football history. Of the top 25 coaches in career wins, Osborne's winning percentage is the highest and the only one over .800. He is the only coach in the top 20 in winning percentage with more than 250 wins. And it all started with the hire of a relative unknown (Devaney) out of Wyoming. Sustained success Remember the shock? The absolute disbelief? Of course you do. And that was near the end of an 11-2 season, when out of nowhere, Colorado shellacked Nebraska 62-36 to start NU's slow descent into college football purgatory. That didn't happen to Nebraska, at least not like that. The Huskers were always good. Always competitive. Almost always the favorite no matter who they lined up across from.
Whether you prefer stripes on the pants or not, or stripes on the shoulders or not, it's not hard to figure out which team is the one you're rooting for when you're scanning the channels looking for the Huskers. In recent years, alternate uniforms have made their way into the fold. The 2009 team wore throwback jerseys to commemorate the 300th consecutive sellout of Memorial Stadium, and in 2012 the Huskers began wearing an alternate jersey for one game every season. There have been some good (last year's homage to the Blackshirts) and some not so good (the 2012 all reds with the giant black "N"), but they've always stirred debate for fans of a look that is among the most recognizable in the sport. Dominant run in 1990s You want unique? How about going 60-3 over a five-year span — that unique enough for you? Nebraska's stretch from 1993 through 1997 is considered among the gold standards when it comes to college football dominance. The 1995 team is on the short list of greatest teams the sport has ever seen. Nebraska was never rated lower than ninth in the Associated Press poll during those five seasons, and that ranking came in the first two weeks of the 1993 season. The Huskers were in the top five for 32 consecutive polls at one point in the run, and 50 of a possible 63 polls overall. NU was No. 1 or No. 2 33 times in those 63 polls. Even the "bad" year, 1996, saw NU go 11-2, win nine straight games and roll No. 10 Virginia Tech 41-21 in the Orange Bowl on the way to a No. 6 final ranking. And the other non-championship year was a 12-1 campaign that ended in heartbreak against Florida State. Throw in 1998, when NU went 9-4 in Frank Solich's first season (remember when four losses in a year was a disaster?), and 1999 (12-1 with a Big 12 title and a four-
Alabama has nine in that time, while Miami joins NU with five.
Three of the games have been blowouts: 42- 17 over Tennessee for the 1997 title; 62-24 over Florida for the 1995 championship; and 38-6 over Alabama for the 1971 crown. And of course the 1971 and 1995 title teams are considered two of the best to ever play the game. The other two wins, 24-17 over Miami for the 1994 championship and 17-12 over LSU for the 1970 title, produced iconic moments up there with the most memorable Husker highlights. There was Cory Schlesinger tumbling into the end zone for the winning touchdown with 2:46 left against Miami; and Jerry Tagge stretching the ball over the goal line in the fourth quarter against LSU. Forgotten somewhat in both of those wins? Nebraska's defense then held firm to deliver the championships. NU has also played in a bowl game for a national championship on four other occasions. Two iconic head coaches Most schools would take one really good coach in their program's football history.
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