14 Spirit Fall 2020 Edition
LOVE THE BIG RED continued from page 13
small-town players who took advantage of their shot to others who turned football into a career after college. Nearly every town in the state has at least one boy who stood out in high school and decided to head east and try his luck with the Big Red. And NU, especially in its glory days, turned some of those boys into professionals. Of the hundreds and hundreds of walk-ons to come to Lincoln, 36 have made it to the NFL. A whopping 28 of those stayed in the league for multiple seasons, and five hung around for 10 or more years. But even those who didn't reach the highest of highs played a huge role in lifting their program to new heights. Former NU players and coaches have for years credited Nebraska's crop of walk-ons for toiling in anonymity and pushing their higher-profile teammates with their intensity on the practice field and love for the program. Still, some of Nebraska's best went the walk-on route. Derrie Nelson, Jarvis Redwine, Jimmy Williams, Jared Tomich, Kyle Larson and Alex Henery were all first-team All-Americans. John Parella was a second-team All-American, as were I.M. Hipp and Clete Pillen. Under Scott Frost, Nebraska has seen its walk-on program revived. There will likely be future stars who come to Lincoln with little more than a dream. And Nebraska's fans will be ready to embrace them.
Sometimes, they'll even have the majority of the fans in the stands. That was the case last September, when the Big Red caravan rode into Boulder, Colorado, and took over Folsom Field for an afternoon. The crowd was perhaps 60-40 in favor of Nebraska fans, who had plenty to cheer about until Colorado dominated the game's final 20 minutes. Nebraska didn't have the majority in a 2000 game at Notre Dame; it just felt that way. In the all-time Husker takeover, about 25,000 NU fans were inside venerable Notre Dame Stadium for the Huskers' 27-24 overtime win. Another 5,000 or so traveled to South Bend just to be there. After the university was allotted 4,000 tickets for the game, 28,000 requests hit Nebraska's ticket office. Nebraska fans will buy opposing season tickets just for one game. They'll call the opposing school's faculty members in search of ducats. They also fill local bars and restaurants, which is just fine with local business owners. The walk-on program There is perhaps no more perfect encapsulation of Nebraska fans' love for their team than the Huskers' vaunted walk- on program. It has produced some of the most loved players in the program's history, from
Nearly everything involving any aspect of Nebraska athletics starts at One Memorial Stadium Drive. It is the location of most of the biggest events in the department, whether those events happen on the field or within the stadium's walls. Scott Frost's introductory news conference was there. So was Fred Hoiberg's. (So was Bob Diaco's, but we won't talk about that one.) Nebraska's high school teams hope to end their seasons there, playing for state championships. Every person who lives in the state almost certainly has been inside the complex or knows someone who has. Traveling to road games If there's one thing Nebraska fans love just as much as traveling to Lincoln to watch the Huskers, it's traveling to other places to watch the Huskers. Nebraska's fans have taken over stadiums for decades. Part of that is NU's nationwide fan base. Part of it is a home-state-based contingent unafraid to spend the time and the money to see the Huskers play away from home. Some college teams travel. Nebraska fans Travel, with a capital T. Good, bad or otherwise, no matter where NU plays, the Huskers know they will have a vocal contingent behind them.
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker