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Nebraska Cornhuskers

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Nebraska Cornhuskers
Logo
UniversityUniversity of Nebraska–Lincoln
ConferenceBig Ten (primary)
Patriot Rifle (rifle)
NCAADivision I (FBS)
Athletic directorTroy Dannen
LocationLincoln, Nebraska
Varsity teams24 (10 men's, 14 women's)
Football stadiumMemorial Stadium
Basketball arenaPinnacle Bank Arena
Baseball stadiumHawks Field
Softball stadiumBowlin Stadium
Soccer stadiumHibner Stadium
Aquatics centerDevaney Center Natatorium
Golf courseWilderness Ridge Golf Club
Tennis venueDillon Tennis Center
Volleyball arenaJohn Cook Arena
Wrestling arenaDevaney Center
MascotHerbie Husker
Lil' Red
NicknameCornhuskers
Big Red
Fight songHail Varsity
Dear Old Nebraska U
ColorsScarlet and cream[1]
   
Websitehuskers.com
Big Ten logo in Nebraska's school colors

The Nebraska Cornhuskers (often abbreviated to Huskers) are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. The university is a member of the Big Ten Conference and competes in NCAA Division I, fielding twenty-four varsity teams (ten men's, fourteen women's) in sixteen sports. Twenty-one of these teams participate in the Big Ten, while rifle is a member of the single-sport Patriot Rifle Conference and beach volleyball and bowling compete as independents. The Cornhuskers are commonly referred to as the "Big Red" and have two official mascots, Herbie Husker and Lil' Red.

Nebraska was a founding member of the short-lived Western Interstate University Football Association, one of college football's first conferences, in 1892, and helped form the Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association fifteen years later. The MVIAA, which became the Big Eight in 1964, served as Nebraska's primary conference for the next eighty-nine years, with a brief hiatus during World War I. In 1996, the Big Eight merged with four Texas schools from the Southwest Conference to form the Big 12. Nebraska joined the Big Ten in 2011, a lucrative transition that separated the school from most of its traditional rivals.

Nebraska's varsity athletic programs have won thirty-two national championships (eleven in bowling, eight in men's gymnastics, five each in football and volleyball, and three in women's track and field) and 359 combined conference regular-season and tournament championships.

Nickname

[edit]

The University of Nebraska did not have a nickname or mascot during its early decades, though many were used unofficially. NU's first football team wore gold and black and became known as the "Old Gold Knights," but it is unclear if the term was used contemporarily.[2] In 1892, the The Hesperian Student (later The Daily Nebraskan) urged the adoption of new colors due to the number of universities – specifically WIUFA rivals Iowa and Missouri – already using gold or yellow, and selected scarlet and cream as they were considered "bright and attractive."[2] Throughout the 1890s the team may have gone by "Antelopes" and "Rattlesnake Boys," but the most well-known of Nebraska's early nicknames is "Bugeaters," a reference to the state's meager food supply during an 1870s drought when farmers purportedly resorted to eating bugs.[3] Many Nebraskans appreciated the rugged characterization despite its negative connotations.[3][4]

The first documented use of "Cornhuskers" appeared in the March 17, 1894 issue of The Sporting News, in reference to a Western League baseball team from Sioux City that later became the Chicago White Sox.[2][5] Six months later, the term appeared in The Hesperian Student ("We have met the corn huskers and they are ours!"); it was used as a derisive reference to Iowa and not as an athletic nickname.[4][6] Nebraska State Journal (later the Lincoln Journal Star) sportswriter and state native Cy Sherman hated the Bugeaters moniker and began using "Cornhuskers," which wasn't applied to Nebraska until Sherman did so in 1899.[4] It caught on quickly and was adopted by the university in 1900, and later by the state of Nebraska itself, which became "The Cornhusker State" in 1946.[7] Sherman is known as "the father of the Cornhuskers" and later founded college football's AP poll.[3]

Varsity sports

[edit]
Men's sports Women's sports
Baseball Basketball
Basketball Beach volleyball
Cross country Bowling
Football Cross country
Golf Golf
Gymnastics Gymnastics
Tennis Soccer
Track and field[a] Softball
Wrestling Swimming and diving
Tennis
Track and field[a]
Volleyball
Co-ed sports
Rifle[b]

Baseball

[edit]
Main article: Nebraska Cornhuskers baseball

Nebraska established a baseball program in 1889, making it the school's oldest active varsity sport. The team was disjointed in its first decades, often disbanding for years at a time. The hiring of Tony Sharpe in 1947 brought stability but limited success – Sharpe and his successor John Sanders combined to lead fifty-one seasons, making just three postseason appearances. Dave Van Horn was hired in 1998 and established a national power, culminating in Nebraska's first College World Series appearances in 2001 and 2002, a landmark moment for a state that has hosted the event since 1950.[8] Assistant Mike Anderson took over for Van Horn and led NU to its best-ever season, finishing 57–15 and reaching another College World Series in 2005. Anderson did not sustain this success and was fired in 2011, the same year Nebraska transitioned to the Big Ten. As many expected, the Big Ten move hurt Nebraska's program, which has experienced little national success since joining the conference.[9]

Nebraska has been to eighteen NCAA Division I tournaments and three College World Series. Sixteen players have been named first-team All-Americans and Alex Gordon won the 2005 Golden Spikes Award as the country's best amateur player.[10] Nebraska plays its home games at Hawks Field at Haymarket Park, built in 2001 to replace the aging Buck Beltzer Stadium.

  • Conference championships (8): 1929, 1948, 1950, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2017, 2021
  • Conference tournament championships (5): 1999, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2024
  • College World Series appearances (3): 2001, 2002, 2005

Basketball

[edit]
Men
Main article: Nebraska Cornhuskers men's basketball

Prior to the creation of the NCAA tournament, Nebraska was a Midwest power under head coaches Raymond G. Clapp and Ewald O. Stiehm.[11] NU struggled through the post-World War II years, which included a stretch of twenty-eight years with just two winning seasons that stretched into the 1960s. Much of the team's modest modern-day success came during the fourteen-year tenure of Danny Nee, Nebraska's winningest head coach. Nee led the Cornhuskers to five of their eight NCAA Division I tournament appearances and won the 1996 National Invitation Tournament, NU's first national postseason title. Nebraska has reached the NCAA tournament just twice since Nee was fired in 2000. In 2019, NU hired former Chicago Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg, who led the Cornhuskers to the inaugural College Basketball Crown championship in 2025.

Nebraska's men's and women's basketball teams have played at West Haymarket Arena (known as Pinnacle Bank Arena for sponsorship purposes) since its construction in 2013.

  • Conference championships (6): 1912, 1913, 1914, 1916, 1949, 1950
  • Conference tournament championships (1): 1994
Women
Main article: Nebraska Cornhuskers women's basketball
Connie Yori is Nebraska's all-time winningest women's basketball coach

Nebraska's women's basketball history began with a short-lived club team in the early 1900; the program was shuttered until the 1972 enactment of Title IX.[12] Angela Beck took Nebraska to its first NCAA Division I tournament and won the 1988 Big Eight championship. Under Beck, Karen Jennings won the Wade Trophy as the country's best player in 1992–93.

Connie Yori, hired from Creighton in 2002, steadily built a national contender, culminating in a 2009–10 season that was the best in school history – NU started 30–0 and became the first Big 12 team to complete an undefeated regular season.[13] Kelsey Griffin was a national player of the year finalist and Yori was named national coach of the year. Forward Jordan Hooper led Nebraska into the Big Ten and earned first-team All-America honors in 2013–14, the same season NU won its first conference tournament.[14] Yori was forced to resign after an administrative investigation in 2016, and Nebraska turned to former player Amy Williams to lead the program.[15]

  • Conference championships (2): 1988, 2010
  • Conference tournament championships (1): 2014

Bowling

[edit]
Main article: Nebraska Cornhuskers bowling

Nebraska's bowling program was founded as a club team in 1983 and became a varsity sport in 1997. It is the most successful collegiate program in bowling history, winning eleven national championships and qualifying for every NCAA championship. Most of this success came under Bill Straub, who coached for thirty-six years and granted the first full scholarships in bowling history.[16] The team has been coached by longtime assistant Paul Klempa since Straub's retirement in 2019.

Bowling competes as an independent, making it one of three programs at Nebraska not affiliated with the Big Ten.

  • WIBC (5) / NCAA (6) championships: 1991, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2009, 2013, 2015, 2021

Cross country

[edit]

Nebraska's men's cross country team was established in 1938, winning its only conference championship two years later. The women's program was established in 1975. Megan Elliott has coached both teams since 2024.

  • Men's conference championships (1): 1940
  • Women's conference championships (5): 1985, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993

Football

[edit]
Main article: Nebraska Cornhuskers football
Quarterback Tommie Frazier was named most valuable player of three national championship games

Nebraska is among the most storied programs in college football history, winning forty-six conference championships and five national championships, along with seven unclaimed national titles. Its 1971 and 1995 teams are considered among the best ever. Heisman Trophy winners Johnny Rodgers, Mike Rozier, and Eric Crouch join twenty-four other Cornhuskers in the College Football Hall of Fame.

The program's first extended period of success came early in the twentieth century. Between 1900 and 1916, Nebraska had five undefeated seasons and a stretch of thirty-four games without a loss.[11] The Cornhuskers won twenty-four conference championships prior to World War II but struggled through the postwar years until Bob Devaney was hired in 1962. Devaney built Nebraska into a national power, winning two national championships and eight conference titles in eleven seasons as head coach. Offensive coordinator Tom Osborne was named Devaney's successor in 1973 and over the next twenty-five years established himself as one of the best coaches in college football history with his trademark I formation offense and revolutionary strength, conditioning, and nutrition programs.[17] Following Osborne's retirement in 1997, Nebraska cycled through five head coaches before hiring Matt Rhule in 2023.

Nebraska has played its home games at Memorial Stadium since 1923 and sold out every game at the venue since 1962.

  • Conference championships (46): 1894, 1895, 1897, 1907, 1910, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1928, 1929, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1940, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972,[c] 1975, 1978, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1999
  • National championships (claimed in bold) (12): 1915, 1970, 1971, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997

Golf

[edit]
Main articles: Nebraska Cornhuskers men's golf and Nebraska Cornhuskers women's golf

Nebraska's men's golf program was established in 1935 and has reached the NCAA Division I championship four times, most recently in 1999. Steve Friesen won the 1999 Ben Hogan Award as the country's best golfer under the guidance of longtime head coach Larry Romjue. The team has been coached by Judd Cornell since 2023.[19] Both

A women's program was started 1975, initially led by Romjue. The Cornhuskers have played in fourteen NCAA regionals, advancing to the NCAA Division I championship three times. Kate Smith represented the program in the 2021 Arnold Palmer Cup. The university does not own or operate a golf course, and both teams use courses around Lincoln to practice and host tournaments.[20]

  • Men's conference championships (2): 1936, 1937
  • Women's conference championships (2): 1976, 1983

Gymnastics

[edit]
Men
Main article: Nebraska Cornhuskers men's gymnastics

Since being established in 1939, Nebraska's men's gymnastics program has won eight national championships and forty-two NCAA event titles. The bulk of this success came under head coach Francis Allen, a former All-American who led the program for forty seasons. Twelve Cornhuskers have participated in the Olympic Games and combined to win four gold medals. The team has been coached by Chuck Chmelka since 2010.

NU is one of just twelve Division I universities that sponsors a men's gymnastics program.[21]

  • All-around national champions (9): Jim Hartung (1980, 1981), Wes Suter (1985), Tom Schlesinger (1987), Kevin Davis (1988), Patrick Kirksey (1989), Dennis Harrison (1994), Richard Grace (1995), Jason Hardabura (1999)
  • Conference championships (15): 1964, 1976, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1997, 1999
  • NCAA championships (8): 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1988, 1990, 1994
Women
Main article: Nebraska Cornhuskers women's gymnastics

Nebraska's women's gymnastics program has won twenty-five conference championships and qualified for the NCAA tournament twenty-nine times. Most of the program's success came under head coach Dan Kendig, who led NU for twenty-five years and made twelve Super Six appearances. Michelle Bryant, Heather Brink, and Richelle Simpson combined to win five individual NCAA championships and are among NU's eighty-three All-Americans. The team has been coached by Heather Brink since Kendig's retirement in 2019.

  • All-around national champions (2): Heather Brink (2000), Richelle Simpson (2003)
  • Conference championships[d] (2): 2014, 2017
  • Conference tournament championships (23): 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2011, 2012, 2013

Rifle

[edit]
Main article: Nebraska Cornhuskers rifle

Rifle competes in the Patriot Rifle Conference, making it the only program at Nebraska in a conference other than the Big Ten. NU has reached twenty NCAA championships and produced four individual national champions. The team has been coached by Richard Clark since 2024.

The team trains at an indoor firing range in the John J. Pershing Military and Naval Science Building. Although the NCAA classifies rifle as coeducational, Nebraska has fielded an all-female team since its establishment in 1998 and is one of twenty-nine NCAA rifle programs.

  • National champions: Nicole Allaire (2000 – SB), Kristina Fehlings – (2006 – AR), Rachel Martin – (2015 – SB), Cecelia Ossi – (2023 – SB)
  • Conference championships (1): 2006
  • Conference tournament championships (2): 2005, 2006

Soccer

[edit]
Main article: Nebraska Cornhuskers women's soccer

Nebraska has been coached by John Walker since it became the first Big Eight school to sponsor women's soccer in 1994. Nebraska finished 23–1–0 and reached the national quarterfinal in 1996, the beginning of a five-year stretch in which NU achieved most of its national success. The program has reached in thirteen NCAA Division I tournaments and won a combined eleven conference championships across the Big 12 and Big Ten. Eleven former Cornhuskers have competed in the FIFA Women's World Cup, most of them for Walker's native Canada.[22]

Nebraska has played its home games at Barbara Hibner Soccer Stadium since 2015.

  • Conference championships (5): 1996, 1999, 2000, 2013, 2023
  • Conference tournament championships (7): 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2013

Softball

[edit]
Main article: Nebraska Cornhuskers softball

Nebraska's softball program was sanctioned as a varsity sport in 1977 and reached the inaugural Women's College World Series five years later. Though the team was often surrounded by controversy, NU was highly successful through the 1980s, advancing to the WCWS four more times and finishing national runner-up in 1985 under head coach Wayne Daigle.[23][24]

Rhonda Revelle was hired in 1993 and turned Nebraska into a postseason regular and fixture in the national top twenty-five. In 1998, Nebraska completed the first undefeated season in Big 12 history and returned to the Women's College World Series – Revelle became the third person to reach the WCWS as a player and a head coach, and the first to do it at the same school.[25] NU reached a third WCWS under Revelle in 2013, the same year she won her 768th game to pass former baseball coach John Sanders for the most victories by any coach at the university.

Nebraska has played at Bowlin Stadium, part of the Haymarket Park complex, since 2002.

  • Conference championships (10): 1982, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2014
  • Conference tournament championships (9): 1982, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1998, 2000, 2004
  • Women's College World Series appearances (8): 1982, 1984, 1985,[e] 1987, 1988, 1998, 2002, 2013

Swimming and diving

[edit]
Main article: Nebraska Cornhuskers swimming and diving

Nebraska sponsored a men's aquatics program from 1921 until 2001. The program was discontinued by athletic director Bill Byrne due to budgetary concerns, though it may have been hastened by a scholarship manipulation investigation that resulted in the suspension and eventual resignation of longtime head coach Cal Bentz.[27][28] Under Bentz, future Olympic gold medalists Penelope Heyns and Adam Pine won NU's first NCAA Division I individual championships. Since 2001, the university has sponsored only a women's team. The team has been coached by Pablo Morales since 2001.

Nebraska has hosted meets at the Devaney Center Natatorium since its construction in 1976.

  • Men's conference championships: 1928, 1929, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994
  • Women's conference championships: 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998

Tennis

[edit]
Main articles: Nebraska Cornhuskers men's tennis and Nebraska Cornhuskers women's tennis

Nebraska's men's tennis program was established in 1928 and has reached the NCAA Division I championships just twice, most recently in 2011. In 1989, Steven Jung was the NCAA Singles runner-up and was named NU's first All-American. The team has been coached by Peter Kobelt since 2023.[29]

A women's program was established in 1976 and has made the NCAA Division I championship six times, most recently in 2013. German Dalmagro was named the program's tenth head coach in 2023 following the retirement of Scott Jacobson.[30]

Both programs have hosted matches at the Sid and Hazel Dillon Tennis Center since 2015.

  • Women's conference championships (4): 1977, 1978, 2013, 2020

Track and field

[edit]
Main article: Nebraska Cornhuskers track and field

Track and field became Nebraska's second varsity sport in 1889, competing infrequently until the MVIAA began sponsoring an outdoor championship in 1908. The team has won thirty-eight indoor and thirty-one outdoor conference championships, producing thirty-six individual national champion. A women's team was created in 1976 and has won twenty-four indoor and eighteen outdoor conference championships with thirty-seven national champions. Nebraska's only three team national titles came in the early 1980s in women's indoor competition, led by Jamaican sprinter and nine-time Olympic medalist Merlene Ottey.[31] Gary Pepin retired in 2022 after four decades as Nebraska's head coach and assistant Justin St. Clair was named his replacement.

The programs host indoor meets at the Bob Devaney Sports Center and outdoor meets at an incomplete facility on Nebraska Innovation Campus.

  • Men's indoor conference championships (38): 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1949, 1951, 1963, 1972, 1973, 1978, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2015, 2016, 2019
  • Men's outdoor conference championships (29): 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1926, 1929, 1932, 1933, 1936, 1937, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1950, 1966, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2016
  • Women's indoor conference championships (24): 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2011, 2012
  • Women's indoor AIAW (1) / NCAA Division I (2) championships: 1982, 1983, 1984
  • Women's outdoor conference championships (18): 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 2000, 2005

Volleyball

[edit]
Main article: Nebraska Cornhuskers women's volleyball
A KC-135 Stratotanker and three F-16 Fighting Falcons of the Nebraska Army National Guard conduct a flyover of Memorial Stadium during Volleyball Day in Nebraska on Aug. 30, 2023

Nebraska's volleyball program was established in 1975 and has become one of the most decorated in the sport – Nebraska has won more games, spent more weeks ranked number one, and produced more AVCA All-Americans than any other program. Head coach Terry Pettit, hired in 1977, turned the Cornhuskers into a national power at a time when the sport was traditionally dominated by West Coast schools.[32] He produced NU's first national championship in 1995 before handing the program over to assistant John Cook five years later. Cook led the NCAA's second-ever undefeated season in his debut as head coach and soon established himself as one of the best coaches in the sport's history, winning four national championships and producing some of volleyball's biggest stars, including Sarah Pavan, Jordan Larson, and Lexi Rodriguez. Cook retired in 2025, assisting in the selection of Dani Busboom Kelly as his successor.

Nebraska regularly leads the NCAA in attendance and has competed in several of the highest-attended and most-watched volleyball games ever played.[33] The university hosted Volleyball Day in Nebraska at Memorial Stadium on August 30, 2023; the recorded attendance of 92,003 was a record for any women's sporting event.[f][35] Nebraska played nearly four decades at the NU Coliseum until moving to the larger Bob Devaney Sports Center in 2012, and has sold out every home game since 2001 across both venues.

  • Conference championships (36): 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2016, 2017, 2023, 2024
  • Conference tournament championships[g] (18): 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1994, 1995
  • NCAA Division I national semifinal (18): 1986, 1989, 1990, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2023, 2024
  • NCAA Division I championships (5): 1995, 2000, 2006, 2015, 2017
Beach volleyball
Main article: Nebraska Cornhuskers beach volleyball

Nebraska's beach volleyball program was established in 2013 as a training and recruiting tool for its indoor team, and the rosters typically include the same players. Indoor head coach John Cook led the beach team until turning the program over to assistant Jaylen Reyes in 2023.[36] Nebraska remains one of few beach volleyball programs throughout the Midwest and generally plays the bulk of its season during a spring trip to California and Hawaii, and does not attempt to qualify for the sixteen-team NCAA championship.[37]

Wrestling

[edit]
Main article: Nebraska Cornhuskers wrestling
Jordan Burroughs is the most decorated American wrestler of all-time

Since its inception in 1911, Nebraska's wrestling program has won seven conference tournament titles and produced eleven individual NCAA champions with 136 All-America selections. Rulon Gardner and Jordan Burroughs became Olympic gold medalists after their collegiate careers; Burroughs is the most decorated American wrestler of all-time and is considered one of the greatest freestyle wrestlers ever.[38][39] The team has been coached by Mark Manning since 2000.

Nebraska primarily hosted meets at the NU Coliseum from 1926 until moving to the larger Bob Devaney Sports Center in 2013.

  • Individual national champions (13): Mike Nissen (1963 – 123 lb), Jim Scherr (1984 – 177 lb), Bill Scherr (1984 – 190 lb), Jason Kelber (1991 – 126 lb), Tony Purler (1993 – 126 lb), Tolly Thompson (1995 – HWT), Brad Vering (2000 – 197 lb), Jason Powell (2004 – 125 lb), Paul Donahoe (2007 – 125 lb), Jordan Burroughs (2009 – 157 lb, 2011 – 165 lb), Ridge Lovett (2025 – 149 lb), Antrell Taylor (2025 – 157 lb)
  • Conference championships (7): 1911, 1915, 1924, 1949, 1993, 1995, 2009

Club sports

[edit]

The University of Nebraska–Lincoln sponsors forty-one club programs: angling, badminton, barbell, baseball, women's basketball, bowling, broomball, climbing, cricket, curling, cycling, dodgeball, figure skating, figure 8 racing, men's ice hockey, women's ice hockey, golf, judo, men's lacrosse, women's lacrosse, sports officiating, pickleball, roundnet, rowing, men's rugby, running, sailing, shotgun, skateboarding, men's soccer, women's soccer, softball, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, men's ultimate frisbee, women's ultimate frisbee, men's volleyball, women's volleyball, and water skiing.[40]

Athletic directors

[edit]
Main article: List of Nebraska Cornhuskers athletic directors

In its earliest days, the Nebraska Department of Athletics had no central figure; the department's first leaders typically were part-time officials who held others titles and responsibilities. The first "Athletics Manager" was multi-sport coach Raymond G. Clapp, who filled the role from 1902 to 1905.[41] It became a full-time position in 1920 and was first held by Fred Luehring.[42]

Beginning with Luehring, Nebraska recognizes seventeen official athletic directors, though at least fourteen others have held the role in an interim or de facto capacity. NU's longest-serving athletic director was Bob Devaney, who led the department from 1967 to 1992. Including Devaney, five members of the College Football Hall of Fame have held the position.

Home venues

[edit]
Nebraska vs. Fresno State at Hawks Field at Haymarket Park on Mar. 11, 2011
Venue Built Sport(s)
City Campus
Hawks Championship Center 2006 Beach volleyball
Memorial Stadium 1923 Football
Military and Naval Science Building 1947 Rifle
NU Coliseum 1926 None (former home venue)
East Campus
Husker Bowling Center 1977 Bowling
Nebraska Innovation Campus
Bob Devaney Sports Center 1976 Gymnastics
Swimming & diving
Indoor track & field
Volleyball
Wrestling
Unnamed track & field stadium N/A[h] Outdoor track & field
Cross country
Off campus
Barbara Hibner Soccer Stadium 2015 Soccer
Bowlin Stadium 2001 Softball
Hawks Field 2001 Baseball
John Breslow Ice Hockey Center 2015 Ice hockey (club)
Pinnacle Bank Arena 2013 Basketball
Sid and Hazel Dillon Tennis Center 2015 Tennis
Wilderness Ridge Golf Club[i] 2001 Golf

Nebraska Athletic Hall of Fame

[edit]

The University of Nebraska Athletic Hall of Fame was established in 2015, located just northeast of Memorial Stadium. Twenty-two former student-athletes, one representing each varsity program, were honored in the inaugural class.[44] Football is the most-represented sport with sixteen student-athletes and coaches inducted.

Class of 2015
Class of 2016
Class of 2017
Class of 2018
Class of 2019
Class of 2020
Class of 2021
Class of 2022
  • Guy Chamberlin – Football
  • Christina Houghtelling – Volleyball
  • Patrick Kirksey – Gymnastics
  • Shane Komine – Baseball
  • Louise Pound – Administrator
  • Bill Straub – Bowling
  • Angela Thacker – Track & field
  • Ali Viola – Softball
Class of 2023
Class of 2024

Olympians

[edit]
Main article: List of University of Nebraska–Lincoln Olympians
Swimmer Penelope Heyns is the only Nebraska athlete to win multiple Olympic gold medals

A total of 124 Nebraska athletes have combined to make 181 appearances in the Olympic Games. Nebraska athletes and coaches have won sixty-three medals, including nineteen gold medals, while representing thirty-one countries. Merlene Ottey is Nebraska's most decorated Olympian in terms of medals won, winning three silver and seven six bronze across seven Olympic Games, a record for track and field competitors.[45] South African swimmer Penelope Heyns – the only Cornhusker with multiple gold medals – is the only woman to ever win the 100- and 200-meter breaststroke events at the same Olympiad.[45]

Nebraska's Olympic gold medalists
Athlete
South Africa Penelope Heyns 2 0 1
Jamaica Don Quarrie 1 2 1
United States Jordan Larson 1 2 1
Australia Adam Pine
United States Kelsey Robinson 1 1 1
United States Curtis Tomasevicz 1 1 0
United States Justine Wong-Orantes
United States Rulon Gardner 1 0 1
United States Charlie Greene
United States Francis Allen 1 0 0
United States Jordan Burroughs
United States Trent Dimas
United States Tyronn Lue
United States Jim Hartung
United States Tyler Hildebrand
United States Scott Johnson
United States Jim Mikus
United States Linetta Wilson

Mascots

[edit]
Lil' Red on the sideline at Memorial Stadium

Nebraska cycled through several official mascots before settling on the now-familiar Herbie Husker and Lil' Red. The first of these was Corncob Man, a man in green overalls with an ear of corn for a head. After just a few years, the university sought a more "representative" mascot and debuted Huskie the Husker, a farmer who stood ten feet tall and wore overalls with a straw hat on top of a fiberglass head.[46] Huskie soon gave way to Mr. Big Red (more commonly known as Harry Husker); Harry was equally tall but dressed in a blazer and red wide-brim hat. Harry's head was so large it couldn't fit on the team's traveling bus and was so heavy the student wearing the costume had to be switched every forty-five minutes.[47]

Herbie Husker as he looked from 2003 to 2023

The physical demands of the Harry costume meant the university was soon looking for another mascot, and in 1974 NU acquired the rights to Herbie Husker, based on the design of Lubbock, Texas artist Dirk West. Nebraska hired Disney cartoonist Bob Johnson to refine West's design into a costume and Herbie made his first appearance at a Nebraska football game at the 1974 Cotton Bowl Classic, a 19–3 Cornhuskers victory over Texas.[48] Mr. Big Red wasn't officially retired until 1988, but was infrequently seen while coexisting with Herbie.[49]

Historically, Herbie had blond hair and dressed in denim overalls (with an ear of corn in the pocket), a white undershirt, and a red cowboy hat. Prior to the 2003 season, Herbie's appearance was altered to include a red workshirt, blue jeans, and workboots in an effort to update the overall appearance of the state's agricultural workers and general public; however, the new design was not well-received and many of the modifications were reverted in 2023.[50][51]

Since 1994, Herbie has often been joined on the sideline by the inflatable Lil' Red. Initially, Lil' Red was created to appeal to younger fans and to primarily represent the school's volleyball team, which occasionally played at the same time as Nebraska's football team. Lil' Red was so popular that then-athletic director Bill Byrne considered discontinuing Herbie entirely, but later decided the mascots would coexist.[49] The mascots are now frequently seen together across all sports.

Herbie was named the 2005 National Mascot of the year at halftime of the 2006 Capital One Bowl. Lil' Red won the NCA National Mascot Competition in 1999 and was inducted into the Mascot Hall of Fame in 2007.[52]

Fan support

[edit]
A fan attends a football game at Memorial Stadium in 1973

Decades of high attendance and well-traveling crowds across all sports have earned Nebraska fans a reputation for being fiercely loyal and dedicated. The school's athletic department proclaimed their fans "the greatest fans in college football" in an inscription above each of the twenty-four gates at Memorial Stadium.[53][54] In 2001, President George W. Bush stated that he "can't go without saying how impressed I am by the Nebraska fan base. Whether it be for women's volleyball or football, there's nothing like the Big Red."[55]

Memorial Stadium is sometimes referred to as The Sea of Red due to the home crowd's propensity to wear the color. Nebraska has sold out every home football game since November 3, 1962; at 389 it is the longest sellout streak in college athletics history.[56] The streak, historically a source of pride for the school and its fans,[57] has been scrutinized in the decades following Tom Osborne's retirement as NU's athletic department has occasionally been forced to sell a large number of tickets at a discounted rate to keep the streak alive.[58] Cornhuskers fans are noted for often applauding the visiting team as they leave the field at the end of the game.[59] Nebraska is considered to have one of the best-traveling fanbases in the country – the most famous example of this occurred in 2000, when an estimated 35,000 Nebraska fans watched No. 1 Nebraska defeat No. 25 Notre Dame at Notre Dame Stadium.[60][61]

Nebraska's volleyball program has sold out 303 consecutive matches between the Nebraska Coliseum and Devaney Center, the longest streak of its kind in women's college sports. The Cornhuskers have led the country in attendance for nine straight seasons,[j] and have played in nine of the ten highest-attended college volleyball matches ever played. Nebraska's five-set loss to Wisconsin in the 2021 national championship match broke college volleyball records for both attendance and viewership.[62]

Academic honors and awards

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Main article: Nebraska Cornhuskers academic honors and awards

Notes

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  1. ^ a b Track and field includes both indoor and outdoor, which are considered separate programs.
  2. ^ Though rifle is classified as coeducational by the NCAA, Nebraska fields an all-female team.
  3. ^ In early 1973, Oklahoma forfeited eight wins from the previous season when it was discovered the Sooners had used players ineligible under NCAA rules, which gave second-place Nebraska the 1972 Big Eight title. Decades later, Oklahoma reversed course and recognized these wins. Both schools claim the championship.[18]
  4. ^ The Big Eight and Big 12 did not award a regular-season women's gymnastics championship.
  5. ^ Nebraska's 1985 Women's College World Series runner-up finish was vacated by the NCAA in 1986.[26]
  6. ^ The match between Nebraska and Omaha set a world record for the highest recorded attendance at a women's sporting event. Some attendance estimates for the 1971 Women's World Cup final between Denmark and Mexico at the Estadio Azteca are as high as 110,000, but no official number was recorded.[34]
  7. ^ The Big 12 and Big Ten do not play conference volleyball tournaments.
  8. ^ In 2019, work began on $16.5-million track and field facility on Nebraska Innovation Campus. Construction was scheduled to be completed in 2022, but was delayed several times and is now planned to open in late 2025.[43]
  9. ^ Wilderness Ridge is the primary home course for Nebraska's golf teams but is not owned or operated by the university.
  10. ^ This does not count the spring 2021 season in which many schools, including Nebraska, did not host fans due to the COVID-19 pandemic

References

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  1. ^ "The Power of Color" (PDF). Nebraska Athletics Brand Guide. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Jon Johnston (May 8, 2023). "How Did Nebraska Get Its Name? - Uncovering the Fascinating History Of Bugeaters To Cornhuskers". Corn Nation. Retrieved April 26, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c Brian Christopherson (June 20, 2009). "Deep Red: The story behind the name 'Cornhuskers'". Lincoln Journal Star. Archived from the original on October 26, 2016. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
  4. ^ a b c Walt Sehnert (September 13, 2010). "Bummy Booth and the first Cornhuskers". McCook Gazette. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
  5. ^ "1894 Sioux City IA (Sioux Citys, Cornhuskers) – Western League". Threads of Our Game. Retrieved April 26, 2025.
  6. ^ Mark Fricke (2005). Nebraska Cornhusker Football. Arcadia Publishing. p. 17. ISBN 9780738534374. Archived from the original on October 26, 2016.
  7. ^ Mark Fricke (May 11, 2008). "Husker Press Box – The Beginning Of The Huskers". Husker News. Archived from the original on May 11, 2008. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
  8. ^ Terry Douglass (June 2, 2001). "Big Finish". Grand Island Independent. Grand Island, Nebraska. Archived from the original on July 6, 2019. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  9. ^ Oliver Vandervoort (May 26, 2023). "Nebraska Cornhuskers: B1G baseball attendance is worse than you thought". Husker Corner. Retrieved April 26, 2025.
  10. ^ "Alex Gordon – 2005 Golden Spikes Award Winner". USA Baseball. Retrieved April 26, 2025.
  11. ^ a b Mike Babcock (February 21, 2012). "How It Was: The first great coach". 247Sports. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  12. ^ Nellie Snyder Yost (1983). "Nebraska's Scholarly Athlete: Louise Pound, 1872-1958" (PDF). History Nebraska. Retrieved March 10, 2025.
  13. ^ Austin Knippelmeir (November 22, 2019). "2009-10 team reunion brings back memories for Nebraska women's basketball". The Daily Nebraskan. Retrieved March 11, 2025.
  14. ^ Amie Just (January 7, 2024). "Why the timing was finally right to honor Nebraska women's star Jordan Hooper". Lincoln Journal Star. Retrieved March 11, 2025.
  15. ^ "Nebraska hires Amy Williams as head coach". ESPN. April 11, 2016. Retrieved March 11, 2025.
  16. ^ Martin Herz (August 28, 2019). "Straub retires after 36 years at Husker bowling helm". The Daily Nebraskan. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
  17. ^ Mike Babcock (September 15, 2011). "How it was: Osborne on the Option". 247Sports. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  18. ^ Gordon S. White Jr. (April 17, 1973). "Oklahoma Agrees to Forfeit Games". The New York Times. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  19. ^ "Judd Cornell". Nebraska Athletics. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
  20. ^ "Golf Courses". Nebraska Athletics. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
  21. ^ "MAG Pathways: NCAA". USA Gymnastics. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
  22. ^ Josh Lill (October 27, 2023). "30 years one coach: Nebraska's John Walker". Nebraska News Service. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
  23. ^ Jack Denker (September 9, 1983). "New women's softball coach revives team's hopes and spirits" (PDF). The Daily Nebraskan. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  24. ^ "University of Nebraska softball team disqualified from NCAA playoffs". Los Angeles Times. May 21, 1986. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  25. ^ "Nebraska WCWS Stats". NCAA. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  26. ^ "Sports People; Nebraska Penalized". The New York Times. October 21, 1986. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  27. ^ Sean Callahan (October 2, 2000). "Three NU swim coaches suspended concerning alleged NCAA violations". The Daily Nebraskan. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
  28. ^ David Diehl (March 26, 2001). "NU drops men's swimming program". The Daily Nebraskan. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
  29. ^ "Peter Kobelt named Husker men's tennis head coach". 1011 News. May 6, 2024. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  30. ^ Liz Uehling (April 10, 2013). "Winningest coach Scott Jacobson continues to shape lives, careers of NU women's tennis players". The Daily Nebraskan. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  31. ^ "Ottey Leads NU to National Title". Omaha World-Herald. March 14, 1982. p. 54. Retrieved March 9, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  32. ^ Andrew Strand. "Pettit credits family, friends and players for successful career". The Daily Nebraskan. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
  33. ^ "Women's college volleyball all-time attendance records". National Collegiate Athletic Association. December 22, 2024. Retrieved April 2, 2025.
  34. ^ Bill Wilson (December 6, 2018). "Mexico 1971: When women's soccer hit the big time". BBC. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
  35. ^ Eric Olson (August 30, 2023). "Nebraska volleyball stadium event draws 92,003 to set women's world attendance record". Associated Press. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  36. ^ Sasha Beale (March 2, 2025). "It's Not To Work On Their Tans: Jaylen Talks About the Value of Husker Beach Season". VB Adrenaline. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
  37. ^ Brent Wagner (February 20, 2025). "Nebraska beach volleyball: Projecting pairings, and why one freshman won't play". Lincoln Journal Star. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
  38. ^ "Jordan Burroughs breaks U.S. wrestling record for Olympic, world titles". NBC Sports. September 16, 2016. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
  39. ^ Bill Evans (October 4, 2021). "N.J. native Jordan Burroughs joins John Smith as most accomplished wrestler in U.S. history". NJ.com. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  40. ^ "Sport Club Organizations". University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
  41. ^ Leon Nyberg (June 20, 1961). "NU History Boasts 15 Athletic Directors". The Daily Nebraskan. Nebraska Newspapers. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  42. ^ "1926 Cornhusker, University of Nebraska Yearbook". Archives and Special Collections, University of Nebraska–Lincoln. p. 437. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  43. ^ Brian Beech (April 5, 2023). "OPINION: Husker track athletes deserve a completed outdoor facility". The Daily Nebraskan. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
  44. ^ "University of Nebraska Athletic Hall of Fame". Nebraska Athletics. Retrieved April 25, 2025.
  45. ^ a b Troy Fedderson (February 19, 2018). "Husker Olympians: By the Numbers". University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  46. ^ "Herbie Husker: the history of a Nebraska icon". MyHusker. December 11, 2021. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
  47. ^ "Lil' Red's forebears: The history of Nebraska's on-field mascots". Lincoln Journal Star. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  48. ^ "Herbie Husker | The Mascot, The Myth, The Husker Legend". All Huskers, All the Time | MyHusker. December 11, 2021. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  49. ^ a b "All Hail Herbie". Nebraska Alumni Association. December 11, 2021. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  50. ^ "Husker mascots, through the years". Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  51. ^ Kaleb Henry (April 17, 2023). "Nebraska Athletics Unveils Updated Herbie Husker". Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  52. ^ "Nebraska Mascots". huskers.com. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
  53. ^ "Past Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (Division I FBS) National Champions (formerly called Division I-A)". ncaa.org. National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 2007. Archived from the original on February 24, 2007. Retrieved March 10, 2007.
  54. ^ "Greatest Fans in College Football". Retrieved October 8, 2017.
  55. ^ "President Bush Welcomes University of Nebraska Volleyball Champions to the White House". georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
  56. ^ "Road Trip". CNN. Archived from the original on September 19, 2003. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
  57. ^ Jon Johnston (September 28, 2022). "Why The Nebraska Sellout Streak Is Important (And Why You Should Keep Going to Games)". Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  58. ^ Dave Feit (October 11, 2022). "Dave Feit: Not Like This". Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  59. ^ "MSNBC — Breaking News, Top Stories, & Show Clips". MSNBC. Archived from the original on October 14, 2001. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
  60. ^ "Cotton Bowl News -Sports News -Dallas Morning News -News for Dallas, Texas". Retrieved October 8, 2017.
  61. ^ "Three and out". CNN. November 30, 2004. Archived from the original on December 7, 2004. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
  62. ^ Lee Feinswog (December 22, 2021). "Record attendance, viewership for Wisconsin-Nebraska NCAA volleyball championship". VolleyballMag. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
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