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The Nebraska Cornhuskers football team competes as part of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, representing the
University of Nebraska–Lincoln The University of Nebraska–Lincoln (Nebraska, NU, or UNL) is a public land-grant research university in Lincoln, Nebraska. Chartered in 1869 by the Nebraska Legislature as part of the Morrill Act of 1862, the school was known as the Univers ...
in the West Division of the
Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...
. Nebraska plays its home games at Memorial Stadium, where it has sold out every game since 1962. Nebraska is among the most storied programs in college football history and has the eighth-most all-time victories among FBS teams. Nebraska claims forty-six conference championships and five national championships ( 1970, 1971, 1994, 1995, and 1997), and has won six other national championships the school does not claim. NU's 1971 and 1995 title-winning teams are considered among the best in college football history. Famous Cornhuskers include Heisman Trophy winners
Johnny Rodgers Johnny Steven Rodgers (born July 5, 1951) is an American former football player. He played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers and won the Heisman Trophy in 1972. Rodgers played professionally in the Canadian Football League (CFL) ...
,
Mike Rozier Michael T. Rozier (born March 1, 1961) is a former American college and professional football player who was a running back in the United States Football League (USFL) for two seasons and the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons duri ...
, and
Eric Crouch Eric Eugene Crouch (born November 16, 1978) is a former American football quarterback. He also is a TV sports analyst and recreational equipment vendor. Crouch played college football for the University of Nebraska. In 2001 Crouch won the Heisma ...
, who join twenty-two other Cornhuskers in the College Football Hall of Fame. Notable among these are players
Bob Brown Robert James Brown (born 27 December 1944) is a former Australian politician, medical doctor and environmentalist. He was a senator and the parliamentary leader of the Australian Greens. Brown was elected to the Australian Senate on the Tasma ...
,
Guy Chamberlin Berlin Guy "Champ" Chamberlin (January 16, 1894 – April 4, 1967), sometimes misspelled Guy Chamberlain, was an American football player and coach. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1962 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame ...
,
Tommie Frazier Tommie James Frazier Jr. (born July 16, 1974) is an American former football player and coach who played quarterback for the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Frazier led his team to consecutive national championships in 1994 and 1995, and is ...
,
Rich Glover Richard Edward Glover (born February 6, 1950) is a former professional football player, a defensive tackle for the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Nebraska under head c ...
,
Dave Rimington David Brian Rimington (born May 22, 1960) is a former American college and professional football player who was a center in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons during the 1980s. Rimington played college football for the Univers ...
, and
Will Shields Will Herthie Shields (born September 15, 1971) is an American former professional football player who was an offensive guard in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. He played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, earnin ...
, and coaches
Bob Devaney Robert Simon Devaney (April 13, 1915 – May 9, 1997) was a college football coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Wyoming from 1957 to 1961 and at the University of Nebraska from 1962 to 1972, compiling a career record of . ...
and
Tom Osborne Thomas William Osborne (born February 23, 1937) is a former American football player, coach, college athletics administrator, and politician from Nebraska. He served as head football coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers from 1973 to 1997 (25 season ...
. The program's first extended period of success came just after the turn of the century. Between 1900 and 1916, Nebraska had five undefeated seasons and completed a stretch of thirty-four consecutive games without a loss, still a program record. Despite a span of twenty-one conference championships in thirty-three seasons, the Cornhuskers didn't experience major national success until
Bob Devaney Robert Simon Devaney (April 13, 1915 – May 9, 1997) was a college football coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Wyoming from 1957 to 1961 and at the University of Nebraska from 1962 to 1972, compiling a career record of . ...
was hired in 1962. In eleven seasons as head coach, Devaney won two national championships, eight conference titles, and coached twenty-two All-Americans, but perhaps his most lasting achievement was the hiring of
Tom Osborne Thomas William Osborne (born February 23, 1937) is a former American football player, coach, college athletics administrator, and politician from Nebraska. He served as head football coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers from 1973 to 1997 (25 season ...
as offensive coordinator in 1969. 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-form offense and revolutionary strength, conditioning, and nutrition programs. Following Osborne's retirement in 1997, Nebraska has cycled through five head coaches, with
Mickey Joseph Robert L. "Mickey" Joseph (born March 5, 1968) is a former American football coach and player. He served as the interim head coach at the University of Nebraska in 2022. Joseph was the associate head coach and wide receivers coach at Louisiana ...
serving as interim head coach following the firing of
Scott Frost Scott Andrew Frost (born January 4, 1975) is a former American football coach and player. He was the head football coach at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln from 2018 to 2022. Born in Lincoln, Nebraska, Frost played college football as a qu ...
. On November 26, 2022 Nebraska announced the hiring of
Matt Rhule Matthew Kenneth Rhule (born January 31, 1975) is an American football coach and former player, who is the head coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers. He was previously the head coach at Temple University, Baylor University, and for the Carolina Pant ...
to become the next head coach of the Cornhusker football program.


History


Seasons


Conference affiliations

* Independent (1890–91; 1898–1906; 1919–20) *
Western Interstate University Football Association The Western Interstate University Football Association (WIUFA) was one of the first intercollegiate athletic conferences in the United States, existing from 1892 to 1897. Formation, history and evolution The football teams from the Universities o ...
(1892–97) * Big Eight (1907–18; 1921–95) ** Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association (1907–18; 1921–27) ** Big Six (1928–47) ** Big Seven (1948–59) *
Big 12 The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its f ...
(1996–2010) *
Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...
(2011–present)


Head coaches

Nebraska has had 31 head coaches in the program's history, with five others coaching at least one game on a non-permanent basis. The current head coach is
Matt Rhule Matthew Kenneth Rhule (born January 31, 1975) is an American football coach and former player, who is the head coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers. He was previously the head coach at Temple University, Baylor University, and for the Carolina Pant ...
. Six past Nebraska head coaches have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame:
Edward N. Robinson Edward North "Robbie" Robinson (October 15, 1873 – March 10, 1945) was an American football and baseball coach. He served as the head football coach at University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Brown University, University of Maine, and Tufts College— ...
,
Fielding H. Yost Fielding Harris Yost (; April 30, 1871 – August 20, 1946) was an American football player, coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at: Ohio Wesleyan University, the University of Nebraska, the University ...
, Dana X. Bible,
Biff Jones Lawrence McCeney "Biff" Jones (October 8, 1895 – February 12, 1980) was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as a head coach at the United States Military Academy, Louisiana State University (LSU), ...
,
Bob Devaney Robert Simon Devaney (April 13, 1915 – May 9, 1997) was a college football coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Wyoming from 1957 to 1961 and at the University of Nebraska from 1962 to 1972, compiling a career record of . ...
, and
Tom Osborne Thomas William Osborne (born February 23, 1937) is a former American football player, coach, college athletics administrator, and politician from Nebraska. He served as head football coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers from 1973 to 1997 (25 season ...
. Osborne is the program's all-time leader in most major categories; his .836 career winning percentage is fourth-highest in major college football history. Thirteen Nebraska coaches have won a conference championship at the school, and Devaney and Osborne combined to win five national titles.


Championships


National championships

Nebraska has won five consensus
national championships A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the best team, indi ...
from NCAA-designated major selectors. Unclaimed national championships Nebraska has been awarded six other national championships from NCAA-designated major selectors that the school does not claim. Major selectors for each are shown below. † Co-champions ‡ Claimed by both Nebraska and
Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
due to a dispute over Oklahoma's forfeiture of games


Bowl games

Nebraska has played in fifty-three bowl games, including an NCAA-record thirty-five straight from 1969 to 2003, with a record of 26–27.


Memorial Stadium

Memorial Stadium, known as The Sea of Red, has been home of the Cornhuskers since 1923 and is the location of an ongoing NCAA-record 389-game sellout streak. The sellout streak dates back to 1962,
Bob Devaney Robert Simon Devaney (April 13, 1915 – May 9, 1997) was a college football coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Wyoming from 1957 to 1961 and at the University of Nebraska from 1962 to 1972, compiling a career record of . ...
's first season at Nebraska. The stadium becomes the "third-largest city in Nebraska" on game days, as its capacity exceeds that of every Nebraska town except for Omaha and Lincoln. The stadium has undergone a series of expansion since 1923, bringing the official capacity to 85,458. The largest crowd in Memorial Stadium history occurred on September 20, 2014, a Nebraska win over
Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
with an announced attendance of 91,585. Three statues sit outside of the stadium. The oldest, unveiled in 1997, depicts six Nebraska defenders tackling a ball carrier. Creator Fred Hoppe said, "the monument displays the sense of pride that Nebraskans have for their football team." In 2006, Hoppe created a statue of Tom Osborne with his arm around quarterback
Brook Berringer Brook Warren Berringer (July 9, 1973 – April 18, 1996) was an American quarterback for the University of Nebraska football team in the mid-1990s. Berringer came to Nebraska from Goodland, Kansas, and played a backup role to Tommie Frazier. He wa ...
, which is located outside the Osborne Athletic Complex. On August 30, 2013, a bronze statue of Bob Devaney was unveiled at the main entrance of the newly remodeled east stadium. Sculptor Joe Putjenter also created the Tunnel Walk gates inside of the stadium. Before the construction of Memorial Stadium, Nebraska played its home games at Antelope Park and
Nebraska Field Nebraska Field was an American football stadium located on the campus of the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, Nebraska. The stadium primarily served as the home venue for the Nebraska Cornhuskers football team and a variety of other university a ...
.


Traditions

Tunnel Walk Since 1994, Nebraska's home games have opened with the "Tunnel Walk". Just before kickoff, Memorial Stadium plays "
Sirius Sirius is the list of brightest stars, brightest star in the night sky. Its name is derived from the Ancient Greek language, Greek word , or , meaning 'glowing' or 'scorching'. The star is designated α Canis Majoris, Latinisation ...
" as the Huskers take the field from the northwest tunnel. Immediately before the Tunnel Walk, half of Memorial Stadium yells "Husker" in unison, while the other half responds with "Power." Balloon release At every home game since the 1930s, fans have released red helium balloons when the Huskers score their first points. In 2012, a global helium shortage threatened the tradition, but the university allowed for a limited number of balloon releases throughout the season. The tradition returned to normal the following year. In 2022, citing another global helium shortage, athletic director
Trev Alberts Trev Kendall AlbertsJim Offner '' Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier'', February 6, 2013, accessed July 8, 2013. (born August 8, 1970) is an American sports administrator and former football linebacker who is the director of athletics at University o ...
put the tradition on hold for the year. Walk-on program Nebraska has a long-standing walk-on program, designed to attract student-athletes who did not receive scholarship offers. NU accepted its first walk-on in the early 1960s, and Tom Osborne began an official program in 1973 after the NCAA reduced the number of scholarships schools could offer. The size and stature of the program means that Nebraska's rosters are often unusually large; NU had 141 players on its
1996 Fiesta Bowl The 1996 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game which served as the Bowl Alliance's designated national championship game for the 1995 college football season. Played on January 2, 1996, at Sun Devil Stadium in Te ...
team A team is a group of individuals (human or non-human) working together to achieve their goal. As defined by Professor Leigh Thompson (academic), Leigh Thompson of the Kellogg School of Management, " team is a group of people who are interde ...
, while opponent
Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
had only ninety-four. Osborne credited his walk-ons with providing flexibility to better scout future opponents. Unlike some other schools, Nebraska's walk-ons have the same access to training facilities and academic counseling as those with scholarships. Six Nebraska walk-ons have become All-Americans and twenty-nine have played in the
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
.


Uniform history

Helmets Nebraska's first helmet was red with a single white stripe, later changed to plain white with a black number on the side. From 1967 to 1969, the helmet featured a red, offset "NU" on each side. In 1970, this was changed to the now-familiar single "N", although a few "NU" helmets remained as late as 1972. The change was necessitated due to a shortage of "U" stickers, and when the program claimed its first national championship, the single N remained. The helmet design has remained essentially unchanged since, with the exception of a facemask switch from grey to red in 1982. Jerseys The Huskers wore full shoulder stripes in the late 1960s and early 1970s, but these were gradually phased out as mesh and tearaway jerseys became popular. From 1980 to 1983, Nebraska's jerseys featured only a block "N" on the sleeves. In 1984, stripes and TV numbers were permanently re-added, although both have decreased in size as jersey sleeves have shortened. A patch was added to the left shoulder to commemorate the 100th season of Nebraska football in 1989; it remained the following season and was altered to read "Nebraska Football: A Winning Tradition." Players' last names first appeared on jerseys for road games and bowl games in the late 1970s, but home jerseys remained nameless except for seniors playing their final home game. In 1990, last names were permanently affixed to all jerseys. Nebraska's defense has been referred to as the "
Blackshirts The Voluntary Militia for National Security ( it, Milizia Volontaria per la Sicurezza Nazionale, MVSN), commonly called the Blackshirts ( it, Camicie Nere, CCNN, singular: ) or (singular: ), was originally the paramilitary wing of the Nation ...
" since the 1960s, a reference to the black jerseys worn by starting defensive players during practice. Depictions of the Blackshirts often include a skull and crossbones. The tradition originated when Bob Devaney had the defense use contrasting jerseys to offset the red worn by the offense in practice. Pants The team traditionally wears white pants at home and red on the road, although there have been exceptions. Nebraska first donned red pants with red jerseys for its 1986 contest with
Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
; the combination was unofficially retired after a late Nebraska loss. Nebraska wore all-white uniforms for the first in the 1991 Florida Citrus Bowl, a 45–21 loss to
Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...
. NU used the white-on-white combination for its first three road games in 1992, but lost two of them, including an upset loss to Iowa State. The "surrender suits", as they became known, were not seen again for over a decade. In 2007, the white-on-white combination was worn for Bill Callahan's final game as head coach, an embarrassing loss to
Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...
. Nebraska again donned all-white in 2014 to contrast Fresno State's all-red uniforms. NU won 55–19 and wore white pants in three more road games that season. From 1968 through 1994, Nebraska's pants had two stripes down each side. These were removed prior to the 1995 season, and the pants remained stripe-less until 2001. In 2002, Nebraska experimented with large side panels on its jersey and pants, and wore all-white in every road game. The changes were unpopular among fans, and Nebraska quickly reverted most changes, which included the permanent return of pant stripes. When
Scott Frost Scott Andrew Frost (born January 4, 1975) is a former American football coach and player. He was the head football coach at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln from 2018 to 2022. Born in Lincoln, Nebraska, Frost played college football as a qu ...
became head coach in 2018, pant stripes were again removed, as a tribute to the uniform style from Frost's playing career. Alternate uniforms Nebraska wore
throwback uniform Throwback uniforms, throwback jerseys, retro kits or heritage guernseys are sports uniforms styled to resemble the uniforms that a team wore in the past. One-time or limited-time retro uniforms are sometimes produced to be worn by teams in games ...
s for the first time in 2009, to honor Memorial Stadium's 300th consecutive sellout. In 2012, Nebraska and Wisconsin played in the first "Adidas Unrivaled" game; Both schools' uniforms featured block letters instead of front numbers and proved to be hugely unpopular. The following year, Nebraska wore black jerseys with white stencil font numbers against UCLA. In 2014, Nebraska wore an all-red uniform featuring black metallic stripes on the jersey and pants, and used a similar design for all-black and all-white uniforms over the next two years. In 2017, Nebraska wore throwback uniforms to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the school's 1997 national championship team. Unlike previous years, this design was well received. Nebraska again wore throwback uniforms in 2018 to honor the 100th anniversary of the end of
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. Nebraska wore Blackshirt-themed alternate uniforms in 2019, which featured a black jersey and a Blackshirts logo on both sleeves. Frost suggested this iteration may be a permanent design, to be worn after Nebraska's defense plays particularly well. Adidas has been Nebraska's official shoe and uniform sponsor since 1996. In 2017, the school and sponsor agreed to a record-setting eleven-year, $128 million apparel deal.


Rivalries


Colorado

The rivalry between Nebraska and
Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...
, one-sided for much of its history, gained traction with Colorado's resurgence in the 1990s. The teams have met 71 times, with the series dating back to 1898, a 23–10 Nebraska win. The Cornhuskers lead the series 49–20–2. The rivalry began when Colorado joined the Big Eight in 1947; they played in the same conference as Nebraska until 2010. A bison head named Mr. Chip was presented to the winning team throughout the 1950s, but this exchange ended when Colorado misplaced the trophy in 1961. The teams have not played annually since both programs exited the
Big 12 The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its f ...
in 2011, but future non-conference games are planned for 2023 and 2024.


Iowa

The
Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...
–Nebraska rivalry debuted in 1891, a 22–0 Iowa win. Since 2011, the game is held annually the Friday after
Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden ...
. Also, the game was named the Heroes Game, and the winner keeps the Heroes Trophy. The teams have met 53 times, with the Cornhuskers leading the series 30–20–3. Nebraska holds the trophy after defeating the Hawkeyes in 2022. They will meet next on November 23, 2023.


Kansas

Nebraska and
Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...
share a natural border rivalry and maintained the longest non-interrupted rivalry in college football history at 105 years. The teams have met 117 times, with the series dating back to 1892, a 12–0 Kansas win. The Cornhuskers lead the series 91–23–3, which includes 36 consecutive victories from 1969 to 2004. Since Nebraska's move to the
Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...
in 2011, the series has been dormant. No future games are scheduled.


Kansas State

Nebraska and
Kansas State Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public instit ...
were conference rivals from 1913 to 2010. With only 135 miles separating the schools, they were the nearest cross-border rivals in the Big Eight and
Big 12 The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its f ...
conferences. The teams have met 95 times, with the series dating back to 1911, a 59–0 Nebraska win. Nebraska leads the series 78–15–2, which includes 29 consecutive victories from 1969 to 1997. Since Nebraska's move to the
Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...
in 2011, the series has been dormant. No future games are scheduled. The 1939 game was televised in
Manhattan, Kansas Manhattan is a city and county seat of Riley County, Kansas, United States, although the city extends into Pottawatomie County. It is located in northeastern Kansas at the junction of the Kansas River and Big Blue River. As of the 2020 c ...
, making it the second televised college football game. The 1992 contest was held in
Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
as the
Coca-Cola Classic Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlanta ...
.


Miami (FL)

Nebraska's series with
Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
is among the most significant "bowl rivalries" in college football. The teams have met twelve times, with the series dating back to 1951, a 19–7 Miami win. The series is tied, 6–6. No future game is yet scheduled. The rivalry's most notable game is the 1984 Orange Bowl. Top-ranked Nebraska scored with seconds remaining to make the game 31–30, but NU head coach
Tom Osborne Thomas William Osborne (born February 23, 1937) is a former American football player, coach, college athletics administrator, and politician from Nebraska. He served as head football coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers from 1973 to 1997 (25 season ...
opted to try for a two-point conversion instead of an extra point, even though a tie would have given Nebraska the national championship. Miami won the game and its first national title.


Minnesota

The $5 Bits of Broken Chair Trophy has been awarded to the winner of the
Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
–Nebraska game since 2014. The teams have met 61 times, dating back to 1900, a 20–12 Minnesota win. The Golden Gophers lead the series 34–25–2. Minnesota holds the trophy after defeating the Cornhuskers in 2022. The teams play annually and will meet next on August 31, 2023.


Missouri

The Victory Bell (also known as the Missouri–Nebraska Bell) has been awarded to the winner of the
Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
–Nebraska game since 1927. The teams have met 104 times, with the series dating back to 1892, a 1–0 NU win when Missouri forfeited to protest the presence of African-American George Flippin on Nebraska's roster. The Cornhuskers lead the series 65–36–3. Nebraska holds the Victory Bell after defeating the Tigers in 2010. Since Nebraska's move to the
Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...
in 2011, the series has been dormant. No future games are scheduled.


Oklahoma

Nebraska and
Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
has long been considered one of the great college football rivalries. The teams have met 87 times dating back to 1912, a 13–9 Nebraska win. The Sooners lead the series 46–38–3. Since Nebraska's move to the
Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...
in 2011, the series was dormant until 2021 when Oklahoma beat Nebraska 23–16 in Norman. Future non-conference games are scheduled for 2029 and 2030. Notably, the 2021 game in Norman marked the 50th anniversary of Nebraska's 35–31 victory over Oklahoma in the "Game of the Century". Nebraska dominated the series until 1942, going 16–3–3 in the first twenty-two meetings. The Sooners then won sixteen consecutive games, the longest streak in the series. Nebraska's 1959 win both ended the Cornhuskers' drought against the Sooners and snapped Oklahoma's 74-game conference win streak. Nebraska won the "Game of the Century" in 1971, of which Dave Kindred of
The Courier-Journal ''The Courier-Journal'', also known as the ''Louisville Courier Journal'' (and informally ''The C-J'' or ''The Courier''), is the highest circulation newspaper in Kentucky. It is owned by Gannett and billed as "Part of the ''USA Today'' Net ...
wrote, "They can quit playing now, they have played the perfect game." Oklahoma won every matchup from 1972 to 1977, a streak that ended in 1978, when Nebraska upset No. 1 Oklahoma; less than two months later, OU won a rematch in the
Orange Bowl The Orange Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Miami metropolitan area. It has been played annually since January 1, 1935, making it, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Sun Bowl, the second-oldest bowl game ...
. Nebraska controlled the 1990s, including a 69–7 win in 1997, the largest margin of victory in series history. When the
Big 12 The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its f ...
was formed in 1996, the schools no longer played annually, ending a stretch of 68 consecutive years they had met. The teams met for the last time as conference opponents in the
2010 Big 12 Championship Game The 2010 Big 12 Championship Game was a college football game played on Saturday, December 4, 2010, at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington. This was the 15th Big 12 Championship Game and determined the 2010 champion of the Big 12 Conference. The ga ...
, when Oklahoma defeated Nebraska 23–20. The two programs combined to win 74 of 89 Big Eight championships, 41 by Nebraska and 33 by Oklahoma. The teams played eighteen times when both were ranked in the
AP Poll The Associated Press poll (AP poll) provides weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling 62 sportswriters and broad ...
top ten, and nine times when both were in the top five.


Texas

Nebraska and
Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
were conference rivals from 1996 to 2010. The teams have met fourteen times dating back to 1933, a 26–0 Nebraska win. Texas leads the series 10–4. Since Nebraska's move to the
Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...
in 2011, the series has been dormant. No future games are scheduled. In the first-ever Big 12 Championship game, unranked Texas upset two-time defending national champion Nebraska. In the 2009 Big 12 Championship Game Nebraska's own upset bid was spoiled when a last-second Texas field goal gave the Longhorns the win and a spot in the national championship game.


Wisconsin

The Freedom Trophy has been awarded to the winner of the Nebraska–
Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
game since 2014. The teams have met fifteen times, with the series dating back to 1901, an 18–0 Wisconsin win. The Badgers lead the series 11–4. Wisconsin holds the Freedom Trophy after defeating the Cornhuskers in 2022. The teams play annually and will meet next on November 18, 2023.


Honors and awards


Individual award finalists

Winners in bold.


College Football Hall of Fame

Twenty-six former Nebraska coaches and players have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.


Retired numbers and jerseys

Nebraska has retired the number of three players and the jersey of seventeen others. Rodgers permitted his No. 20 to be worn by his son Terry, from 1986 to 1990. No. 20 was also worn by
Marlon Lucky Marlon Lucky (born February 28, 1986) is a former American football running back. He was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent in 2009. He played college football at Nebraska. Early years Lucky lived in Dallas, Texas throu ...
and
Michael Booker Michael Allen Booker Jr. (born April 27, 1975) is an American former professional cornerback who played five seasons in the National Football League from 1997–2001. Early years Michael Booker started playing football later in his childhood. O ...


Retired numbers


Retired jerseys

Jerseys retired but numbers available to be worn:


All-Americans


Academic All-Americans

Nebraska leads the nation in Academic All-America selections, both in football and across all sports. Nebraska boasts seventy
CoSIDA College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) is an organization that focuses on professional development and support for sports information directors at all levels. It offers awards, scholarships, and grants in support of SIDs and pro ...
First-Team and 108 overall Academic All-America selections, both tops in the nation. The list includes fifteen Huskers that have been named first team Academic All-Americans twice in their careers. The Huskers also lead the nation with a total of 330 Academic All-Americans across all sports. Nebraska has four players that have been selected as a First Team Academic All-American by entities other than CoSIDA: Don Fricke (1960), Pat Clare (1960), Jim Osberg (1965), and Tony Jeter (1965).


Cornhuskers in the NFL


Pro Football Hall of Fame

Five Nebraska players have been enshrined in the
Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coa ...
:


Cornhuskers in the NFL

There are twenty-seven Huskers on NFL rosters, along with five coaches.


Future opponents

As a member of the
Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...
's West division, Nebraska faces
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
,
Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...
,
Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
, Northwestern, Purdue, and
Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
annually, with three other games against Big Ten East opponents and three games against non-conference opponents.


See also

*
College football national championships in NCAA Division I FBS A national championship in the highest level of college football in the United States, currently the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), is a designation awarded annually by various organizations to their selection of the best coll ...


References


External links

* {{Big Ten Conference football navbox American football teams established in 1890
Cornhuskers 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 the Cornhuskers compete in NCAA Divis ...