There is no place like Nebraska….

Anyone who knows me, knows I’m a Cornhusker through good and bad. Ever since I was little I’d, wake up on Saturday, put on my finest scarlet and cream and then at 1:10 turn on the radio and listen to the football game. Nebraska was the state, Nebraska football was the game, the only game. Don’t get me wrong, UNL has won multiple National Champioships in Volleyball and Bowling even, but the truth is Football makes the money to support many of the other athletic teams. 

The newspapers talked about football 365 days a year because it was almost a religion in Nebraska. Even if it was harvest time, the radios in the farm trucks and the combines in rural Nebraska, the shopping malls in the cities, were all turned to the Cornhusker network. Everyone was devoted to the game. 

But it really is more than a game. It’s about seeing some of the best Nebraska boys making it to the big game. Boys from rural communities that don’t even have enough students to make a team. Their towns are so small that 3 or 4 communities consolidate to form one sports team or the schools that remain independent, play 5 man or 8 man football.  Even boys playing 5 man football dream about making it on the Husker team and playing at Memorial Stadium. No lie, there is 5 and 8 man football. My school played 8 man, no joke. 

Memorial Stadium has history and is dedicated to the Nebraskans that died in the many wars from the Spainish-American to the World Wars. The four corners of the stadium have the following messages:

In Commemoration of the men of Nebraska who served and fell in the Nation’s Wars

Not the victory but the action; Not the goal but the game; In the deed the glory.

Courage; Generosity; Fairness; Honor; In these are the true awards of manly sport.

Their Lives they held their country’s trust; They kept its faith; They died its heroes.

These words are seen by 90,000 plus on game day Saturday’s and there are thousands that are not fortunate to be a ticket holder but still trek to the stadium. You see, Memorial Stadium has the longest consecutive sellouts at 347; an NCAA record. It started in 1962. It is the third largest city in Nebraska on game day Saturday’s only behind Lincoln and Omaha. 

Nebraskan’s have a history of faith, dedication and good values.  It is what we are taught from a very young age. It’s a system that is instilled in us and is more than just ‘mid western values’.  We support our Huskers for who they stand for both on the field and outside the game because life is much bigger than the game. We expect nothing less. 

When I was in school, we lost a great football player yes, but we lost a true Nebraskan in Brook Berringer. He was a quiet soft spoken individual, I know cause I was in class with him. He was a Nebraska boy lost in a plane accident where he was the pilot. But even though he was a quarterback on the field, he was a better guy off. He was the backup quarterback that carried the team in the time of need. He never expected anything, he worked hard and overcame many obstacles. 

Berringer’s values I’m sure were set before he arrived at the University, but I truly believe the coach and his staff at the time had a lot to do with instilling values to all that wore the scarlet and cream. That coach was none other than Dr Tom Osborne. The loss of Brook was large for everyone in Nebraska and Dr Tom has been vocal about what Brook’s loss meant to him. A statue in memory of Berringer stand just outside Memorial stadium and it is life sized of Osborne coaching Berringer. 

Fast forward to this week, 20 years after the loss of Berringer, Nebraska is once again faced with the loss of yet another Husker, a boy from the heart of Nebraska. Sam Foltz graduated from Nebraska in May and was to start his final year as a Husker. He was the top Big Ten punter last year, and by many accounts the best punter in the nation.  He was killed in a car accident along with a former Michigan State kicker. 

I didn’t know Foltz, but what I’ve read he was a true Nebraskan. He was an Academic All American, a humble person and gave much of himself to others. He was a walk-on who had to fight, and fight he did for the sport he loved. He earned his scholarship and didn’t take it for granted. He was even the winner of the Brook Berringer citizen award. The featured image is one of him tackling the punt returner and forcing a fumble; few punters would try to tackle the returner.   

Just looking through his Twitter feed or reading what others say at #RIP27 it’s easy to see he impacted many in his short life.  I’ve posted a few below that I found most admirable. 

While Twitter wasn’t around during Berringer’s days I’m sure many would have the same types of things to say about him. The question is always ‘why the good ones die young?’ but we all know there is a bigger plan in life. I stand proud to say I’m from Nebraska. It may not be glamorous like the big cities of New York or Los Angles, I used to be part of Cow Chip throwing contests certainly not glamorous (yes, I’m sure you know what that entails) but it is part of me and always will be; something I’d never want to change.

Life is bigger than a football game, however, it is through Nebraska football that I got a glimpse into the lives of Dr Tom Osborne, Berringer and Foltz. Two have left this earth and one remains still writing his legacy, but the two that were lost will not be forgotten. Their life on earth was short, but their legacy will continue because they were everything that Nebraska stands for. People in Nebraska are hurting for the loss of Foltz, every Nebraskan lost a son and I think it stings even harder given all the hate in this world.