Nebraska Cornhuskers
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Logo of the Nebraska athletic teams. |
The
Nebraska Cornhuskers, or 'Huskers', is the name given to several sports teams of the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln USA. The university is a member of the
Big 12 Conference and competes in
NCAA Division I, fielding 21
varsity teams in 14 sports:
Early nicknames for the university's athletic teams included the
"Hawkeyes" (which is now associated with the
University of Iowa), the
"Old Gold Knights", the
"Bugeaters" and the
"Mankilling Mastodons"; the usage of
"Cornhuskers" in favor of all others occurred around
1900.
The Cornhuskers have two official mascots,
Herbie Husker and
Lil' Red.
The Husker football team began competitive play in
1890 and has claimed 46 conference championships and part or all of five national championships:
1970,
1971,
1994,
1995, and
1997. The latter three marking the only time that a team has won three
NCAA Division I-A national football championships in four seasons.
The coach who brought about the most wins in Cornhusker history is
Tom Osborne, who led the team for 25 seasons, from
1973 to
1997; his final record at Nebraska was 255 wins, 49 losses and 3 ties. During his tenure, the team won three national titles, including one in his final season. Osborne was elected to the
U.S. House of Representatives from
Nebraska's 3rd congressional district in 2000.
Nebraska's home games always open with the
Tunnel Walk, which signifies the entry of the team onto the field. When the Cornhuskers play at home in
Memorial Stadium, the stadium holds more people than
Bellevue (the third-largest city in Nebraska). They currently hold the NCAA record for the most consecutive sold out home games; the sellout streak dates back to November 3, 1962.
The current Husker coach is
Bill Callahan; the previous three coaches were
Frank Solich, Tom Osborne, and
Bob Devaney. Callahan represents a break from tradition in many ways. First, Callahan is the first head coach in recent history not to be hand-picked by his predecessor. Second, Bill Callahan has implemented the
West Coast Offense at Nebraska. The Huskers had previously been known for the tough running game; specifically, running the option with a strong backfield (under Solich, such an attack became increasingly quarterback-oriented), while their new style relies heavily on a balance between the run and the pass.
Nebraska is is home to one of the nation's top volleyball programs. The Nebraska women's volleyball team has won two national titles, in 1995 and in 2000. In 1995 the Cornhuskers capped off a 32-1 season by defeating the
Texas Longhorns 3 games to 1 in the national championship game. The second national championship came in 2000, when the Huskers completed a 34-0 season by the
Wisconsin Badgers for the championship 3 games to 2.
In their 2005 campaign, the Cornhuskers finished in second place nationally. They only lost two matches that year; the regular season finale to the
Texas Longhorns and the national championship match to the
Washington Huskies.
Nebraska volleyball is a popular spectator sport in the state. In 2005, an NCAA volleyball-record 13,252 tickets were presold for the NCAA regionals. The vast majority of these sales are attributed to Nebraska volleyball fans, as the games was played at
Qwest Center Omaha.
The team plays their home matches in the
Nebraska Coliseum. During the 2004 season, the Huskers averaged a home attendance of 4,336. Nebraska has an all-time record of 419-30 in the Coliseum.
Nebraska baseball has seen a resurgence in recent years. After many years of being a perennial doormat, the 2000 Huskers became the first team in school history to advance to the Super Regionals in the NCAA tournament. In 2001 and 2002, the Huskers made their first and second appearances in the
College World Series. Much of the success of these teams and the teams that have followed is due to the efforts of
Dave Van Horn, who compiled a record of 214-92 while leading Huskers from 1998-2002. After the 2002 season, Van Horn left to accept a position at his alma mater,
Arkansas; assistant coach Mike Anderson became head coach. In 2005, the Huskers had their most successful season ever, going 57-15 and advancing to the College World Series for the third time in five years.
In 2006, Nebraska sprinted into the top 5 nationally, and was looking poised to make it back to Omaha for the College World Series. However, Nebraska ran into a huge late season slump. Despite this, they managed to host a regional, only to go two and out and bow out early.
In 2002, the Huskers moved into the friendly confines of Hawks Field at
Haymarket Park, widely considered one of the best collegiate baseball facilities in the country. Since this move, the Huskers have seen their attendance break numerous records. In the 2005 Super Regional against Miami, an overflow crowd of 8,711 watched Nebraska clinched their third trip to the College World Series.
While the University of Nebraska has experienced varying amounts of success for their intercollegiate athletic programs, men's basketball has been an exception. Nebraska has a distinction of one of the few major conference programs never to win a single game in the
NCAA Tournament. In fact, in the over 90 years of varsity competition at the University, the first trip to the NCAA Tournament for Nebraska did not come until
1986. Much of the team's success came under the tenure of
Danny Nee, head coach from 1987 to 2000. Nee is the team's all-time winningest head coach with a record of 254-190. Nee led the Cornhuskers to five of their six NCAA Tournament apperances, six bids to the
National Invitation Tournament, including the
1996 NIT Championship.
The current head coach is
Doc Sadler.
Barry Collier, who led Nebraska from 2000 to August 2006, left to become athletic director at
Butler University. He previously had been Butler's head coach from 1989 to 2000.
Team Honors:*
Big Eight Conference tournament championships (1):''' 1994
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NCAA Tournament appearances (6): 1986, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1998
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NIT Tournament appearances (14): 1967, 1978, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2006
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Nebraska Crew (NUCrew)
Rifle is classified as a coeducational sport by the NCAA; however, is it classified as a women's sport at Nebraska.
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Official University of Nebraska Athletics site*
Husker Hoops Central - The #1 Site For Nebraska Basketball Fans*
Big Red Network - News, stats & discussion for the Husker Faithful*
Big Red Board*
HuskerPedia™ - The Nebraska Cornhuskers Encyclopedia *
HuskerBoard - Husker Pride is Nationwide!*
BigHuskerFan.com*
University of Nebraska Crew*
Redout.org - Rated R for Red*
HuskerFaithful.com*
RedNZone.com
