Husker football began 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. Famous former Huskers
include Heisman Trophy winners Johnny Rodgers, Mike Rozier, and Eric
Crouch. Rodgers was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and
for the new millennium he was voted the team's "Player of the Century.";
his Cornhusker jersey (No. 20) was retired. Other Husker players and
coaches who are members of the College Football Hall of Fame include:
Forrest Behm, Bob Brown, Guy Chamberlin, Sam Francis, Rich Glover, Wayne
Meylan, Bobby Reynolds, Dave Rimington, George Sauer, Clarence Swanson,
Ed Weir, Dave Noble, and coaches Dana X. Bible, Bob Devaney, "Biff"
Jones, Tom Osborne, Eddie "Robbie" Robinson, and Fielding Yost.
Notable rivals of the Cornhuskers are the Oklahoma Sooners, the Missouri
Tigers and, in recent years, the Colorado Buffaloes.
The Huskers defense is known by the nickname of the "Blackshirts."
Depictions of the Blackshirts often include a skull and crossbones. This
nickname originated in the early 1960s and continued as a reference to
the black practice jerseys worn by first-string defensive players during
practice. This tradition developed when Bob Devaney had Mike Corgan, one
of his assistant coaches, find contrastive jerseys to offset the red
jerseys worn by the offense in practice. Further credit is given to
George Kelly, Devaney's defensive line coach until 1968, who frequently
referred to the top defensive unit by the name; eventually the rest of
the coaching staff caught on, while the first mention of the Blackshirts
in print was not until 1969.
Shortly after the Alamo Bowl, hype that the 2006 season could be
Nebraska's best season since 1997 began. A tough schedule that includes
Southern California and defending national champions Texas and possibly
a Big XII Championship Game should prove how tough the Cornhuskers will
be in 2006. With the addition of a 12th regular season game, it is
possible for the 2006 Nebraska team to be the second NCAA Division I-A
team to win 14 games and lose none.
