2025 Nebraska Offseason Thread

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Greatest Husker to wear 96:  Jimmy Williams, Defensive End, 1978 – 1981

Over the years, there have been a ton of remarkable stories of players who walked on to the Nebraska team.  You’ll read a few of them in this series.

But for my money, nothing can top the story of Jimmy Williams, and his brother Toby (who was a finalist for the “Greatest” title at #97).

The Williams brothers didn’t go out for football as high school sophomores in Washington, D.C.  As juniors, they played sparingly.  The each made the all-league team as seniors, but their only scholarship offers were from Richmond and Virginia Union. 

Their father, James, knew his sons could play at a Division I school.  So, he began a letter writing campaign, sending dozens of letters to coaches across the country asking for a chance.  A tryout.  Only two schools – Auburn and Nebraska – wrote back.  They picked Nebraska – partially for their reputation, and partially because they agree to look at Jimmy and Toby.

When the Williams brothers tried out in Lincoln, Tom Osborne and his staff saw two scrawny kids (Jimmy weighed 185 pounds and ran the 40 in 4.8 seconds) with poor fundamentals, who had played against weak competition.  But the coaches also saw potential.  The boys could be Cornhuskers – if they paid their own way. 

Their first year was rough – and not just in the football program.  The boys are two of eight siblings.  Paying two out-of-state tuitions was a challenge.  “Everything was new to us: the environment, the quality of football, everything,” Jimmy told the Washington Post in 1981.  “A couple of times, they cut off our food because we were a couple of days late paying our bill. Things got ugly for a while.”

The boys benefited from the systems that Osborne had in place.  Boyd Epley’s strength and conditioning program helped their slow and scrawny frames.  Academic supports helped them adjust to the rigors of college.  As for the deficient fundamentals, Osborne and his staff utilized a teaching style that Osborne borrowed from a different coaching legend:  UCLA basketball’s John Wooden. 

Despite John Wooden’s record-setting success, he never talked about winning.  Instead, he focused on the process.  Break the game down into components.  Here is the proper way to lace your cleats.  This is the correct three-point stance.  When the ball is snapped, step here with this foot while your head and hands go there.  And so on.  Stack those building blocks on top of each other, much like Wooden’s famous Pyramid of Success, until the desired end result is met.

Jimmy was placed on scholarship after his freshman season.  Toby would join him a year later.

By the time he was a senior, Jimmy Williams had bulked up to 227 pounds but had dropped his time in the 40 to a blistering fast 4.34 seconds.  Williams used that size and speed to become an All-American and the 1981 Big 8 Defensive Player of the Year.  He recorded 10 sacks in 1981, which was the school record (1981 is the first year that sacks were tracked as an official stat).  His 10-sack season is still tied (with four others) as the 10th-most in a season.


Jimmy Williams was a first-round draft pick and played 12 seasons in the NFL.  He has gone on to become a college assistant coach, spending the 2003 season on Frank Solich’s staff.

***

It’s hard to accurately describe the mythical appreciation I had for Lawrence Pete as a kid.  In his playing days, the Huskers would only be on TV three or four times a season, with two of those (the Oklahoma game and the bowl) happening after Thanksgiving.  So for a 12- or 13-year-old kid, the majority of what I knew about the team came from what I heard on the radio.

I can vividly remember being in the car on a Saturday afternoon driving through Millard.  My dad was listening to the game on KFAB.  Pete sacked the quarterback, and the announcers (Kent Pavelka and Gary Sadlemyer) mentioned that Lawrence Pete was the strongest Husker ever.  EVER! 

Do you understand how mind-blowing that was to me? Nebraska had been so great for long with legendary players on both sides of the ball, and this guy was the stronger than any of them?  He could bench press 500 pounds!?!  Holy Husker Power, Batman!  He had to have muscles on top of muscles.  Look out, Oklahoma!  There’s no way your stupid Sooner Magic is going to be able to block this guy!

That turned out to be true, as Pete and the 1988 Blackshirts kept Oklahoma out of the end zone for the first time in 46 years.

[FearlessF]

Greatest Husker to wear 95:  Danny Noonan, Middle Guard, 1983 – 1986


For most people, the name “Danny Noonan” conjures the unassuming protagonist of “Caddyshack” (played by Michael O’Keefe), not the greatest Husker to ever wear #95.  But since “Caddyshack” is one of the most quotable movies of all time, let’s combine the two.


Cinderella story. Out of nowhere.” 

A Lincoln native and Northeast High grad, Noonan did not receive a ton of recruiting interest.  He was reportedly the final name on Nebraska’s in-state offer list and did not get a scholarship offer from any other school.

“Hey, Kid! Park my car, get my bags… and put on some weight will ya?”

By the time he was a college senior, Danny Noonan was a mountain of a middle guard:  6’4″, 275 pounds, most of it pure muscle.  But as a freshman, Noonan was a 225-pound defensive end.  In a 2016 interview, he talked about getting his butt kicked by Outland and Lombardi Trophy winner Dean Steinkuhler in 1983.

Noonan knew the answer to never having that happen again:  Husker Power.  Few players are more synonymous with Husker Power than Danny Noonan.

As a teenager, Noonan’s dad would drop young Danny off at a weightlifting gym and pick him up an hour later.  Boyd Epley used to kick him out of the weightroom on the day before games.  When Nebraska released the Husker Power 50-Year Team, it was no surprise that Noonan was one of the honorees.  After his lengthy NFL career ended, Noonan worked with Epley and Husker Power in multiple capacities.

“The world needs ditch diggers, too.”

Before his junior season, Noonan was moved to middle guard.  In Nebraska’s 5-3 defense, that meant frequent double teams from centers and guards.  Middle guard is vitally important to a team’s success, but it’s not exactly a place to accumulate great statistical numbers.


“Well… We’re waiting.”

It took time for the spotlight to shine on Danny Noonan.  As a sophomore in 1984, he recorded six sacks, despite being a backup.  In his junior year, he had 11 sacks and finished second on the team in tackles for loss.  Noonan picked up second-team All-Big Eight honors behind two All-Americans (Jim Skow and Oklahoma’s Tony Casillas).

“There’s a force in the universe that makes things happen. And all you have to do is get in touch with it, stop thinking, let things happen, and be the ball.”

As a senior in 1986, Noonan was a dominating force.  Seven more sacks to bring his career total to 24 (the fourth most in NU history).  First team All-Big Eight.  Big Eight Athlete of the Year.  Consensus first team All-American.  First-round draft pick by the Dallas Cowboys. 

And he cemented his legacy as one of the greatest Huskers of all time.

So, he’s got that going for him, which is nice.

[MrNubbz]

    Greatest Husker to wear

 

[FearlessF]

Greatest Husker to wear 94:  Jared Crick, Defensive Tackle, 2007 – 2011

How do you view Jared Crick’s career? 

Do you see him as one of the best defensive tackles in school history?  Do you see him as a very good player who reaped the rewards of playing next to Ndamukong Suh?  Maybe you see him as a cautionary tale for players who decide to come back for their senior season.

It’s easy to look at Crick’s sophomore year in 2009 – Ndamukong Suh’s senior season – and see how playing next to the legendary Suh benefited Crick.  With Suh facing frequent double teams, Crick was able to use his explosive power and quickness to make plays. 

Case in point:  Nebraska’s 2009 trip to Baylor.  The Bears were determined not to let Suh beat them, so they double-teamed him on every play.  The good news:  Suh had – by his 2009 Heisman Trophy worthy standards – a relatively quiet day:  5 tackles, including three for loss, and a sack. 

But bad news for the Bears:  Jared Crick put up video game numbers:  13 total tackles (10 solo), seven tackles for loss – including a school record FIVE sacks, a pass breakup, and a fumble recovery.  The Blackshirts allowed just three points in a 20-10 win.

You can argue that Suh’s dominance allowed Crick to have a breakout game – and you’d probably be right.  But here’s the thing:  Crick’s five-sack masterpiece was a statement that he was an excellent player in his own right.  Opposing offenses had to account for both of Nebraska’s defensive tackles, which undoubtedly helped Suh in the second half of 2009.

In 2010, Suh was playing for the Detroit Lions, and Crick was the star on the defensive line.  Playing alongside sophomore (and first-time starter) Baker Steinkuhler, junior Terrence Moore, and redshirt freshman Thad Randle, Crick was now the one receiving the bulk of the double teams. 

It didn’t matter. 

Crick had a great junior season, putting up a team-high 9.5 sacks and 17 tackles for loss.  He was an All-Big 12 selection again, this time as a unanimous pick.  Crick was also a second team All-American.

After the 2010 season, Crick was faced with a big decision.  He could head off to the NFL, where he was likely to be a Day 1 pick, or he could come back for his senior season, finish his degree, and try to become a first-round pick like Suh.  The Cozad native chose to stay at NU.

Unfortunately, Crick’s senior season did not go as planned.  He tore a pectoral muscle in October and missed the final seven games of the year.  He was drafted by the Houston Texans in the fourth round and played seven seasons in the NFL.

I’m hopeful Crick is remembered as an excellent and athletic defender who performed admirably in Suh’s shadow and who showed tremendous loyalty in coming back for his senior season.  Those guys will always have a special place in my heart.

[FearlessF]

Greatest Husker to wear 93:  Ndamukong Suh, Defensive Tackle, 2005 – 2009


I can tell you that he’s arguably the greatest defensive lineman – ever – to play college football.  I can remind you of his utterly ridiculous 2009 season where his individual stats (82 tackles, 23 tackles for loss, 12 sacks, 24 QB hurries, 10 pass breakups, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble, and 3 blocked kicks) were as good as – or better than – the entire defensive lines of the top three teams in 2009*.  We can watch highlights from the 2009 Big 12 Championship, where “dominating” doesn’t do his performance proper justice.  And on and on.

*I promise you that these numbers are not typos.

2009 Alabama defensive line:  98 tackles, 23.5 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, 20 QB Hurries, 5 Pass Break Ups, 0 Interceptions, 1 Forced Fumble, and 3 blocked kicks.  Alabama won the national championship in 2009.
2009 Texas defensive line:  112 tackles, 22 TFL, 14 sacks, 48 QBH, 5 PBU, 0 INT, 1 FF, 0 blocked kicks.  Texas was the 2009 runner up.
2009 Florida defensive line:  116 tackles, 25.5 TFL, 15.5 sacks, 10 QBH, 7 PBU, 0 INT, 2 FF, 0 blocked kicks.  Florida won the National Championship in 2008 and finished #3 in 2009.
2009 Ndamukong Suh:  82 tackles, 23 TFL, 12 sacks, 24 QBH, 10 PBU, 1 INT, 1 FF, 3 blocked kicks.  2009 Nebraska finished 10-4, winning the Big 12 North.  The Huskers lost the Big 12 Championship game on a field goal when one second was added back onto the clock.
Seriously.  Ndamukong Suh – by himself! – had equal or better production than No. 1, 2, and 3 teams.  And I could easily make the argument that those numbers don’t fully account for the impact he had on the 2009 Blackshirts becoming one of the greatest defenses in Nebraska history.

So, you’re just going to have to believe me when I say this next sentence is typed with zero hyperbole:

Ndamukong Suh is arguably THE greatest player in Nebraska’s lengthy and successful history.

He’s easily the most decorated Cornhusker.  In 2009, he won the Outland Trophy, Lombardi Award, Bronko Nagurski Award, and Chuck Bednarik Award.  Suh was also a finalist for the Walter Camp National Player of the Year Award and the Lott Trophy. 

If Heisman voters were capable of voting for somebody other than the best offensive player on one of the top two teams, he would have won that trophy too.  Suh finished fourth, one of the best results ever for a defense-only player.

We could spend the rest of the day recapping how Suh absolutely destroyed Texas’s offensive line and threw Colt McCoy around like a rag doll.  Twelve tackles, six for loss, with 4.5 sacks.  And let’s be honest:  those video game numbers don’t do justice to how much he dominated the No. 3 team in the nation.  It looked like a five-time Pro Bowl player against a junior high team.  You’ll never see a more dominating performance from a defensive player.

At Mizzou in 2009, Ndamukong Suh was unstoppable as the monsoon rains that fell all night.  Six tackles, a sack, interception, forced fumble, and a pass breakup.  That Thursday night ESPN game was Suh’s coming out party for a large portion of the country.

A sleeper pick is the time Suh almost sacked a quarterback without touching him.  In the 2009 Oklahoma game, Suh drove tackle Jarvis Jones – a 6’7″ 277-pound behemoth of a man – seven yards backwards, into the lap of quarterback Landry Jones.  Hurried by his tackle’s backside, Landry Jones managed to throw the ball away.  But Suh finished the play by shoving Jarvis into his quarterback.

There’s a similar play in the 2007 USC game.  The ball is snapped at the 37.  The Trojan running back takes the handoff at the 42… and is tackled at the 44 for a seven-yard loss.  Suh tackled him with his left arm, because his right was still engaged with the guard Suh had pushed back 21 feet.  Teams struggled to deal with his brute strength.

As a fan of fullbacks, I definitely know that Suh caught a pass out of the backfield for a touchdown against Kansas – one of three touchdowns he scored in his career.  Suh had a 49-yard pick six against San Jose State.

Let’s close with the unforgettable finish to the 2008 Colorado game.  Alex Henery had just hit a school record 57-yard field goal to take a two-point lead.  NU kicked off.  On second down Zach Potter tipped a Cody Hawkins pass.  Suh caught it and rumbled 30 yards for the game-clinching touchdown, trucking Hawkins – the son of Colorado’s head coach – in the process. 

Memorial Stadium – stilling buzzing after The Kick – went into absolute delirium.  My favorite part of that play is Suh glancing back at trampled wreckage of Cody Hawkins with a “did I step on something?” look.

There will never be another Ndamukong Suh.

[FearlessF]

Nebraska made the deluxe cover of EA Sports College Football…

[FearlessF]

Greatest Husker to wear 92:  Derrie Nelson, Defensive End, 1976 – 1980

The walk-on program – especially under legendary coaches Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne – played an instrumental role in Nebraska’s sustained success, impacting the program in numerous ways.

They all paid their own way to attend the University of Nebraska, often with little to no guarantee of anything, other than the chance to prove themselves.

In 2009, Randy York of Huskers.com published some eye-popping numbers about Nebraska’s walk-on program.  Between the start of the Bob Devaney era (1962) and 2009, 442 walk-ons became letterwinners and 131 became starters. 

A 2019 article in the Omaha World-Herald listed 25 former walk-ons who were picked in the NFL Draft, including a first-rounder (Jimmy Williams), a Pro Bowl pick (Sam Koch), and two with Super Bowl rings (Koch and Scott Shanle).

Derrie Nelson is a prime example of this, and of how Nebraska’s walk-on program worked.

Nelson is from Fairmont, Nebraska, about 60 miles west-southwest of Lincoln.  The village of Fairmont is rather small (about 760 people when Nelson was growing up).  Fairmont High School – like many small Nebraska towns and villages – played eight-man football because it didn’t have enough players for 11-man.

Nelson was a gifted athlete with strong genetics.  His uncle, Bob Cerv, is a Nebraska baseball legend who played for the New York Yankees.  But it was hard to get a lot of recruiting attention as an eight-man player in Fairmont, Nebraska, in the late 1970s.  Regardless, Nelson had dreamed of playing for Nebraska.  He just needed an opportunity.  The walk-on program gave him a way to get his foot in the door. 

From there, Nelson’s talent and hard work took over.

After a standout year on the freshman team, Nelson started as a sophomore in 1978.  He provided an immediate impact:  42 tackles, 3 fumble recoveries, one INT and a punt block.  He was named to the All-Big Eight honorable mention team.


He just kept getting better throughout his career.  Take the 1979 Missouri game for example.  The Huskers were up by three points, but Mizzou had the ball on the 11 with time for one more play.  A field goal would end the game in a tie, a touchdown would win it.  Mizzou chose to try for the win.  Nelson – playing on a severely sprained ankle – sacked the quarterback for an 18-yard loss.  Time ran out and Nebraska held onto win 24-21. 

That ankle kept him out of two other games, which likely impacted his postseason honors.  Even so, Nelson was first team All-Big Eight and an honorable mention All-American in 1979.

As a senior in 1980, Nelson had one of the finest seasons of any former walk-on.  He was a team captain, the Big Eight Defensive Player of the Year, first team All-American, and a finalist for the Lombardi Award.  The 1980 defense may have been the best of Tom Osborne’s career.  Nelson and crew held opponents to just 9.2 points per game (the lowest of the Osborne era) and recorded three shutouts. 

Not too shabby for a walk-on from Fairmont.

[FearlessF]

Nebraska AD Troy Dannen confirmed that Valentino’s pizza, Fairbury hotdogs and Runza will be STAYING at Memorial Stadium and other UNL venues.

New concession food will be announced ahead of the season 👀

[FearlessF]

new turf!

[847badgerfan]

Greatest Husker to wear 92:  Derrie Nelson, Defensive End, 1976 – 1980

The walk-on program – especially under legendary coaches Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne – played an instrumental role in Nebraska’s sustained success, impacting the program in numerous ways.

They all paid their own way to attend the University of Nebraska, often with little to no guarantee of anything, other than the chance to prove themselves.

County Scholarships.

[MarqHusker]

4H of Lancaster County!

[FearlessF]

the Husker beef program!

[FearlessF]

Greatest Husker to wear 91:  Kent Wells, Defensive Tackle, 1986 – 1989

Honorable Mention:  none


Nebraska.  Oklahoma.

Those two words once made up the greatest rivalry in college football.

In the 68 seasons of the Big Six, Big Seven, and Big Eight conferences, Nebraska or Oklahoma won (or shared) the conference title 58 times. 

Most of the time, their annual meeting would decide everything.  Who would win the conference?  Who would go to the Orange Bowl?  Who was still in the national championship conversation?  And who would spend the next year upset about losing? 


The OU-NU series has been there for milestones throughout Nebraska’s history:

1923:  The first-ever game at Memorial Stadium in 1923.  The Cornhuskers, being gracious hosts, wore blue jerseys to not clash with the Sooners’ crimson.
1963:  The two teams played one day after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, at the insistence of Bobby Kennedy.
1995:  Fittingly the final game of the Big Eight Conference paired Oklahoma and Nebraska.
2010:  Although the annual series died (by Oklahoma’s choice) when the Big Eight became 12, Nebraska’s final game as a member of the Big 12 conference was against Oklahoma.
After winning the two most recent games (2021 and 2022), the Sooners lead the all-time series 47-38-3.  The teams have played five times on Thanksgiving Day, 10 times on Black Friday, and once on a Sunday in the 1979 Orange Bowl. 

Since the start of the AP Poll in 1936, Nebraska and Oklahoma have met 73 times.  Nebraska was ranked 41 times, 47 for Oklahoma.  Only 10 times were both teams unranked, and just once after 1961.  Both teams were ranked 25 times, including a five-game stretch from 1984 to 1988 where the worst ranking of either team was ninth.  That is a rivalry* with some real stakes.


*Let’s pause for a second to put the OU-NU being a “rivalry built on mutual respect” narrative to bed.  Sure, the distance (454 miles between the two stadiums) dissipated some of the 24/7/365 vitriol of Michigan – Ohio State, Alabama – Auburn, or other legendary college football rivalries.  But let’s not act like the players were going out for ice cream sundaes after the games.  There are quotes from players on both sides – from darn near every season – that show this game wasn’t a bunch of buddies getting together for a friendly game.

Who knows, maybe OU fans felt a polite respect – or even apathy – for Nebraska… I can’t speak for them.  But as a child of the Tom Osborne 80s, believe me when I say Nebraskans absolutely despised Oklahoma, Barry Switzer, and everything they stood for.  Switzer – the brash, self-described “Bootlegger’s boy” – was the clear anthesis of the stoic, teetotaling Osborne in every dadgum way.  Switzer’s Sooners were brash and built, in part, by Switzer’s willingness to color outside the lines of the NCAA rulebook.  To young Dave, it felt like a matchup of good vs. evil… and evil often won.


Switzer’s Sooners crushed Husker hopes and dreams year after heartbreaking year.  Those losses often came in the most painful way possible – via a deal-with-the-devil form of voodoo known as “Sooner Magic”. 


Oklahoma quarterback Jamelle Holieway ran for 110 yards during the Sooners' 27-7 win over Nebraska in 1985. / Malcolm Emmons-Imagn Images
The games from 1984 – 1987 were especially painful for Husker fans. 

1984 – the Sooners scored 10 points in the fourth quarter to upset No. 1 Nebraska. 
1985 – Oklahoma scored the first 27 points in a 27-7 pounding. 
1986 – The wore all-red uniforms for the first time.  The Sooners scored 13 fourth quarter points, including the game winner with six seconds left.
1987 – Billed as “Game of the Century II”, with #1 NU hosting No. 2 OU.  The Sooners won 17-7 in a game that was not as close as the final score suggested. 
After the 1987 game, Tom Osborne’s head-to-head record against Barry Switzer was 4-12.  Throughout his tenure, Osborne didn’t care for the emphasis put on the outcome of the Oklahoma game.  He often said that he felt fans didn’t care if his teams won nine or 10 games in a season – only if one of those wins was against Oklahoma.

This takes us to 1988, with No. 7 NU traveling to No. 9 OU.  The Sooner wishbone offense had given Nebraska fits for years, as the Huskers failed to contain OU’s speedy quarterbacks and running backs.  Defensive coordinator Charlie McBride deviated from his usual 5-2 defense with a “Husker” alignment that was essentially a 4-3 look. 


One of the stars of the 1988 game was defensive tackle Kent Wells, a junior from Lincoln.  The Oklahoma newspapers said Wells and his fellow defensive tackles (Willie Griffin and Lawrence Pete) “did as they pleased,” combining for 17 tackles and three sacks.


Kent Wells moved into the starting lineup midway through his junior season. / 1989 Nebraska Football Media Guide
Wells was recruited out of Lincoln East High as an offensive lineman but made the switch to defense during his freshman year.  By the middle of his junior season (1988) Wells had earned a spot in the starting lineup. 

Wells had incredible strength.  Prior to his senior season (1989), Wells was bench pressing more than 440 pounds and had a squat of 540 pounds.  In addition to football, he used that strength as a member of the Nebraska track and field team, earning four varsity letters.  Wells won the 1989 Big Eight Outdoor title in shot put with an impressive throw of 57′ 3.5″.


Back to the 1988 game… The Huskers were clinging to a 7-3 lead and had not scored since their opening drive.  After a partially blocked punt, Oklahoma got the ball near midfield with 1:45 to go.  Everybody expected Sooner Magic to rear its ugly head and bring the Huskers pain.  On first down, Sooner QB Charles Thompson was sacked by Kent Wells for an 8-yard loss, his second sack of the game.  On fourth down, pressure by Wells forced Thompson to step up into the pocket, where he was sacked by Lawrence Pete.  Thompson broke his leg during the play.

The Sooners were held to just 98 rushing yards and 39 yards through the air.  It was the first time since 1942 that the Huskers did not allow a touchdown to Oklahoma.

The 1988 game was the final matchup between Osborne and Switzer.  After multiple NCAA investigations, scandals, and player arrests, Switzer resigned in June 1989. 

[FearlessF]