Do you want a good example of how much football has changed in the last 50+ years?
Ed Periard was a two-year starter at middle guard, earning first team All-Big Eight honors in 1970. He was listed at 5' 9" and 198 pounds, which by today’s standards is undersized for pretty much any position other than piccolo in the Cornhusker Marching Band.
Okay… that's not entirely true.
You see, even 55 years ago, everybody knew Ed Periard was undersized. A 1970 Lincoln Star article said "Let's face it… at 5-9, 201 Periard is too small to play middle guard for the No. 4 ranked Cornhuskers."
The problem was getting Periard to understand it. He simply refused to listen to the word "no."
Assistant Coach Mike Corgan was recruiting in Michigan when he first saw Ed Periard, a running back at a small high school with dreams of playing for Nebraska. Corgan passed. Too slow.
The Nebraska coaches received more film from Periard, which was watched by Bob Devaney. Devaney also passed.
Undeterred, Periard and his parents drove to Lincoln. They begged Devaney for a tryout. Fine. There would be no scholarship, but he could try out for the freshman team. Go get a physical and prove yourself on the field.
Periard failed his physical due to a bad knee. The doctors would not let him play.
Frustrated, Periard stormed into Devaney's office and barked "Look, I didn't come to Nebraska for a knee operation. I came to play football."
Devaney came to two realizations:
"We figured he deserved a chance with an attitude like that."
He knew he had to keep Periard on the team, because he sure as heck didn't want to play against him.
After playing linebacker in 1968, he was moved by assistant coach Monte Kiffin to middle guard. Despite being 40 pounds lighter than the average offensive lineman of the day, Periard started the next two years on the line.
"That's one time we were really wrong," Devaney said. "He's tough and quick."
Ed Periard | Nebraska Football Media Guide
Periard may have been too slow to be a running back, but on the defensive line, he earned the nickname "Fast Eddie" because - let's face it - offensive linemen are often the slowest guys on the field. Periard used his cat-like speed to go around blockers and make tackles. Eventually, teams started double-teaming Periard to a) keep him contained, and b) try to inflict some damage on his diminutive frame.
During the 1970 Colorado game, he got the wind knocked out of him. As he was lying on the field, teammate Jerry Murtaugh tried to call the trainers onto the field. Gasping for breath, Periard looked up at Murtaugh and said "I'll kick your ass if you allow me to go off this field. I'm not leaving. You shut your mouth." Laughing, Murtaugh helped Periard up, and they finished the game.
The following week, Murtaugh got the wind knocked out of him after a play. Periard came and stood over his linebacker. "Murt," he said wryly "you want us to call for a stretcher to get you off the field?" If you've ever lost your breath after a hit, you know it can be hard to get it back. It's even harder when you're laughing.
In his senior season (1970), Periard had 79 total tackles (second on the team behind Murtaugh) and a team-high 15 tackles for loss. I'd wager he is the one last first-team all-conference lineman from a power conference to weigh less than 200 pounds.
On the bus ride to the stadium before the 1971 Orange Bowl, Periard learned that No. 1 Texas and No. 2 Ohio State had both lost their bowl games. This meant No. 3 Nebraska now had a chance at a national championship. "We got a shot at winning this!" he said.
Ed Periard (56) joins Bob Devaney and his assistants in celebrating the Huskers' 1971 Orange Bowl win over LSU. | Nebraska Football Media Guide
Never one to waste an opportunity, 198-pound Ed Periard had seven solo tackles from the middle guard position. The LSU Tigers rushed 45 times for 51 yards.
Nebraska won the game 17-12, and earned its first national championship.
Ed Periard refusing to take "no" for an answer had a lot to do with it.
