Dave Feit's Greatest Huskers by the Numbers: 35

Dave Feit is counting down the days until the start of the 2025 season by naming the best Husker to wear each uniform number, as well as one of his personal favorites at that number. For more information about the series, click here. To see more entries, click here.

Greatest Husker to wear 35: Ed Weir, Tackle, 1923-1925

Honorable Mention: Rick Berns, Jerry Brown, Kris Brown, Steve Damkroger, Jeff Kinney, Lester McDonald, Thomas Lee Penny, Clair Sloan

Also worn by: Moses Bryant, Andrew Holt, Matt Holt, Andy Janovich, Chuck Jones, Robert Kahler, Scott Kurtz, Caleb Lightbourn, Trevin Luben, Jay Martin, Kevin Parsons, Dusty Stamer, Tyrone Uhlir, Matt Waldoch

Dave's Fave: Andy Janovich, Fullback, 2012-2015

When did Nebraska football become a national power?

Nebraska has been a winning program from the start, going 2-0 in the inaugural 1890 season. They owned three conference championships before Lincoln sportswriter Cy Sherman first referred to them as the "Cornhuskers" - a nickname formally adopted by NU in 1900.

Early Nebraska teams were annual favorites in the Missouri Valley Intercollege Athletic Association - a predecessor to the conference eventually known as the Big Six, Big Seven, Big Eight and Big 12.

Coaches W.C. "King" Cole and Ewald "Jumbo" Stiehm piled up wins against regional teams like Doane, Grinnell and Kansas.

But Nebraska - and its fans - wanted to be known as one of the nation's best teams.

That level of validation could only come from beating a national power. But travel to the great Eastern teams (Army, Harvard, Princeton, etc.) was prohibitive. The Huskers rarely ventured outside a 500-mile radius for a game.

Enter Notre Dame.

Notre Dame's fabled Four Horsemen. | Library of Congress

In the 1910s, the Fighting Irish were also emerging as a national power. Coach Jesse Harper arranged for a series of games with Jumbo Stiehm. In 1915, Notre Dame came to Lincoln, the first of 11 straight years of games between the two schools. Nebraska won 20-19, a massive victory for the program's reputation. Now, Nebraska needed to back it up and prove it wasn't a fluke.

After the initial win, the series was very even: 1-1-1 over the next three years. The Irish rattled off three straight wins from 1919-1921. In 1922, the Irish - now coached by Knute Rockne and led by a quartet of sensational sophomores who would eventually become known as the "Four Horsemen"* - were becoming an unbeatable dynasty.

*Legendary sportswriter Grantland Rice's famous words from 1924:

"Outlined against a blue, gray October sky the Four Horsemen rode again.

"In dramatic lore they are known as famine, pestilence, destruction and death. These are only aliases. Their real names are: Stuhldreher, Miller, Crowley and Layden. They formed the crest of the South Bend cyclone before which another fighting Army team was swept over the precipice at the Polo Grounds this afternoon as 55,000 spectators peered down upon the bewildering panorama spread out upon the green plain below."

The final four games in the Notre Dame-NU series would change the course of how Nebraska football was perceived in the nation's eyes.

1922 - Nebraska 14, Notre Dame 6.

This was the final game the Cornhuskers played at old Nebraska Field. A reported 16,000 fans were in attendance - and many watched from ladders, rooftops and trees outside the stadium. Coach Fred Dawson's Cornhuskers led 14-0 at halftime and held on for the victory. This game showed that the 1915 win was not a fluke. The Cornhuskers were a potent program.

1923 - Nebraska 14, Notre Dame 7.

The Huskers hosted Notre Dame in the third game ever at Nebraska's brand new Memorial Stadium.* The Associated Press would not start its college football poll for another 13 years. Had it existed, the Irish likely would have been one of the top teams.

*The construction of Memorial Stadium was another big step in Nebraska announcing its presence. Instead of playing at outdated Nebraska Field with its wooden stands, the Huskers now had a $500,000, state-of-the-art concrete and steel facility.

The Four Horsemen formed a fearsome rushing attack… except on this November day. Nebraska's defense - led by Ed Weir, a sophomore tackle and team captain - shut down the Irish running game. Notre Dame threw a late touchdown pass, but the Cornhuskers had once again beaten the mighty Irish.

1924 - Notre Dame 34, Nebraska 6.

Of the 11 games in the original NU-ND series, this was one of just two played in South Bend. Why? The Nebraska fans bought tickets in droves. Schools would split the gate revenue, which resulted in big paydays for both teams.

In their last game against Nebraska, the Four Horseman finally beat the Huskers, avenging the only two losses they suffered in their careers. Rockne's game plan was largely focused on neutralizing Weir. The final score definitely suggests his plan worked. Notre Dame went on to win the national championship.

After the game, Rockne marched over to the Nebraska locker room and demanded to be let in. Rockne shouted "Weir! I want Weir." The legendary coach went over to a dejected Weir - too exhausted to move - and said* "Weir, I want to say to your face that you're the greatest tackle and the cleanest player I've ever watched."

*As one might expect with something that happened over 100 years ago, there's some discrepancy on the exact words Rockne said to Weir. One source had "That was the greatest exhibition of play I have ever seen. There was never anything like it." Another version is more simplistic "You're the greatest tackle I ever saw," which was clearly Rockne's message.

1925 - Nebraska 17, Notre Dame 0

In Ed Weir's senior season, he got the last laugh against Rockne and the Irish. In what may have been the best game of his great career, Weir blocked a punt to set up a Nebraska touchdown. He kicked both extra points and a 25-yard field goal as Nebraska cruised to a 17-0 victory.

After the game, Weir said "Rock gave me a big grin and a wink."

The 1925 game was the final in the 11-game series between the Huskers and Irish. Notre Dame loved the share of gate revenues earned by playing in Lincoln - reportedly $80,000 by the end of the series ($1.4 million in 2025 dollars). However, the near-constant anti-Catholic slurs from Nebraska fans (and the Lincoln chapter of the Ku Klux Klan) caused Notre Dame to cancel the rivalry. The two legendary programs have met just five times in the last 100 years.

The Four Horsemen were not the only college football legends to be bested by Weir's Cornhuskers. One of the only times the great "Galloping Ghost" Red Grange of Illinois was kept out of the end zone was against Weir in 1925.

Ed Weir, left, and Illinois' Red Grange. Nebraska coach Dana X. Bible is cropped out. — Ed Weir, left, and Illinois' Red Grange. | HuskerMax

Weir played tackle on both offense and defense, but defense is where he made his mark. Weir once said his mindset on defense was to get in the backfield and tackle everyone he saw until he got to the man with the ball. Occasionally, Weir would play fullback, but his coaches did not care for his tactic of using the ball to stiff-arm would-be tacklers.

Weir was the first Husker to earn All-America honors twice (1924 and 1925), and was also a two-time captain. He was the first Cornhusker elected to the College Football Hall of Fame, joining the inaugural class in 1951. Sports Illustrated named him one of the greatest players of the first half of the 20th century.

After college, Weir was a player/coach for the Frankford Yellow Jackets of the NFL before coming back to Lincoln as an assistant coach with the track and football teams.* NU won conference championships in seven of his nine years on the football staff. Weir was the head coach of the Nebraska track and field team for 17 years, winning 10 conference championships.

*I love this quote from the 1933 Cornhusker yearbook talking about Weir's football coaching style: "he still gets in and mixes it up with the boys once in a while."

After Weir retired from coaching, he was an assistant AD for 14 years. The outdoor track at Nebraska (since replaced by the new football practice facility) was named in his honor.

In all, Weir - the pride of Superior - spent 43 of his 88 years as a player, coach or administrator for the University of Nebraska.

Ed Weir is a true legend of Cornhusker athletics.

***

For decades, Nebraska football has been a gigantic juggernaut of a program. A shining monolith seemingly comprised of the best of the best from all over the country.

But at the same time, Nebraska football has always been the state's team, largely comprised of boys from the tiny dots on the map. Gothenburg, Giltner, Greely, Geneva, Gibbon, Grant, Gering, Gretna and more.

If you grew up in one of those tiny dots, I'm guessing you can name many of the guys who have played - or simply suited up - for dear old Nebraska U over the years.

It doesn't really matter if those native sons had memorable careers, or if the only time their names were called was on Senior Day. They were your direct link to the team you love. Our collective, statewide pride in the program gets amplified when one of our own is on the team.

"You see that guy? He's from MY hometown! His folks go to the same church as my parents!"

I think that feeling of local pride is at the heart of why Nebraskans love the walk-on program so much. The feeling that our town is doing our part to help Nebraska be successful is very gratifying. Even if they rarely play, I love to see communities rally around their native sons.

But when that local hero becomes a key contributor… whoo buddy, that's the good stuff.

That brings us to Andy Janovich.

Andy Janovich wasn't the first kid from my (then) small town, Class B high school (Gretna) to play for Nebraska. There was Mike Carl in the 1980s. Two guys a few years younger than me (Chris Taylor and Chris Hastings) walked on and made the roster in the 1990s. In the years since Gretna has exploded from sleepy small town to booming Omaha suburb, the number of Dragons making their way to Lincoln has grown steadily.

Andy Janovich carries the ball against Michigan State in 2015. | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

But Jano was the breakthrough guy.

He played in 11 games as a walk-on true freshman. He started two games and got a few carries and a reception against Idaho State (the first Dragon to touch the ball in a Nebraska uniform).

I've never met him or his family (apparently his folks live down a few houses down from where one of my good friends lived), but I beamed with pride every time he was introduced as a starter.

During his sophomore and junior seasons, Janovich was a selfless lead blocker for Ameer Abdullah and a special teams standout. It didn't matter to me that Janovich rarely saw touches in the Tim Beck offense (none in 2013, one reception in 2014). I was absolutely loving having a guy from my town in the starting lineup. I've always had a soft spot for walk-on fullbacks. It couldn't get any better than this.

Or so I thought…

At the end of 2014 Bo Pelini and Beck were fired. In Mike Riley and Danny Langsdorf's version of the West Coast offense, it seemed unlikely that they would want - let alone use - a fullback. But Jano ended up the fourth-leading rusher on the team. Against Southern Miss, he had the longest reception by fullback (53 yards) in over 35 years. In the game at Illinois, he had 11 carries!

Andy Janovich breaks free to score against Wisconsin. — Andy Janovich breaks free to score against Wisconsin in 2015. | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

In the 2015 Wisconsin game, Nebraska trailed the Badgers 20-14 with about four minutes left in the game. The Huskers have a third-and-one from their 45. The play is a fullback dive! It's Jano! HE'S IN THE OPEN! OH MY GOD, JANO IS GOING TO SCORE!!!

I've been going to games with my buddy Nate for 10-15 years. He will tell you that I - somebody who has been known to get a little excitable during games - have never been louder than the time Andy Janovich (a kid from my hometown!) scored a touchdown (the first ever by a Gretna Dragon!) for my beloved Huskers.

Yeah, it was very disappointing that they couldn't hang to and win that game. But it is still my favorite Husker memory of this century. I'd put it ahead of the plays Eric Crouch made in his Heisman season, the Alex Henery kick, the Ndamukong Suh pick-six, even the Jordan Westerkamp Hail Mary.

Thinking about the Jano run still gives me goosebumps. It was awesome.

It's something I hope every Husker fan from a small town gets to experience at least once.

More from Nebraska on SI

Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.