Dave Feit's Greatest Huskers by the Numbers: 56

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 56: Ed Periard, Middle Guard, 1968 - 1970

Honorable Mention: none

Also worn by: Shukree Barfield, Howard Kelly, Micah Mazzccua, Mark Pelini, John Pitts, Brad Simpson, Joe Sims, Jeremy Slechta, Grant Tagge, Boe Wilson, Rob Zatechka

Dave's Fave: Rob Zatechka, Offensive Tackle, 1990 - 1994

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."

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.

***

In 1994, No. 3 Nebraska was about to face its toughest opponent: No. 2 Colorado. The Buffs were stacked with talent on both sides of the ball. Kordell Stewart, Heisman Trophy winner Rashaan Salaam, and future NFL players all over the field. Sure, the game was being played in Lincoln, but Colorado's Hail Mary win at Michigan proved the 1994 Buffaloes could win anywhere.

Rob Zatechka was the starting left tackle on "The Pipeline" - arguably the greatest offensive line at a school that was renowned for O-line excellence. He was also a team captain. He knew his teammates would need an extra edge if they wanted to come out on top. In telling this story on a podcast, Zatechka said he didn't want his teammates to be fired up: "I wanted guys pissed off. I wanted guys angry."

That night, he saw his inspiration.

The local news showed the Colorado team arriving at the Lincoln airport. The footage showed Buffalo players getting off the plane and heading over to Memorial Stadium for a quick walk-through.

Before the Huskers took the field, Zatechka got his offensive line mates together for a final pregame talk.

Zatechka: Did any of you guys watch the news last night? That footage of Colorado getting off the plane?

Members of the Pipeline: (all shook their heads no)

Zatechka: So, none of you guys know that (All-Big Eight defensive end) Shannon Clavelle walked off the plane carrying a pipe cutter? He wants to cut our Pipeline.

Members of the Pipeline: That son of a bitch.

Zatechka: You don't come into our stadium and disrespect us like that. What are we going to do about it?

Members of the Pipeline: (various graphic descriptions of the physical beating they intended to inflict upon the Buffaloes)

Nebraska absolutely dominated the game, winning 24-7. The Huskers ran for 203 yards - below their season average, but nearly double what Colorado allowed per game that season. Quarterback Brook Berringer was not sacked. Afterward, Colorado defensive tackle Darius Holland (who would play 10 years in the NFL) said "(The offensive line) blew us off the ball. They did at will whatever they wanted to."

After the game, reporters were interviewing players in the jubilant Husker locker room for their stories. One of the linemen brought up the pipe cutters as an example of the disrespect that motivated them to victory. The anecdote made it into book on Husker history and invariably comes up whenever the 1994 Colorado game is discussed.

There's just one little thing… Rob Zatechka made it up.

Yes, the local news did show Colorado players getting off the plane. But Shannon Clavelle was not carrying pipe cutters. Nor was any other Buffalo player. Zatechka kept the secret for 20 years before spilling the beans in a Big Ten Network documentary on the 1994 Huskers. In a 2024 interview with The Athletic, Zatechka said "I guarantee there are people on the Colorado team who thought their guys carried pipe cutters off that plane."

If that sounds like the work of an evil genius, you're half right. Zatechka, who graduated with a perfect 4.0 GPA in biological sciences, earned more academic honors than any other Nebraska football player. After his NFL career, Zatechka went to medical school and became Dr. Rob.

He is currently an anesthesiologist in Omaha, even though he showed great potential in psychology.

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