Echoes of Glory Part III: 25 Years of Husker Football and the Search for Redemption

Below is the third part of a 3-part series revisiting the narratives that characterized Nebraska's first 25 years of the 21st century.

Part 1 | Part 2

Black Eyes Abound

For all of Nebraska’s 20th-century dominance, the first 25 years of the new millennium introduced Husker fans to something less familiar: sustained public humiliation. There had been rough patches in the 25 years that preceded the 2000s – the Lawrence Phillips saga in 1995, reported steroid use in the 1980s, the Scott Baldwin tragedy, and the 1999 campaign’s infighting – but in a pre-digital era, many other would-be scandals faded quickly or escaped national scrutiny.

The 21st century changed all that. The rise of smartphones, 24-hour sports coverage, and social media dragged every misstep into the spotlight.

The Huskers’ first truly humbling moment came in the 2001 Colorado game, a result so shocking it made national headlines for days to come. The embarrassment deepened weeks later when the Huskers backed into the BCS title game and trailed Miami 34–0 at halftime. A year later, a 40–7 beatdown at Penn State on primetime television reaffirmed that the end of 2001 was no fluke – this was the new normal.

Iowa State quarterback Seneca Wallace sprints in the open field as Chris Kelsay's tackle attempt fails for Nebraska. | Rodney White/THe Register, Des Moines Register via Imagn Content Services, LLC

The unraveling continued off the field. Frank Solich’s controversial dismissal in 2003 triggered a 40-day coaching search that revealed Nebraska’s diminished status in the national landscape.

The eventual hire, Bill Callahan, ushered in a new era of turmoil. In his fifth game as coach, the honeymoon ended abruptly when his team turned the ball over five times in ten plays during a historic 60-point loss to Texas Tech. Three years later, his defense gave up ten touchdowns on ten straight possessions to Kansas.

And off the field, Callahan sparked controversy by allegedly referring to Oklahoma fans as “f------ hillbillies.” That same night, Husker lineman Darren DeLone was accused of assaulting a member of OU’s RUF/NEK spirit squad, an incident that went to trial, though DeLone was acquitted. That wasn’t the first time an on-field incident nearly landed a Husker in jail. Defensive back Kellen Huston gave a literal black eye to a Missouri fan storming the field after the Tigers win in 2003.

Callahan’s successor generally saved his worst moments for off the field. Pelini's sideline tirades often became regular fodder for national commentators. A secret recording released in 2013 captured him cursing out Nebraska fans. Another, after his firing, showcased him eviscerating AD Shawn Eichorst in a profanity-laced team meeting.

On the field, his team rode a roller coaster, sometimes to disastrous results. They gave up a record eight turnovers in a 2009 tilt with unranked Iowa State, four alone inside the Cyclones’ 5-yard-line. It was enough to give the Clones their first win in Lincoln since 1977.

But no loss was more stunning than the 70–31 collapse in the 2012 Big Ten title game against a Wisconsin team they’d beaten in the regular season and now started its third-string quarterback. “Is this a nightmare? Someone wake me up,” tweeted former Husker Heisman winner Eric Crouch during the rout.

Two years later, Badger running back Melvin Gordon strolled through the Blackshirt defense in the snow, temporarily making Nebraska the ignominious record holder for allowing the most receiving (Troy Edwards in ‘98) and rushing yards in a game to a single player.

The dysfunction wasn’t limited to head coaches. One assistant spent time on house arrest for his third DUI. Another assistant resigned before coaching his first game due to a similar offense.

And then there were the viral lowlights: a negative yard kickoff against Ohio State, an unfortunate tackle at Michigan, an offensive lineman falling out of his stance versus Sparty. Nebraska was often a punchline as often as a headline.

Even its brightest NFL stars couldn’t avoid trouble, whether through scandal, dirty play, or just plain boneheaded mistakes.

Oakland Raiders center Richie Incognito during an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Perhaps most damaging was the erosion of accountability. Frost, after years of talk his teams never fulfilled, blamed Nebraska’s administration and called it the “wrong job.” Bill Callhan declared he’d done an “excellent job in all areas” amid a dismal 2007 season. And after a bowl game loss to South Carolina, Pelini’s assistant Corey Raymond said, "Look at them, look at us. It's pretty obvious,” laying the blame at the feet of a talent disparity rather than coaching or development.

Such was life in the online era. Every black eye left a deeper bruise than the one before it. And for a generation of Husker fans raised on dominance, the public unraveling was both surreal and sobering.

Flashes of Greatness

The first 25 years were often dark but not without their flickers of brilliance. At times, they kept the college football world watching in awe.

The Huskers started the 2001 season 11-0 and ranked tops in the nation on the heels of Eric Crouch’s sensational Heisman run. Fans got not one but two interstellar plays from the fleet-footed Omaha native – a 95-yard scramble for a touchdown against Missouri and the famous Black 41 Reverse Pass to seal victory against Oklahoma.

But with all due respect to the last Heisman winner at Nebraska, the Huskers’ best player of the 21st century was Ndamukong Suh. Suh spent 2009 on the warpath, the exploits of which vaulted him to status as the best player, at any position, in the first 25 years of the 2000s by ESPN.

Nebraska Cornhuskers defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh in action against the Texas Longhorns during the Big 12 championship game at Cowboys Stadium. The Longhorns beat the Cornhuskers 13-12. | Matthew Emmons-Imagn Images

That bears repeating: despite a quarter century of declining play, Nebraska still produced the greatest player of any team in the sport.

Suh single-handedly outproduced entire defensive lines in 2009. In a torrential downpour in Columbus, he rose to national prominence by intercepting former commit Blaine Gabbert, hurrying him into several more off-balance throws, and leaving him with a bum ankle the rest of the season after a monster takedown. That’s to say nothing of the time he pushed a Sooner offensive lineman into his own quarterback, scoring a 10-3 win against rival OU. The previous year Oklahoma scored sixty-two.

For his magnum opus, Suh personally ended Colt McCoy’s Heisman campaign, sacking the terrified signal caller four-and-a-half times, including a ragdoll toss that will circulate in Husker circles forever. It almost made you feel bad for the baby-faced McCoy. Almost.

Despite that treasure trove of destruction in ‘09, maybe his greatest highlight happened the year before versus Colorado, when he intercepted Cody Hawkins’ pass and trampled him on the way to a pick-six, detonating an earthquake of noise from the stands.

That play was preceded by Alex Henery’s heroic 57-yard kick to put the Huskers ahead 33 to 31. It was the defining moment for a kicker who would end his career as the most accurate in college football history.

Just one year after Suh left, T-Magic mania swept much of the country when Taylor Martinez introduced himself by racing through and around Nebraska’s opposition. He even garnered Heisman hype early on, upstaging eventual 1st round pick Jake Locker in Husky Stadium.

His rise in 2010 was the only thing that overshadowed linebacker Lavonte David’s debut. Considered the less heralded player from Fort Scott Junior College next to giant teammate Jermarcus “Yoshi” Hardrick, David showed Husker fans he was Tom Novak incarnate, tackling everyone that dared to touch the football. And like Suh, he changed the outcome of games. His strip of Braxton Miller turned the tide in the Huskers’ 2011 comeback win over the Buckeyes. Later that year, a fourth quarter tackle-for-loss at Penn State preserved the victory in a physical, low-scoring affair.

Ameer Abdullah took the mantle of “Best Husker Player” when David left to embark on a Hall of Fame NFL career. He filled in admirably for an injured Rex Burkhead in 2012 and then finished his career as Nebraska’s second leading rusher of all-time. He steered the team clear of disaster with his heroics against McNeese State and carried the Huskers to a crowd-pleasing win over Miami with a gritty, 229-yard effort. Abdullah finished as a Doak Walker finalist.

Speaking of Rex Burkhead, “Superman’s” efforts should not go unnoticed. Though less flashy than his successor Ameer, his hard-nosed carries were instrumental in many Nebraska wins, especially in 2011, when he put the team on his back in more games than one.

Nebraska Cornhuskers running back Rex Burkhead carries the football against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Kinnick Stadium. Nebraska beat Iowa 13-7. | Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

Not all of the memorable moments came from wins. In September 2001, less than two weeks after 9/11, the Huskers hosted Rice in the first college football game played after the attacks. As firefighters and police officers marched through the Tunnel Walk carrying flags and the stadium roared “USA! USA!”, football felt like something bigger.

And in perhaps the most unforgettable moment of all, a young boy named Jack Hoffmann stole the Spring Game in 2013, taking a handoff and racing 69 yards for a touchdown. It won an ESPY and bolstered the Team Jack foundation, which raised millions for pediatric brain cancer research. Jack passed away in January at the age of 19, but that run endures as one of the purest highlights in program history.

The Fans Still Remain

Through it all, thick and impossibly thin, the fans still persist. The “best fans in college football” narrative was tested by years of underachievement, but passion and devotion have remained the calling card of the program.

Amid the loss of every streak once held sacred – 9-win seasons, bowl appearances, consecutive weeks spent in the Top 25 – the one thing fans could control was the sellout streak. It was tested several times, looking most vulnerable in Mike Riley and Scott Frost’s final seasons. But the fans still showed up even when they had little to crow about.

It was the same fans who flooded Evanston in 2012, painted Boulder red in 2019, and turned Notre Dame Stadium into Memorial Stadium East. The same faithful who sent tremors through the streets of Lincoln when Miami came to town in 2014, and again when Colorado did in 2024. Even Buffaloes’ boastful Heisman winner had to admit Memorial Stadium’s atmosphere was impressive.

Nebraska Cornhuskers defender David Santos intercepts a pass intended for Miami Hurricanes receiver Clive Walford in the first half at Memorial Stadium. | Bruce Thorson-Imagn Images

Nebraska’s 25 years before the 2000s were characterized by consistency. If there has been one unbroken thread in the 25 years of chaos that followed, it’s the Nebraska fans.

They still believe. And their patience, while not endless, has always been rooted in something deeper than wins: pride. Not just in history, but in the idea that Nebraska, done right, can be great again.

It was a trying first quarter century, but as long-time sportswriter Tom Shatel said: Nebraska is “undefeated against apathy.”

Conclusion

In the last 25 years, the Huskers have cycled through coaches, conferences, and philosophies, all in an effort to reconcile who they were with what college football has become.

For every moment of glory – Crouch’s catch, Suh’s rampage, Taylor’s magic – there has been a reminder of how far the program has fallen. The Big Red brand, once synonymous with inevitability, has been forced to confront fragility instead.

Yet, through realignment and false dawns, through mediocrity and missteps, the program’s defining trait hasn’t been defeat. It has been resilience. Nebraska has never stopped trying, and its fans have never stopped believing.

Ever since that Black Friday afternoon in 2001, Nebraska has been chasing the feeling of what it once was. The challenge now is to stop chasing ghosts and instead start writing the kind of future that makes them irrelevant.

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