Will There Be Another Former Husker Playing QB in the Pros?

Adrian Martinez looks to join the list

Barring an injury, former Nebraska and Kansas State QB Adrian Martinez will be the starting quarterback next month for the New Jersey Generals of the USFL.

When he takes the field Saturday, April 15, at 6:30 p.m. CDT against the Birmingham Stallions, he will join that relatively small group of former Huskers to play quarterback in the pros. (BTW, the head coach of the Generals is Mike Riley. Yes, the same Mike Riley who was Nebraska's head football coach from 2015 to 2017.)

Who are some of the other former Husker QBs Martinez will be joining? Here is a partial list of players and the pro teams they played for.

• Sam Vacanti (played for Nebraska in 1946)
   Baltimore Colts and Chicago Rockets of the All American Football Conference
• Dennis Claridge ('61-'63)
   Atlanta Falcons
• Jerry Tagge (1969-'71)
   Green Bay Packers
• Dave Humm ('72-'74)
   Raiders, Bills and Colts
• Vince Ferragamo ('75-'76)
   LA Rams, Montreal Alouettes (CFL)
   Started at QB for the Rams in Super Bowl XIV
• Bruce Mathison ('81-'82)
   Buffalo Bills and Seattle Seahawks

Others making the list include Eric Crouch, Turner Gill, Steve Taylor, Keithen McCant, Tommie Frazier and Jeff Quinn in the CFL and Ed Burns, Steve Hokuf and Bernie Masterson in the NFL. Terry Luck saw action at quarterback in both leagues. If anyone knows of other Husker players who should be included, please email me at HuskerDan@cox.net.

Note: Former Husker QB Zac Taylor, now the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals, played for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the CFL but performed only on their practice squad. Taylor played for Nebraska in 2005 and '06.

Ask most Husker fans about Adrian Martinez and they'll tell you he is an exciting athlete who can make dazzling plays with his arm as well as with his feet. They'll add that he's great kid who gave it his all while playing for the Huskers. But fans will also point out Martinez's knack for fumbling and tossing game-changing INTs. All of that is true but still, I can't wait to see him play pro ball, even if it is in the USFL.

If he can stay healthy, Adrian will have a great impact on the USFL. Who knows, maybe he can convince some NFL teams to give him a chance.

How ’Bout Them Huskers

In this week's episode, grandson Will and I talk a lot about this week's start of Husker spring football practice. We discuss our expectations for spring camp and share some of the questions we hope will be answered. The success of Husker baseball and the run in the WNIT by the Husker women's basketball team are other topics we cover.