141-496: Charles Burnham " Bud " Wilkinson (April 23, 1916 – February 9, 1994) was an American football player, coach, broadcaster, and politician. He served as the head football coach at the University of Oklahoma from 1947 to 1963, compiling a record of 145–29–4. His Oklahoma Sooners won three national championships (1950, 1955, and 1956) and 14 conference titles. Between 1953 and 1957, Wilkinson's Oklahoma squads won 47 straight games,
282-630: A 35–31 victory over No. 2 Oklahoma in Norman that was billed the "Game of the Century." Wins over Colorado and Alabama (the latter in the 1972 Orange Bowl ) made NU the only national champion to defeat the teams that finished No. 2, No. 3, and No. 4 in the final AP poll . Tom Osborne replaced Devaney in 1973, and despite several near-misses, did not win his first national title until over two decades into his tenure. Nebraska's 1994 title-winning season, nearly derailed when star quarterback Tommie Frazier
423-422: A gridiron in appearance. Other major rule changes included a reduction of the field size to 110 by 53 + 1 ⁄ 3 yards (100.6 m × 48.8 m) and the adoption of a scoring system that awarded four points for a touchdown, two for a safety and a goal following a touchdown , and five for a goal from the field . Additionally, tackling below the waist was legalized, and a static line of scrimmage
564-403: A halftime period, and the first and third quarters are followed by a short break. Before the game starts, the referee and each team's captain meet at midfield for a coin toss . The visiting team can call either "heads" or "tails"; the winner of the toss chooses whether to receive or kick off the ball or which goal they wish to defend. They can defer their choice until the second half. Unless
705-401: A 10-yard-long chain between them, are used to measure for a first down. The chain crew stays on the sidelines during the game, but if requested by the officials they will briefly bring the chains on to the field to measure. A typical chain crew will have at least three people—two members of the chain crew will hold either of the two sticks, while a third will hold the down marker. The down marker,
846-500: A 13–9 Nebraska win. The Sooners lead the series 46–38–3. Since Nebraska's move to the Big Ten in 2011, the series was dormant until 2021 when Oklahoma beat Nebraska 23–16 in Norman. Future non-conference games are scheduled for 2029 and 2030. Notably, the 2021 game in Norman marked the 50th anniversary of Nebraska's 35–31 victory over Oklahoma in the "Game of the Century" . Nebraska dominated
987-399: A 145–29–4 (.826) overall record. Twice Minnesota attempted to hire him away from Oklahoma, in 1950 and 1953, but both times Wilkinson rebuffed his alma mater. He got OU football placed on major NCAA probation twice in a five-year span (1955 and 1960) for illegally paying players out of a $ 125,000 slush fund for a decade and a half after World War II ended. The centerpiece of his time in Norman
1128-595: A 20–12 Minnesota win. The Golden Gophers lead the series 35–25–2. Minnesota holds the trophy after defeating the Cornhuskers in 2023. The teams will meet next in 2025. The Victory Bell (also known as the Missouri–Nebraska Bell) has been awarded to the winner of the Missouri –Nebraska game since 1927 . The teams have met 104 times, with the series dating back to 1892 , a 1–0 NU win when Missouri forfeited to protest
1269-525: A PAT attempt or successful field goal, the scoring team must kick the ball off to the other team. A safety is scored when the ball carrier is tackled in the carrier's own end zone. Safeties are worth two points, which are awarded to the defense. In addition, the team that conceded the safety must kick the ball to the scoring team via a free kick . Football games are played on a rectangular field that measures 120 yards (110 m) long and 53 + 1 ⁄ 3 yards (48.8 m) wide. Lines marked along
1410-612: A coach in 1969. Wilkinson's mother died when he was seven, and his father sent him to the Shattuck School in Faribault, Minnesota , where he excelled in five sports and graduated in 1933. He enrolled at the University of Minnesota , where, as a guard and quarterback for head coach Bernie Bierman , Wilkinson helped lead the Golden Gophers to three consecutive national championships from 1934 to 1936. He also played ice hockey for
1551-519: A common draft that would take place each year, and it instituted an annual World Championship game to be played between the champions of each league. This championship game began play at the end of the 1966 season. Once the merger was completed, it was no longer a championship game between two leagues and reverted to the NFL championship game, which came to be known as the Super Bowl . College football maintained
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#17330923837051692-567: A feat the Professional Football Researchers Association compared to "selling refrigerators to Eskimos ". Princeton, Harvard, Yale, and Columbia then agreed to intercollegiate play using a form of rugby union rules with a modified scoring system. These schools formed the Intercollegiate Football Association , although Yale did not join until 1879. Yale player Walter Camp , now regarded as
1833-453: A field goal instead. A group of officials, the chain crew, keeps track of both the downs and the distance measurements. On television, a yellow line is electronically superimposed on the field to show the first down line to the viewing audience. There are two categories of kicks in football: scrimmage kicks, which can be executed by the offensive team on any down from behind or on the line of scrimmage, and free kicks. The free kicks are
1974-428: A game between Yale and Princeton, both teams used this strategy to maintain their undefeated records. Each team held the ball, gaining no ground, for an entire half, resulting in a 0–0 tie. This "block game" proved extremely unpopular with both teams' spectators and fans. A rule change was necessary to prevent this strategy from taking hold, and a reversion to the scrum was considered. However, Camp successfully proposed
2115-576: A game for the Allegheny Athletic Association against the Pittsburgh Athletic Club . This is the first recorded instance of a player being paid to participate in a game of American football , although many athletic clubs in the 1880s offered indirect benefits, such as helping players attain employment, giving out trophies or watches that players could pawn for money, or paying double in expense money. Despite these extra benefits,
2256-533: A large stick with a dial on it, is flipped after each play to indicate the current down and is typically moved to the approximate spot of the ball. The chain crew system has been used for over 100 years and is considered an accurate measure of distance, rarely subject to criticism from either side. Football is a full-contact sport, and injuries are relatively common. Most injuries occur during training sessions, particularly ones that involve contact between players. To try to prevent injuries, players are required to wear
2397-553: A league-suggested numbering scheme. Although the sport is played almost exclusively by men, women are eligible to play in high school, college, and professional football. No woman has ever played in the NFL, but women have played in high school and college football games. In 2018, 1,100 of the 225,000 players in Pop Warner Little Scholars youth football were girls, and around 11% of the 5.5 million Americans who report playing tackle football are female according to
2538-408: A long circumference of 28 to 28 + 1 ⁄ 2 inches (71 to 72 cm), and a short circumference of 21 to 21 + 1 ⁄ 4 inches (53 to 54 cm). In college and high school play the ball has a long axis of 10 + 7 ⁄ 8 to 11 + 7 ⁄ 16 inches (27.6 to 29.1 cm), a long circumference of 27 + 3 ⁄ 4 to 28 + 1 ⁄ 2 inches (70 to 72 cm), and
2679-497: A loss in conference play, a streak which has never been seriously threatened. Wilkinson did not suffer his first conference loss until 1959 against Nebraska , his 79th conference game. Wilkinson suffered only one losing season, in 1960. However, that season saw him pass Bennie Owen to become the winningest coach in Sooner history. He has since been passed by Barry Switzer and Bob Stoops . While coaching at OU, Wilkinson began writing
2820-420: A minimum of 10 feet (3.0 m) on high school fields. Goal posts are padded at the base, and orange ribbons are normally placed at the tip of each upright as indicators of wind strength and direction. The football itself is a prolate spheroid leather ball, similar to the balls used in rugby or Australian rules football . To contain the compressed air within it, a pig's bladder was commonly used before
2961-670: A national champion of college football. The first was the Bowl Coalition , in place from 1992 to 1994. This was replaced in 1995 by the Bowl Alliance , which gave way to the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) in 1997. The BCS arrangement proved to be controversial , and was replaced in 2014 by the College Football Playoff (CFP). A football game is played between two teams of 11 players each. Playing with more on
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#17330923837053102-428: A pass hits the ground without a player having caught it. A forward pass can be legally attempted only if the passer is behind the line of scrimmage; only one forward pass can be attempted per down. As in rugby, players can also pass the ball backwards at any point during a play. In the NFL, a down also ends immediately if the runner's helmet comes off. The offense is given a series of four plays, known as downs . If
3243-427: A quarter ends, play continues until the down is completed. If certain fouls are committed during play while time has expired, the quarter may be extended through an untimed down . Games last longer than their defined length due to play stoppages—the average NFL game lasts slightly over three hours. Time in a football game is measured by the game clock. An operator is responsible for starting, stopping and operating
3384-585: A record that still stands at the highest level of college football . After retiring from coaching following the 1963 season, Wilkinson entered into politics and, in 1965, became a broadcaster with ABC Sports . He returned to coaching in 1978, as head coach of the St. Louis Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL) for two seasons. Wilkinson was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as
3525-414: A round ball that could not be picked up or carried. It could, however, be kicked or batted with the feet, hands, head, or sides, with the objective being to advance it into the opponent's goal. Rutgers won the game 6–4. Collegiate play continued for several years with games played using the rules of the host school. Representatives of Yale, Columbia , Princeton and Rutgers met on October 19, 1873, to create
3666-422: A rule in 1882 that limited each team to three downs , or tackles, to advance the ball 5 yards (4.6 m). Failure to advance the ball the required distance within those three downs would result in control of the ball being forfeited to the other team. This change effectively made American football a separate sport from rugby, and the resulting five-yard lines added to the field to measure distances made it resemble
3807-436: A secondary signal. Women can serve as officials; Sarah Thomas became the NFL's first female official in 2015. The seven officials (of a standard seven-man crew; lower levels of play up to the college level use fewer officials) on the field are each tasked with a different set of responsibilities: Another set of officials, the chain crew , are responsible for moving the chains. The chains, consisting of two large sticks with
3948-461: A series of expansion since 1923, bringing the official capacity to 85,458. The largest crowd in Memorial Stadium history occurred on September 20, 2014, a Nebraska win over Miami with an announced attendance of 91,585. Three statues sit outside of the stadium. The oldest, unveiled in 1997, depicts six Nebraska defenders tackling a ball carrier. Creator Fred Hoppe said, "the monument displays
4089-590: A set of equipment. At a minimum players must wear a football helmet and a set of shoulder pads , but individual leagues may require additional padding such as thigh pads and guards, knee pads, chest protectors, and mouthguards . Most injuries occur in the lower extremities, particularly in the knee, but a significant number also affect the upper extremities. The most common types of injuries are strains , sprains , bruises , fractures , dislocations , and concussions . Nebraska Cornhuskers football The Nebraska Cornhuskers football team competes as part of
4230-410: A short circumference of 20 + 3 ⁄ 4 to 21 + 1 ⁄ 4 inches (53 to 54 cm). Football games last for a total of 60 minutes in professional and college play and are divided into two halves of 30 minutes and four quarters of 15 minutes. High school football games are 48 minutes in length with two halves of 24 minutes and four quarters of 12 minutes. The two halves are separated by
4371-607: A special election to replace his friend, the late Robert S. Kerr , as U. S. Senator from Oklahoma. He had already resigned his position as head coach of the Oklahoma University Sooners. Politicians and the Oklahoma press debated whether he was qualified to become a U. S. Senator, though all seemed to agree that his popularity as a cultural icon gave him an important edge. Easily winning the Republican primary, Wilkinson became
Bud Wilkinson - Misplaced Pages Continue
4512-452: A standard set of rules for use by all schools. Teams were set at 20 players each, and fields of 400 by 250 feet (122 m × 76 m) were specified. Harvard abstained from the conference, as they favored a rugby-style game that allowed running with the ball. After playing McGill University using both American (known as "the Boston game ") for the first game and Canadian (rugby) rules for
4653-463: A stretch of thirty-four games without a loss, still a program record. Despite a span of twenty-one conference championships in thirty-three seasons, the Cornhuskers did not experience major national success until Bob Devaney was hired in 1962. Devaney won two national championships and eight conference titles in eleven seasons as head coach, but perhaps his most lasting achievement was the hiring of Tom Osborne as offensive coordinator in 1969. Osborne
4794-449: A tradition of postseason bowl games . Each bowl game was associated with a particular conference and earning a spot in a bowl game was the reward for winning a conference. This arrangement was profitable, but it tended to prevent the two top-ranked teams from meeting in a true national championship game, as they would normally be committed to the bowl games of their respective conferences. Several systems have been used since 1992 to determine
4935-481: A way to more quickly distinguish between his various units. Depictions of the Blackshirts often include a skull and crossbones. Pants Nebraska traditionally wears white pants at home and red on the road, with rare exceptions. The team first donned red pants with red jerseys for its 1986 contest with Oklahoma ; the combination was unofficially retired after a Nebraska loss. Nebraska first wore all-white uniforms in
5076-446: A weekly newsletter to alumni during the season, to keep them interested in Sooner football. He also became the first football coach to host his own television show. He and Michigan State University coach Duffy Daugherty partnered to sponsor a series of clinics for high school coaches nationwide. Later, they turned their clinics into a profitable business. Following the 1963 season, his 17th at Oklahoma, Wilkinson retired from coaching at
5217-437: Is fifth-highest in major college football history. Thirteen Nebraska coaches have won a conference championship at the school, and Devaney and Osborne combined to win five national titles . Nebraska has won five consensus national championships . The first of these came in 1970 under the leadership of head coach Bob Devaney and featured a unique quarterback rotation between Van Brownson and Jerry Tagge . Nebraska entered
5358-425: Is called on the offense. There are two main ways the offense can advance the ball: running and passing . In a typical play, the center passes the ball backwards and between their legs to the quarterback in a process known as the snap . The quarterback then either hands the ball off to a running back, throws the ball, or runs with it. The play ends when the player with the ball is tackled or goes out-of-bounds or
5499-437: Is caught or recovered behind the line of scrimmage. If it is touched or recovered by the kicking team beyond this line, it becomes dead at the spot where it was touched. The kicking team is prohibited from interfering with the receiver's opportunity to catch the ball. The receiving team has the option of signaling for a fair catch , which prohibits the defense from blocking into or tackling the receiver. The play ends as soon as
5640-403: Is known as a two-point conversion . In general, the extra point is almost always successful, while the two-point conversion is a much riskier play with a higher probability of failure; accordingly, extra point attempts are far more common than two-point conversion attempts. A field goal (FG), worth three points, is scored when the ball is place kicked or drop kicked through the uprights and over
5781-414: Is most frequently associated with Osborne, the school has typically maintained a larger-than-usual roster since his retirement as well. Six former Nebraska walk-ons have become All-Americans and twenty-nine have played in the National Football League . Helmets Nebraska's first helmet was red with a single white stripe, later changed to plain white with a black number on the side. From 1967 to 1969,
Bud Wilkinson - Misplaced Pages Continue
5922-407: Is responsible for all kicking plays. The special teams unit of the team in control of the ball tries to execute field goal (FG) attempts, punts , and kickoffs , while the opposing team's unit will aim to block or return them. Three positions are specific to the field goal and PAT (point-after-touchdown) unit: the placekicker (K or PK), holder (H), and long snapper (LS). The long snapper's job
6063-538: Is the 1984 Orange Bowl . Top-ranked Nebraska scored with seconds remaining to make the game 31–30, but NU head coach Tom Osborne opted to try for a two-point conversion instead of an extra point, even though a tie would have given Nebraska the national championship. Miami won the game and its first national title. The $ 5 Bits of Broken Chair Trophy has been awarded to the winner of the Minnesota –Nebraska game since 2014 . The teams have met 61 times, dating back to 1900 ,
6204-415: Is the last Democrat to carry Oklahoma in a presidential election. Wilkinson entertained seeking the other Oklahoma U.S. Senate seat in 1968, but he did not run, and the position went to former Governor Henry Bellmon , also a Republican. In 1965, Wilkinson joined ABC Sports as their lead color commentator on college football telecasts, teaming with Chris Schenkel and, later, Keith Jackson . Wilkinson
6345-421: Is to block members of the defensive line from tackling the ball carrier on running plays or sacking the quarterback on passing plays. The leader of the offensive line is the center, who is responsible for snapping the ball to the quarterback, blocking, and for making sure that the other linemen do their jobs during the play. On either side of the center are the guards (G), while tackles (T) line up outside
6486-437: Is to snap the football to the holder, who will catch and position it for the placekicker. There is not usually a holder on kickoffs, because the ball is kicked off a tee; however, a holder may be used in certain situations, such as if wind is preventing the ball from remaining upright on the tee. The player on the receiving team who catches the ball is known as the kickoff returner (KR). The positions specific to punt plays are
6627-589: The 1958 NFL Championship game between the Baltimore Colts and the New York Giants , still referred to as the "Greatest Game Ever Played". The game, a 23–17 overtime victory by the Colts, was seen by millions of television viewers and had a major influence on the popularity of the sport. This, along with the innovations introduced by the new American Football League (AFL) in the early 1960s, helped football to become
6768-420: The 1971 Orange Bowl ranked third nationally, but losses by No. 1 Texas and No. 2 Ohio State – along with a late game-winning touchdown rush by Tagge – gave NU its first consensus title. The Cornhuskers repeated as national champion the following season with Tagge as the full-time starter, a team that is often considered one of the best in college football history. Nebraska was challenged just once all season,
6909-496: The 1991 Florida Citrus Bowl and again for its first three road games in 1992; NU lost three of these games and "surrender suits," as they became known, were not used again for a decade. Nebraska wore white-on-white in Bill Callahan's final game as head coach, a 65–51 loss to Colorado in 2007, and again on four occasions in 2014. From 1968 through 1994, Nebraska's pants had two stripes down each side. These were removed prior to
7050-535: The ACC . Memorial Stadium, known as The Sea of Red, has been home of the Cornhuskers since 1923 and is the location of an ongoing NCAA-record 403-game sellout streak. The sellout streak dates back to 1962, Bob Devaney 's first season at Nebraska. The stadium becomes the "third-largest city in Nebraska" on game days, as its capacity exceeds that of every Nebraska town except for Omaha and Lincoln. The stadium has undergone
7191-612: The Big 12 in 2011.{{need citation}] The Iowa –Nebraska rivalry debuted in 1891 , a 22–0 Iowa win. Since 2011 , the game is held annually the Friday after Thanksgiving . Also, the game was named the Heroes Game, and the winner keeps the Heroes Trophy. The teams have met 54 times, with the Cornhuskers leading the series 30–22–3. Nebraska and Kansas share a natural border rivalry and maintained
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#17330923837057332-527: The Big Eight – was founded in 1907. Nebraska dominated the MVIAA in its early years, winning nine championships in twelve years before leaving the conference in 1919 to again play as an independent. NU rejoined in 1921 and won the conference twelve times before 1940. Following Biff Jones 's departure to become the athletic director at Army in 1941, NU went twenty-two seasons without a conference championship. Devaney
7473-660: The NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , representing the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the Big Ten Conference . Nebraska has played its home games at Memorial Stadium since 1923 and sold out every game at the venue since 1962. Nebraska is among the most storied programs in college football history and has the eighth-most all-time victories among FBS teams. NU has won forty-six conference championships and five national championships ( 1970 , 1971 , 1994 , 1995 , and 1997 ), along with seven other national titles
7614-457: The Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate in 1964, at which point he legally changed his first name to Bud, but narrowly lost to Democrat Fred R. Harris , then a State Senator in Oklahoma. Both parties involved political heavyweights from out of state to campaign for their candidates. Republicans invited former President Eisenhower and Senator Barry Goldwater . Illness made Eisenhower miss
7755-759: The St. Louis Cardinals of the NFL . After less than two disappointing seasons, he was fired, and returned to broadcasting with ESPN . Wilkinson suffered a series of minor strokes and, on February 9, 1994, he died of congestive heart failure in St. Louis at the age of 77. He is interred at Oak Grove Cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri . Wilkinson was married to the former Mary Schifflet in 1938, with whom he had two sons, Pat and Jay. They divorced in 1975. A year later, he married Donna O'Donnahue, 33 years his junior, who survived him in death. # denotes interim head coach # denotes interim head coach American football American football , referred to simply as football in
7896-592: The U.S. Navy , where he was an assistant to Don Faurot with the Iowa Pre-Flight Seahawks football team. He served as a hangar deck officer on the USS ; Enterprise . Following World War II, Jim Tatum , the new head coach at the University of Oklahoma , persuaded Wilkinson to join his staff in 1946. After one season in Norman , Tatum left the Sooners for the University of Maryland . The 31-year-old Wilkinson
8037-411: The kickoff , which starts the first and third quarters and overtime and follows a try attempt or a successful field goal; the safety kick follows a safety. On a kickoff, the ball is placed at the 35-yard line of the kicking team in professional and college play and at the 40-yard line in high school play. The ball may be drop kicked or place kicked. If a place kick is chosen, the ball can be placed on
8178-407: The punter (P), long snapper, upback , and gunner . The long snapper snaps the football directly to the punter, who then drops and kicks it before it hits the ground. Gunners line up split outside the line and race down the field, aiming to tackle the punt returner (PR)—the player who catches the punt. Upbacks line up a short distance behind the line of scrimmage, providing additional protection to
8319-462: The "Father of American Football", secured rule changes in 1880 that reduced the size of each team from 15 to 11 players and instituted the snap to replace the chaotic and inconsistent scrum . While the game between Rutgers and Princeton is commonly considered the first American football game, several years prior in 1862, the Oneida Football Club formed as the oldest known football club in
8460-515: The "Father of American Football", established the snap , the line of scrimmage , eleven-player teams, and the concept of downs. Later rule changes legalized the forward pass , created the neutral zone , and specified the size and shape of the football. The sport is closely related to Canadian football , which evolved in parallel with and at the same time as the American game, although its rules were developed independently from those of Camp. Most of
8601-446: The 1930s. Global helium shortages and environmental concerns in recent years have threatened the tradition, which was paused in 2012 and 2022. Walk-on program NU accepted its first walk-ons in the early 1960s and Tom Osborne began an official program in 1973 when the NCAA reduced the number of scholarships schools could offer. Nebraska stocked its program with walk-ons from across
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#17330923837058742-481: The 1990s. The teams have met 71 times, with the series dating back to 1898 , a 23–10 Nebraska win. The Cornhuskers lead the series 50–21–2. The rivalry began when Colorado joined the Big Eight in 1947; they played in the same conference as Nebraska until 2010. A bison head named Mr. Chip was presented to the winning team throughout the 1950s, but this exchange ended when Colorado misplaced the trophy in 1961. The teams have not played annually since both programs exited
8883-578: The 1995 season and the pants remained stripe-less until 2001. In 2002, Nebraska featured large side panels on its jersey and pants, and wore all-white in every road game – the changes were unpopular among fans and most were reverted, which included the return of pant stripes. Pant stripes were again removed during Scott Frost 's tenure as head coach as a tribute to the style from his playing career, and returned following his departure. Alternate uniforms The first documented instance of Nebraska wearing alternate uniforms came against South Dakota in 1920 –
9024-531: The AFL New York Jets signed rookie Joe Namath to a then-record $ 437,000 contract (equivalent to $ 4.23 million in 2023). A five-year, $ 40 million NBC television contract followed, which helped to sustain the young league. The bidding war for players ended in 1966 when NFL owners approached the AFL regarding a merger, and the two leagues agreed on one that took full effect in 1970. This agreement provided for
9165-734: The Cornhuskers were forced into blue jerseys when the visiting Coyotes mistakenly brought their home reds to Lincoln. The same situation arose three years later against Oklahoma in the first-ever game at Memorial Stadium. Nebraska celebrated the stadium's hundredth anniversary in 2023, wearing blue-trimmed jerseys to commemorate the occasion. Nebraska did not use a pre-planned alternate design until 2009, and has used one each season since 2012. Many of these were throwback or "fauxback" uniforms, worn to commemorate past events or championships: 2009 (the 300th consecutive sellout at Memorial Stadium), 2017 (the twentieth anniversary of Nebraska's 1997 national championship ), 2018 (the hundredth anniversary of
9306-576: The FCS and 85 scholarship players in the FBS, respectively. Individual players in a football game must be designated with a uniform number between 1 and 99, though some teams may "retire" certain numbers , making them unavailable to players. NFL teams are required to number their players by a league-approved numbering system, and any exceptions must be approved by the commissioner . NCAA and NFHS teams are "strongly advised" to number their offensive players according to
9447-452: The Sports and Fitness Industry Association. The role of the offensive unit is to advance the football down the field with the ultimate goal of scoring a touchdown . The offensive team must line up in a legal formation before they can snap the ball. An offensive formation is considered illegal if there are more than four players in the backfield or fewer than five players numbered 50–79 on
9588-579: The United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia. American football evolved from the sports of rugby and soccer . Rugby, like American football, is a sport in which two competing teams vie for control of a ball, which can be kicked through a set of goalposts or run into the opponent's goal area to score points. What is considered to be the first American football game was played on November 6, 1869 , between Rutgers and Princeton , two college teams. They consisted of 25 players per team and used
9729-461: The United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football , is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense , the team with possession of the oval-shaped football , attempts to advance down the field by running with the ball or throwing it , while the defense , the team without possession of the ball, aims to stop
9870-455: The United States. The team consisted of graduates of Boston's elite preparatory schools and played from 1862 to 1865. The introduction of the snap resulted in an unexpected consequence. Before the snap, the strategy had been to punt if a scrum resulted in bad field position. However, a group of Princeton players realized that, as the snap was uncontested, they could now hold the ball indefinitely to prevent their opponent from scoring. In 1881, in
10011-547: The United States: official time was kept on a scoreboard clock rather than on a watch in the referee's pocket, as the NFL did; optional two-point conversions by pass or run after touchdowns; names on the jerseys of players; and several others, including expansion of the role of minority players, actively recruited by the league in contrast to the NFL. The AFL also signed several star college players who had also been drafted by NFL teams. Competition for players heated up in 1965, when
10152-761: The University of Minnesota. Following his graduation in 1937 with a degree in English, he led the College All-Stars to a 6–0 victory over the defending NFL champion Green Bay Packers in Chicago on August 31. He was drafted in the third round of the 1937 NFL Draft by the Packers (29th overall) but never played. Wilkinson briefly worked for his father's mortgage company, then he became an assistant coach at Syracuse University and later at his alma mater, Minnesota. In 1943, he joined
10293-460: The advent of artificial rubber inside the leather outer shell to sustain crushing forces . At all levels of play, the football is inflated to 12 + 1 ⁄ 2 to 13 + 1 ⁄ 2 psi (86 to 93 kPa), or just under one atmosphere, and weighs 14 to 15 ounces (400 to 430 g); beyond that, the exact dimensions vary slightly. In professional play the ball has a long axis of 11 to 11 + 1 ⁄ 4 inches (28 to 29 cm),
10434-492: The age of 47. While at Oklahoma, Wilkinson served on the President's Council on Physical Fitness from 1961 to 1964. He designed 11 floor exercises for schoolchildren that were incorporated into the song " Chicken Fat ", the theme song for President John F. Kennedy's youth fitness program, which was widely used in school gymnasiums across the country in the 1960s and 1970s. In February, 1964, Wilkinson announced that he would enter
10575-435: The ball is caught, and the ball may not be advanced. Officials are responsible for enforcing game rules and monitoring the clock. All officials carry a whistle and wear black-and-white striped shirts and black hats except for the referee, whose hat is white. Each carries a weighted yellow flag that is thrown to the ground to signal that a foul has been called. An official who spots multiple fouls will throw their hat as
10716-478: The ball off, throws it, or runs with it. The primary role of the halfback, also known as the running back or tailback, is to carry the ball on running plays. Halfbacks may also serve as receivers. Fullbacks tend to be larger than halfbacks and function primarily as blockers, but they are sometimes used as runners in short-yardage or goal-line situations. They are seldom used as receivers. The offensive line (OL) consists of several players whose primary function
10857-467: The ball through the opponent's goalposts for a field goal . The team with the most points at the end of the game wins. American football evolved in the United States, originating from the sports of soccer and rugby . The first American football game was played on November 6, 1869 , between two college teams, Rutgers and Princeton , using rules based on the rules of soccer at the time. A set of rule changes drawn up from 1880 onward by Walter Camp ,
10998-601: The completion of the Osborne Athletic Complex in 2006, from the northwest corner. When NU's home locker room was moved to the Osborne Legacy Complex in 2023, the team's entrance was moved to the northeast corner of the stadium. The Tunnel Walk is preceded by a "Husker Power" chant – half the stadium chants "Husker" in unison and the other half responds with "Power." Fans have released red helium balloons when Nebraska scores its first points at home games since
11139-435: The conference disbanded its divisions prior to the 2024 season. † Co-champion Nebraska has played in fifty-three bowl games, including a then-record thirty-five straight from 1969 to 2003, with a record of 26–27. Nebraska declined an invitation to play in the second-ever Rose Bowl Game following the 1915 season and did not make its bowl debut until 1941 . Twenty-one years later, Bob Devaney 's first season ended with
11280-413: The crossbars of the defense's goalposts. In practice, almost all field goal attempts are done via place kick. While drop kicks were common in the early days of the sport, the shape of modern footballs makes it difficult to reliably drop kick the ball. The last successful scoring play by drop kick in the NFL was accomplished in 2006; prior to that, the last successful drop kick had been made in 1941. After
11421-467: The daylights out of even a lot of conservative white voters with his jingoist speeches, advocating for the escalation of the American war effort in Vietnam." In the 1964 General Election, Wilkinson lost by a narrow 51% to 49% and could not overcome Republican presidential nominee, Senator Barry Goldwater ’s loss to incumbent President Lyndon Baines Johnson by 55% to 45% in Oklahoma. Through 2020, Johnson
11562-399: The defense is to prevent the offense from scoring by tackling the ball carrier or by forcing turnovers . Turnovers include interceptions (a defender catching a forward pass intended for the offense) and forced fumbles (taking possession of the ball from the ball-carrier). The defensive line (DL) consists of defensive ends (DE) and defensive tackles (DT). Defensive ends line up on
11703-430: The defensive backfield. They are divided into two types: middle linebackers (MLB) and outside linebackers (OLB). Linebackers tend to serve as the defensive leaders and call the defensive plays, given their vantage point of the offensive backfield. Their roles include defending the run, pressuring the quarterback, and tackling backs, wide receivers, and tight ends in the passing game. The defensive backfield , often called
11844-466: The end of World War I ), 2021 (the twentieth anniversary of the September 11 attacks ), 2022 (to honor Nebraska's 1983 team ), and 2023 (the hundredth anniversary of Memorial Stadium). Nebraska and Wisconsin played the first "Adidas Unrivaled" game in 2012; both schools wore uniforms featuring block letters instead of front numbers. NU wore black jerseys with white stencil font numbers against UCLA
11985-472: The ends and sides of the field are known as the end lines and sidelines . Goal lines are marked 10 yards (9.1 m) inward from each end line. Weighted pylons are placed the sidelines on the inside corner of the intersections with the goal lines and end lines. White markings on the field identify the distance from the end zone. Inbound lines, or hash marks , are short parallel lines that mark off 1-yard (0.91 m) increments. Yard lines , which can run
12126-404: The ends of the line, while defensive tackles line up inside, between the defensive ends. The primary responsibilities of defensive ends and defensive tackles are to stop running plays on the outside and inside, respectively, to pressure the quarterback on passing plays, and to occupy the line so that the linebackers can break through. Linebackers line up behind the defensive line but in front of
12267-556: The features that distinguish American football from rugby and soccer are also present in Canadian football. The two sports are considered the primary variants of gridiron football . American football is the most popular sport in the United States in terms of broadcast viewership audience. The most popular forms of the game are professional and college football , with the other major levels being high-school and youth football. As of 2022 , nearly 1.04 million high-school athletes play
12408-468: The field is punishable by a penalty. Teams may substitute any number of their players between downs; this "platoon" system replaced the original system, which featured limited substitution rules, and has resulted in teams utilizing specialized offensive, defensive and special teams units. The number of players allowed on an active roster varies by league; the NFL has a 53-man roster, while NCAA Division I allows teams to have 63 scholarship players in
12549-454: The field was shortened to 100 yards (91 m) long, two 10-yard-long (9.1 m) end zones were created, and teams were given four downs instead of three to advance the ball 10 yards (9.1 m). The roughing the passer penalty was implemented in 1914, and eligible players were first allowed to catch the ball anywhere on the field in 1918. On November 12, 1892, Pudge Heffelfinger was paid $ 500 (equivalent to $ 16,956 in 2023) to play
12690-499: The first bowl victory in program history, a 36–34 victory over Miami (FL) in the 1962 Gotham Bowl . During Devaney's tenure, Nebraska began a stretch of thirty-five consecutive seasons with a bowl appearance, a streak that ended in 2004. The program regularly featured in the Orange Bowl due to the Big Eight's bowl affiliations, playing in the game seventeen times between 1954 and 1997, first against SEC opposition and later against
12831-471: The following year. Nebraska wore an all-red uniform featuring black metallic stripes on the jersey and pants in 2014, and used similar all-black and all-white designs the next two seasons. Nebraska wore Blackshirt-themed alternate uniforms in 2019, featuring a black jersey with a Blackshirts logo on both sleeves. Scott Frost suggested this iteration may become a permanent alternate design to be worn after Nebraska's defense plays particularly well. Nebraska used
12972-599: The formation of the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States, later renamed the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The legal forward pass was introduced in 1906, although its effect was initially minimal due to the restrictions placed on its use. The idea of a 40-yard-wider field was opposed by Harvard due to the size of the new Harvard Stadium . Other rule changes introduced that year included
13113-419: The game clock based on the direction of the appropriate official . A separate play clock is used to show the amount of time within which the offense must initiate a play. The play clock is set to 25 seconds after certain administrative stoppages in play and to 40 seconds when play is proceeding without such stoppages. If the offense fails to start a play before the play clock reads "00", a delay of game foul
13254-409: The game had a strict sense of amateurism at the time, and direct payment to players was frowned upon, if not prohibited outright. Over time, professional play became increasingly common, and with it came rising salaries and unpredictable player movement, as well as the illegal payment of college players who were still in school. The National Football League (NFL), a group of professional teams that
13395-443: The ground or a tee; a holder may be used in either case. On a safety kick, the kicking team kicks the ball from their own 20-yard line. They can punt, drop kick or place kick the ball, but a tee may not be used in professional play. Any member of the receiving team may catch or advance the ball. The ball may be recovered by the kicking team once it has gone at least ten yards and has touched the ground or has been touched by any member of
13536-434: The guards. The principal receivers are the wide receivers (WR) and the tight ends (TE). Wide receivers line up on or near the line of scrimmage, split outside the line. The main goal of the wide receiver is to catch passes thrown by the quarterback, but they may also function as decoys or as blockers during running plays. Tight ends line up outside the tackles and function both as receivers and as blockers. The role of
13677-458: The helmet featured a red, offset "NU" on each side. In 1970, this was changed to the now-familiar single "N," although a few "NU" helmets remained as late as 1971. The change was necessitated due to a shortage of "U" stickers, and when the program claimed its first national championship , the single N remained. Aside from a facemask swap from gray to red, the helmet design is unchanged since. Jerseys The Cornhuskers wore full shoulder stripes in
13818-450: The late 1960s and early 1970s, which were phased out as mesh and tearaway jerseys became popular. From 1980 to 1983, Nebraska's jerseys featured only a block "N" on the sleeves. Stripes and TV numbers were permanently re-added in 1984, although both have decreased in size as jersey sleeves have shortened. A patch was added to the left shoulder to commemorate the hundredth season of Nebraska football in 1989; it remained for future seasons and
13959-477: The longest non-interrupted rivalry in college football history at 105 years. The teams have met 117 times, with the series dating back to 1892 , a 12–0 Kansas win. The Cornhuskers lead the series 91–23–3, which includes 36 consecutive victories from 1969 to 2004. Since Nebraska's move to the Big Ten in 2011, the series has been dormant. No future games are scheduled. Nebraska and Kansas State were conference rivals from 1913 to 2010. With only 135 miles separating
14100-503: The most popular sport in the United States by the mid-1960s. The rival AFL arose in 1960 and challenged the NFL's dominance. The AFL began in relative obscurity but eventually thrived, with an initial television contract with the ABC television network. The AFL's existence forced the conservative NFL to expand to Dallas and Minnesota in an attempt to destroy the new league. Meanwhile, the AFL introduced many new features to professional football in
14241-629: The occasion, so his former Vice President Richard Nixon served as substitute. Harris supporters got President Lyndon Johnson to make an appearance, as well as several other national Democrats. Wilkinson's Republican advisers brought in Senator Strom Thurmond to appeal to ultra-conservative voters in Little Dixie, which had recently turned reliably Republican. That effort backfired. Harris later said, "my campaign got an extra benefit from Senator Thurmond's Oklahoma visit … Thurmond wound up scaring
14382-429: The offense advances ten or more yards in the four downs, they are awarded a new set of four downs. If they fail to advance ten yards, possession of the football is turned over to the defense. In most situations, if the offense reaches their fourth down they will punt the ball to the other team, which forces them to begin their drive from farther down the field; if they are in field goal range , they might attempt to score
14523-410: The offense's advance and to take control of the ball for themselves. The offense must advance the ball at least ten yards in four downs or plays; if they fail, they turn over the football to the defense, but if they succeed, they are given a new set of four downs to continue the drive . Points are scored primarily by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone for a touchdown or kicking
14664-429: The offensive line. Players can line up temporarily in a position whose eligibility is different from what their number permits as long as they report the change immediately to the referee, who then informs the defensive team of the change. Neither team's players, except the center (C), are allowed to line up in or cross the neutral zone until the ball is snapped. Interior offensive linemen are not allowed to move until
14805-460: The perfect game." Oklahoma won every matchup from 1972 to 1977, a streak that ended in 1978 , when Nebraska upset No. 1 Oklahoma; less than two months later, OU won a rematch in the Orange Bowl . Nebraska controlled the 1990s, including a 69–7 win in 1997 , the largest margin of victory in series history. When the Big 12 was formed in 1996, the schools no longer played annually, ending a stretch of 68 consecutive years they had met. The teams met for
14946-445: The plane of the two end lines. The crossbar of these posts is 10 feet (3.0 m) above the ground, with vertical uprights at the end of the crossbar 18 feet 6 inches (5.64 m) apart for professional and collegiate play, and 23 feet 4 inches (7.11 m) apart for high school play. The uprights extend vertically 35 feet (11 m) on professional fields, a minimum of 10 yards (9.1 m) on college fields, and
15087-448: The point(s)-after-touchdown (PAT) or conversion, which is a single scoring opportunity. This is generally attempted from the two- or three-yard line, depending on the level of play. If the PAT is scored by a place kick or drop kick through the goal posts, it is worth one point, typically called the extra point. If the PAT is scored by what would normally be a touchdown, it is worth two points; this
15228-537: The presence of African-American George Flippin on Nebraska's roster. The Cornhuskers lead the series 65–36–3. Nebraska holds the Victory Bell after defeating the Tigers in 2010. Since Nebraska's move to the Big Ten in 2011, the series has been dormant. No future games are scheduled. Nebraska and Oklahoma has long been considered one of the great college football rivalries. The teams have met 87 times dating back to 1912,
15369-471: The program's history, with five others coaching at least one game on a non-permanent basis. The program has been coached by Matt Rhule since 2023. Seven past Nebraska head coaches have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame : Edward N. Robinson , Fielding H. Yost , Dana X. Bible , Biff Jones , Bob Devaney , Tom Osborne , and Frank Solich . Osborne is the program's all-time leader in most major categories; his 0.836 career winning percentage
15510-422: The punter. In football, the winner is the team that has scored more points at the end of the game. There are multiple ways to score in a football game. The touchdown (TD), worth six points, is the most valuable scoring play in American football. A touchdown is scored when a live ball is advanced into, caught, or recovered in the opposing team's end zone. The scoring team then attempts a try, more commonly known as
15651-401: The receiving team. The three types of scrimmage kicks are place kicks, drop kicks, and punts. Only place kicks and drop kicks can score points. The place kick is the standard method used to score points, because the pointy shape of the football makes it difficult to reliably drop kick. Once the ball has been kicked from a scrimmage kick, it can be advanced by the kicking team only if it
15792-439: The reduction of playing time from 70 to 60 minutes and an increase of the distance required for a first down from 5 to 10 yards (4.6 to 9.1 m). To reduce infighting and dirty play between teams, the neutral zone was created along the width of the football before the snap. Scoring was also adjusted: points awarded for field goals were reduced to three in 1909 and points for touchdowns were raised to six in 1912. Also in 1912,
15933-447: The region throughout Osborne's and Frank Solich 's tenures, and as a result the school's rosters were often unusually large – NU had 202 players on its 2002 Rose Bowl team, while opponent Miami had 107. Osborne credited his walk-ons with providing flexibility to better scout future opponents and provided them the same access to training facilities and academic counseling as those with scholarships. Though NU's expansive walk-on program
16074-534: The rulebook for the 1876 college football season , when the sport first shifted from soccer-style rules to rugby-style rules. Although it could easily have been called "rugby" at this point, Harvard, one of the primary proponents of the rugby-style game, compromised and did not request the name of the sport be changed to "rugby". The terms " gridiron " or "American football" are favored in English-speaking countries where other types of football are popular, such as
16215-562: The school does not claim. Nebraska has won forty-six conference championships. The earliest of these came in the short-lived Western Interstate University Football Association , one of college football's first conferences, which NU participated in for six seasons with Iowa , Kansas , and Missouri . The conference dissolved in 1897 and NU spent the next decade as an independent until the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association – which became
16356-449: The school does not claim. Its 1971 and 1995 title-winning teams are considered among the best ever. Nebraska's three Heisman Trophy winners – Johnny Rodgers , Mike Rozier , and Eric Crouch – join twenty-four other Cornhuskers in the College Football Hall of Fame . The program's first extended period of success came just after the turn of the twentieth century. Between 1900 and 1916, Nebraska had five undefeated seasons and completed
16497-409: The schools, they were the nearest cross-border rivals in the Big Eight and Big 12 conferences. The teams have met 95 times, with the series dating back to 1911 , a 59–0 Nebraska win. Nebraska leads the series 78–15–2, which includes 29 consecutive victories from 1969 to 1997. Since Nebraska's move to the Big Ten in 2011, the series has been dormant. No future games are scheduled. The 1939 game
16638-666: The season was a game-tying touchdown against Missouri that became known as the " Flea Kicker ." Top-ranked Nebraska won the game in overtime, but was jumped in both major polls by Michigan . Postseason wins over Texas A&M and Tennessee vaulted NU back ahead of the Wolverines in the Coaches Poll , though not the AP Poll , sharing the national championship. Unclaimed national championships Nebraska has been awarded seven other national championships from NCAA-designated major selectors
16779-452: The second one, the Harvard players preferred the Canadian style of having only 11 men on the field, running the ball without having to be chased by an opponent, the forward pass, tackling, and using an oblong instead of a round ball. An 1875 Harvard–Yale game played under rugby-style rules was observed by two Princeton athletes who were impressed by it. They introduced the sport to Princeton,
16920-503: The secondary, consists of cornerbacks (CB) and safeties (S). Safeties are themselves divided into free safeties (FS) and strong safeties (SS). Cornerbacks line up outside the defensive formation, typically opposite a receiver to be able to cover them. Safeties line up between the cornerbacks but farther back in the secondary. Safeties tend to be viewed as "the last line of defense" and are responsible for stopping deep passing plays as well as breakout running plays. The special teams unit
17061-460: The sense of pride that Nebraskans have for their football team." In 2006, Hoppe created a statue of Tom Osborne with his arm around quarterback Brook Berringer , which is located outside the Osborne Athletic Complex. On August 30, 2013, a bronze statue of Bob Devaney was unveiled at the main entrance of the newly remodeled east stadium. Sculptor Joe Putjenter also created the Tunnel Walk gates inside
17202-480: The series until 1942, going 16–3–3 in the first twenty-two meetings. The Sooners then won sixteen consecutive games, the longest streak in the series. Nebraska's 1959 win both ended the Cornhuskers' drought against the Sooners and snapped Oklahoma's 74-game conference win streak. Nebraska won the "Game of the Century" in 1971, of which Dave Kindred of The Courier-Journal wrote, "They can quit playing now, they have played
17343-411: The snap of the ball. The main backfield positions are the quarterback (QB), halfback/tailback (HB/TB), and fullback (FB). The quarterback is the leader of the offense. Either the quarterback or a coach calls the plays. Quarterbacks typically inform the rest of the offense of the play in the huddle before the team lines up. The quarterback lines up behind the center to take the snap and then hands
17484-477: The sport in the U.S., with another 81,000 college athletes in the NCAA and the NAIA . The National Football League (NFL) has the highest average attendance of any professional sports league in the world . Its championship game, the Super Bowl , ranks among the most-watched club sporting events globally. In 2022, the league had an annual revenue of around $ 18.6 billion, making it the most valuable sports league in
17625-473: The stadium. Before the construction of Memorial Stadium, Nebraska played its home games at Antelope Park and Nebraska Field . Gameday traditions Since 1993, Nebraska's home games have opened with the "Tunnel Walk" as the team takes the field before kickoff, typically to the Alan Parsons Project instrumental " Sirius ." The team first emerged from the southwest corner of the field and later, upon
17766-491: The time was played at the collegiate level . The upstart NFL received a boost to its legitimacy in 1925, however, when an NFL team, the Pottsville Maroons , defeated a team of Notre Dame all-stars in an exhibition game . A greater emphasis on the passing game helped professional football to distinguish itself further from the college game during the late 1930s. Football, in general, became increasingly popular following
17907-403: The uniforms again in 2020, and unveiled a white version to be worn away from home, but has not used either since. Adidas has been Nebraska's official shoe and uniform sponsor since 1996. In 2017, the school and sponsor signed an eleven-year, $ 128 million apparel deal. The rivalry between Nebraska and Colorado , one-sided for much of its history, gained traction with Colorado's resurgence in
18048-411: The width of the field, are marked every 5 yards (4.6 m). A one-yard-wide line is placed at each end of the field; this line is marked at the center of the two-yard line in professional play and at the three-yard line in college play. Numerals that display the distance from the closest goal line in yards are placed on both sides of the field every ten yards. Goalposts are located at the center of
18189-408: The winning team decides to defer, the losing team chooses the option the winning team did not select—to receive, kick, or select a goal to defend to begin the second half. Most teams choose to receive or defer, because choosing to kick the ball to start the game allows the other team to choose which goal to defend. Teams switch goals following the first and third quarters. If a down is in progress when
18330-402: The world. Other professional and amateur leagues exist worldwide, but the sport does not have the international popularity of other American sports like baseball or basketball ; the sport maintains a growing following in the rest of North America, Europe, Brazil, and Japan. In the United States, American football is referred to as "football". The term "football" was officially established in
18471-652: Was a 47-game winning streak from 1953 to 1957, an NCAA Division I record that still stands. It has been moderately threatened only four times: by North Dakota State in Division I FCS (39 wins, 2017–2021), Toledo (35 wins, 1969–1971), Miami (FL) (34 wins, 2000–2003), and USC (34 wins, 2003–2005). Earlier, the Sooners ran off 31 consecutive wins from 1948 to 1950. Apart from two losses in 1951, Wilkinson's Sooners did not lose more than one game per season for 11 years between 1948 and 1958, going 107–8–2 over that period. His teams also went 12 consecutive seasons (1947–1958) without
18612-542: Was a victory in the 1997 Big 12 Championship Game in the second year of its existence. Nebraska won the Big 12 again two years later, its most recent conference championship. Nebraska won ten division championships. Nine of these were in the Big 12's North Division, which NU played in until its departure for the Big Ten in 2011. Nebraska won one division title across thirteen seasons in the Big Ten's Leaders Division and West Division;
18753-511: Was altered to read "Nebraska Football: A Winning Tradition." Player last names first appeared on jerseys for road games and bowl games in the late 1970s, but home jerseys remained nameless except for seniors playing their final home game. Last names were permanently affixed to all jerseys in 1988. Nebraska's defense is often referred to as the " Blackshirts ," a reference to the black jerseys worn by starting defensive players during practice. The tradition originated in 1964 when Bob Devaney wanted
18894-533: Was hired in 1962 and quickly turned NU into a powerhouse, winning eight conference titles and two national titles during his eleven years as head coach. Osborne succeeded him in 1973 and won thirteen conference championships; the late-season meeting between Nebraska and Oklahoma often became a de-facto Big Eight championship game, as the two schools combined to win at least a share of the conference title thirty-three times during Devaney and Osborne's combined thirty-six-year tenure. Osborne's final conference championship
19035-513: Was instituted. Despite these new rules, football remained a violent sport. Dangerous mass-formations like the flying wedge resulted in serious injuries and deaths. A 1905 peak of 19 fatalities nationwide resulted in a threat by President Theodore Roosevelt to abolish the game unless major changes were made. In response, 62 colleges and universities met in New York City to discuss rule changes on December 28, 1905. These proceedings resulted in
19176-423: Was named Devaney's successor in 1973 and over the next twenty-five years established himself as one of the best coaches in college football history with his trademark I-formation offense and revolutionary strength, conditioning, and nutrition programs. Following Osborne's retirement in 1997, Nebraska cycled through five head coaches before hiring Matt Rhule in 2022. Nebraska has had thirty-one head coaches in
19317-435: Was named head football coach and athletic director of the Sooners. In his first season as head coach in 1947, Wilkinson led Oklahoma to a 7–2–1 record and a share of the conference championship, the first of 13 consecutive Big Six/Seven/Eight Conference titles. Ultimately, Wilkinson became one of the most celebrated college coaches of all time. His teams captured national championships in 1950, 1955, and 1956, and they amassed
19458-519: Was originally established in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, aimed to solve these problems. This new league's stated goals included an end to bidding wars over players, prevention of the use of college players, and abolition of the practice of paying players to leave another team. By 1922, the NFL had established itself as America's premier professional football league. The dominant form of football at
19599-527: Was sidelined with blood clots in September, was capped by a 24–17 victory over Miami in the Orange Bowl . With Frazier at full strength the following season, NU repeated as national champion; its 62–24 Fiesta Bowl victory over Florida was the largest margin of victory in a national title game until 2023 . The team is often considered among the best in college football history. Osborne's final title came in 1997, two years later. The most significant moment of
19740-601: Was televised in Manhattan, Kansas , making it the second televised college football game . The 1992 contest was held in Tokyo as the Coca-Cola Classic . Nebraska's series with Miami is among the most significant "bowl rivalries" in college football. The teams have met twelve times, with the series dating back to 1951 , a 19–7 Miami win. The series is tied, 6–6. No future game is yet scheduled. The rivalry's most notable game
19881-598: Was the color analyst for four of the greatest games in college football history, each commonly referred to as a " Game of the Century ": Notre Dame vs. Michigan State in 1966 , UCLA vs. USC in 1967 , Texas vs. Arkansas in 1969 , and Nebraska vs. Oklahoma in 1971 . Wilkinson was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1969. In 1975, he received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement . In 1978, Wilkinson returned to coaching with
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