Volleyball, 2017

One of the most decorated student-athletes in Nebraska history, Karen (Dahlgren) Schonewise enjoyed great individual and team success as a member of the Husker volleyball team from 1983 to 1986. She helped Nebraska post a 113-17 record during her career, which included sweeping the Big Eight regular-season and tournament championships in each of her four seasons. (Dahlgren) Schonewise also played a leading role in Nebraska reaching the NCAA Semifinals for the first time in 1986, when the Huskers finished as the national runner-up to Pacific. Individually, (Dahlgren) Schonewise was a two-time All-American, a three-time CoSIDA Academic All-American and the 1986 Honda Award winner. A middle blocker, (Dahlgren) Schonewise earned second-team All-America accolades as a junior in 1985, before garnering first-team honors as a senior in 1986. That season, (Dahlgren) Schonewise became the first Husker volleyball player to win the Honda Award as the nation's best player. In addition to winning the first Honda Award in program history, (Dahlgren) Schonewise was also the first Nebraska volleyball player to be a CoSIDA Academic All-American. She earned honorable-mention academic All-America accolades as a sophomore, before garnering first-team honors as both a junior and senior. (Dahlgren) Schonewise ended her career as Nebraska's all-time leader in blocks (555), and she still holds school records for career solo blocks (132), season solo blocks (46 in 1984) and match blocks (18 vs. U.S. International in 1984). Her No. 13 jersey was retired by Nebraska in 2003. A native of Bertrand, Neb., (Dahlgren) Schonewise earned her degree in business administration from the University of Nebraska in 1987.

Softball, 2017 

Denise Day was both a distinguished student and athlete at Nebraska. As a four-year letterwinner and member of six conference championship teams (regular-season and tournament) for the Nebraska softball program from 1982 to 1985, Day etched her name into Husker history by becoming the first All-American and first CoSIDA Academic All-American in program history. Overall, Day ended her career as a two-time All-American, a two-time academic All-American and the 1985 Honda Award winner. As a freshman, Day helped lead Nebraska to the inaugural Women's College World Series in 1982. Two years later, the Huskers returned to the WCWS, when Day was tabbed as a second-team All-American and a first-team academic All-American. As a senior in 1985, Day won the Honda Award as the nation's best player, the only Husker softball player to win the award. She also earned first-team All-America accolades on the field and in the classroom as a senior, and is the only Husker softball student-athlete to be a two-time first-team academic All-American. Her No. 10 jersey was retired by Nebraska in 1999. Following her softball playing career – which ended with her owning nearly every offensive school record – Day threw the javelin for the Husker track and field team at the 1985 Big Eight Outdoor Championships. Day helped lead Nebraska to the conference title, finishing second in the javelin behind teammate Karyn Szarkowski with a throw of 168-8, which ranked as the third-best throw in school history at the time. A native of South Williamsport, Pa., Day earned her degree in education from the University of Nebraska in 1985.

Football, 2018

Bob Devaney was a prominent figure in Nebraska Athletics for 35 years, serving as head football coach (1962-72), Athletic Director (1967-93) and Athletic Director Emeritus (1993-96). He arrived in Lincoln in 1962 and inherited a football program that had not won a conference title in more than two decades and was coming off five consecutive losing seasons. But in his 11 seasons as coach, Devaney never had a losing season, leading Nebraska to eight conference titles, two national championships and a 101-20-2 record. His teams won nine or more games in nine of his 11 seasons while finishing with a top-10 national ranking seven times. Devaney's 1970 squad was the first Nebraska team in any sport to win a national championship. The Huskers made it back-to-back national titles in 1971, when Nebraska was the first team in the modern era to post a 13-0 record. Devaney was named the national coach of the year in both 1970 and 1971, and he was a six-time regional coach of the year and five-time Big Eight Coach of the Year. Individually, he coached four members of the College Football Hall of Fame, two Outland Trophy winners, one Heisman Trophy winner and one Lombardi Award winner. Devaney also coached five seasons at Wyoming (35-10-5) before coming to Nebraska. He never had a losing record in his 16 seasons as a head coach and finished with a 136-30-7 record, good for an .806 career winning percentage that ranks 13th all-time. Devaney was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1981. Following his stint as Nebraska's Athletic Director and Athletic Director Emeritus, Devaney retired in 1996 and lived in Lincoln until he passed away at the age of 82 on May 9, 1997.