1978 Huskers Awarded Championship Rings

Lincoln -- Twenty-two years after their first-place finish, the athletes on the 1978 Nebraska men's indoor track and field team will finally receive their Big Eight Championship rings at the annual Relay Club Appreciation Banquet in the Stadium View Lounge Friday evening.

The Huskers actually finished second to Kansas at the 1978 indoor conference meet, but a short time later, a Jayhawk sprinter was declared ineligible by the NCAA. Consequently, his points were taken away from Kansas' team score, giving Nebraska the belated victory. Eventually, the trophy was sent to Lincoln, but the NU squad never received its championship rings.

While giving two of the 1978 team members a tour of the facilities in Memorial Stadium recently, current Nebraska assistant coach Mark Kostek learned of the ring situation and approached NU Director of Athletics Bill Byrne about finally awarding the jewelry to the squad. Coincidentally, Kostek was a captain on the 1978 Jayhawk team that was stripped of its title. Current Nebraska head coach Gary Pepin was an assistant coach for the 1978 Kansas squad.

Nearly every athlete from the 1978 team was contacted and many will be in attendance Friday evening.