Fremont Husker Nation Tour

Fremont, Neb. - The great Nebraska fans in Fremont put on one of the most fun-filled stops on the 2005 Husker Nation Tour on Thursday, kicking off the 10-city tour in fine fashion in front of 250 fans indoors at the Christensen Field Multi-Purpose Building.

The tour stop in Fremont unofficially begain with a tailgate party featuring local entertainment at 11 a.m., with free hot dogs for all of the early arrivals.  Free mini-footballs were handed out to the first 100 children under 12 years of age, and a Red Hat contest at 11:30 a.m. was also part of the well-organized festivities.

The Husker coaches and athletic department staff members officially arrived on the scene shortly before noon, and official Husker Nation Tour stop got underway at Christensen Field. Fans in Fremont received first-hand instruction from the Husker coaches, as the NU staff members took fans inside the huddle.  The coaches walked the fans through specific aspects of Nebraska's coaching techniques.

Nebraska offensive line coach Dennis Wagner and graduate assistant coach Angus McClure offered the fans an inside look at the Huskers' West Coast Offense, while defensive line coach John Blake gave the participants in Fremont a closer look at the NU defense.

Nebraska men's basketball assistant coach Scott Spinelli also gave those in attendance a look inside a Husker basketball practice.

Executive Associate Athletic Director Marc Boehm also made the trip to Fremont, along with the Pinnacle Sports Radio Network's voice of Husker basketball Randy Lee, who served as the emcee for the event. 

One lucky fan at the Fremont tour stop, Jim Englehart, won two tickets to Nebraska's season-opening football game with the Maine Black Bears on Saturday, Sept. 3, at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln.

Diane Mallette, who was the local organizer of the Husker Nation Tour through the Fremont National Bank and Trust, a member of the First National Bank family of banks, said the Fremont tour stop offered something to Husker fans of all ages.

"Everyone really liked the format this year," Mallette said. "The kids especially got into it because of the coaches splitting up on offense and defense. Everyone I talked to was really impressed and was pleased to have the opportunity to interact with the coaches. This is a great time of the year to be doing it with spring practice ending not that long ago and people starting to think about football coming up in August. We hope to have the Husker Nation back again in the future."

The Nebraska Athletic Department thanks Matt Gade of the Fremont Tribune for the photos he provided from the Husker Nation Tour to Huskers.com.