Huskers Headline 2008 Football Hall of Fame Class

Lincoln - A distinguished class of seven former Huskers will headline the list of 2008 inductees into the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame this September, Nebraska Chapter President Irving Veitzer announced Thursday.

The list of inductees includes former Huskers, Ken Clark, Tony Felici, Sheldon Jackson, Bob Liggett, Kelly Petersen and Tim Smith. Alonzo Stiner, Nebraska’s fourth All-American, will also be inducted posthumously from the Pioneer division. From the state college ranks, Chadron State’s Danny Woodhead will receive automatic induction into the Hall of Fame after receiving the Harlan Hill Trophy as the nation’s outstanding NCAA Division II player. Chris Pohle (Hastings College) and Brian Bohling (Nebraska Wesleyan) will join Woodhead among the state college inductees in 2008.

Another former Husker, Grant Wistrom, will also be honored during the Hall of Fame ceremonies on the weekend of Nebraska’s football game with New Mexico State (Saturday, Sept. 13). Wistrom earned automatic induction into the Hall of Fame in 1998, after winning the 1997 Lombardi Award.

The Nebraska Football Hall of Fame is sponsored by the Nebraska Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame. The induction class will be enshrined at a special reception on Friday, Sept. 12, and will be introduced at the New Mexico State game on Sept. 13.

The Nebraska Football Hall of Fame is sponsored by the Nebraska Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame. The College Football Hall of Fame opened in South Bend, Ind., in 1995.

In addition to the Hall of Fame class, the Nebraska Chapter will present its Clarence Swanson Memorial Award to Bill and Betty Cook of Beatrice, and its Lyell Bremser Special Merit Award to former Husker assistant coach Dan Young.

The 2008 Nebraska Football Hall of Fame Class

Ken Clark - A three-year letterman at Nebraska as an I-back for Coach Tom Osborne’s Cornhuskers from 1987 to 1989, Clark ranks fifth on NU’s all-time rushing list with 3,037 yards. In his career, Clark carried 494 times, averaging nearly 6.3 yards per carry, while scoring 29 touchdowns. As a junior in 1988, the two-time All-Big Eight selection posted the fifth-best single-season rushing total in Husker history with 1,497 yards and 12 touchdowns on 232 carries. Clark’s total included the best single-game effort by a junior in NU history and the third-best day overall by a Husker, when he rolled for 256 yards and three scores on 27 carries in NU’s 63-42 win over Heisman Trophy winner Barry Sanders and Oklahoma State. Clark’s record-setting day included a 73-yard TD run on the first play from scrimmage. Nebraska’s first-ever recruit out of Omaha Bryan High School, Clark was chosen by Indianapolis in the eighth round of the 1990 NFL Draft. He spent the 1990 and 1991 seasons with the Colts.

Tony Felici - A three-year letterman as a defensive end for the Huskers from 1980 to 1982, Felici helped NU to a pair of Big Eight titles, two Orange Bowl bids and a 31-6 record in three seasons on the field for Coach Tom Osborne. As a senior, the two-time All-Big Eight selection helped the Huskers to the Big Eight crown and a 21-20 win over LSU in the Orange Bowl, as NU finished as the No. 3 team in the nation with a 12-1 record. Felici led the Blackshirts as a senior with 10 tackles for loss (62 yards), including a team-leading six sacks (52 yards). As a junior in 1981, he added 17 tackles for loss for a team-high 99 yards lost, including eight sacks for a team-best 63 yards. He also recovered three fumbles and had three pass breakups. The Omaha Central graduate finished his NU career with 140 total tackles, including 86 solos, 28 tackles for loss and 14 sacks.

Sheldon Jackson - A four-year letterman as a tight end for the Huskers, Jackson was a member of Nebraska’s three national championship teams in the 1990s. As a senior captain for NU in 1998, Jackson earned second-team All-America honors from the Associated Press while also claiming first-team All-Big 12 accolades. The native of Diamond Bar, Calif., went on to be a seventh-round selection in the 1999 NFL Draft and spent three years in the league with the Buffalo Bills. He played in 50 games with 16 starts for the Huskers in his career, finishing with 40 receptions for 632 yards and 15.8 yards per catch. All three of those numbers ranked in the top 10 in school history among NU tight ends. He added 10 touchdown grabs, including four as a senior when he started every game and finished with 19 receptions for 343 yards. In NU’s 1998 Orange Bowl win over Tennessee to win the national title, Jackson hauled in four catches for 56 yards to cap his junior season.

Bob Liggett - A two-time letterman for the Huskers as a defensive tackle in 1968 and 1969, Liggett earned All-Big Eight honors for Coach Bob Devaney’s Cornhuskers as a senior. Liggett had 126 career tackles, including 13 tackles for loss. The Alquippa, Pa., native also had four fumble recoveries and five pass breakups. As a senior, he notched 73 tackles, including seven for 45 yards lost. He helped the Blackshirts lead the Big Eight in total defense and scoring defense as a senior, NU finished with a 9-2 record as the Big Eight co-champions and the winners of the Sun Bowl. As a junior in 1968, Liggett led the NU linemen with 53 total tackles, including six tackles for loss. He added three fumble recoveries and a pair of breakups. He went on to play in the Blue-Gray and the Coaches All-America games before being chosen in the 15th round of the 1970 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs. He spent the 1970 season in Kansas City before closing his pro career in 1971 with the British Columbia Lions in the Canadian Football League.

Kelly Petersen - A two-year starter and letterman for Coach Bob Devaney’s Cornhuskers in 1965 and 1966, Petersen earned first-team All-Big Eight honors as a center for the Huskers in 1966, helping NU to an 18-3 record in his two seasons on the field. As a junior in 1965, Petersen anchored a Husker line that captured the school’s second NCAA rushing crown by rolling for 290 yards per game. NU ranked second nationally in total offense at 404 yards per game and second in scoring offense with 32.1 points per game while finishing the year ranked No. 3 nationally with a 10-1 record. Nebraska captured back-to-back Big Eight titles, facing Bear Bryant’s Alabama teams in the 1966 Orange Bowl and 1967 Sugar Bowl. A native of Cozad, Neb., Petersen competed in the Coaches All-America Game in Lubbock, Texas, following his senior season.

Tim Smith - One of the top split ends and punters in Nebraska history, Tim Smith was a three-year starter for Coach Tom Osborne’s Huskers in 1977, 1978 and 1979. A first-team All-Big Eight pick as a senior in 1979, Smith was also a standout in the classroom as a three-time academic All-Big Eight selection and the winner of a prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship in 1980. A team captain and the winner of Nebraska’s Guy Chamberlin Trophy as a senior in 1979, Smith finished his career ranked third on the Huskers’ career receiving yardage list and fourth in career receptions with 72 catches for 1,089 yards. He also became just the third punter in NU history to average 40 yards per punt in his career. A third-round pick by the Houston Oilers in the 1980 NFL Draft, Smith went on to a seven-year NFL career as a receiver with the Oilers.

Alonzo "Lonnie" Stiner - Nebraska’s fourth All-American, Stiner claimed national honors as a tackle in 1926. A two-year letterman for the Huskers in 1925 and 1926 under Coach Ernest E. Bearg, Stiner helped Nebraska to a 6-2 overall record that included a 5-1 mark and second-place finish in the Missouri Valley Conference in 1926. The Hastings, Neb., native also served as the Huskers’ team captain during his senior season in Lincoln when he captured first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference honors. As a junior in 1925, Stiner helped NU to a 4-2-2 record that included a 17-0 win over Knute Rockne’s Notre Dame squad and a 14-0 win over Red Grange and Illinois. Following his playing career, Stiner made a name for himself as the head coach at Oregon State from 1933 to 1948. During his tenure, he compiled a 74-49-17 record, setting school records for victories and winning percentage (.589). His finest season came in 1939, when he led the Beavers to a 9-1-1 record. He also led the Beavers to a 20-16 victory over a previously unbeaten Duke team in the 1942 Rose Bowl - the only Rose Bowl played outside of Pasdena, Calif. Stiner was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame for his accomplishments. Born in 1903, Stiner passed away in 1985.

Grant Wistrom - An automatic inductee in the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame in 1998 after winning NU’s fourth Lombardi Award as a senior in 1997, Wistrom was one of the most dominant defensive players in NU history. A four-year letterman and three-year starter at rush end, the Webb City, Mo., native led the Huskers to three national championships in 1994, 1995 and 1997. The 1997-98 Big 12 Male Athlete of the Year, Wistrom started 38 straight games to close his career, finishing with 206 total tackles, including a school-record 58.5 tackles for loss. He ranks second all-time at Nebraska with 26.5 career sacks. A team captain in 1997, Wistrom was a two-time All-American both on and off the field for the Huskers and captured the prestigious NCAA Top Eight Award in 1998. He received NCAA and National Football Foundation/College Hall of Fame postgraduate scholarships, before being chosen by the St. Louis Rams with the No. 6 overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft. He spent nine seasons in the NFL and played in three Super Bowls, including his first two with St. Louis and his final one with Seattle in his final season in 2006.

Danny Woodhead (Chadron State) - A four-year letterman at Chadron State, Woodhead earns an automatic induction into the Hall of Fame in 2008 as the winner of the 2006 and 2007 Harlan Hill Trophy, honoring the NCAA Division II National Player of the Year. Woodhead owns the all-college rushing record with 7,962 yards in his career. He averaged 180.9 yards per game in his career and set another national record by going for 200 or more yards 19 times. He rushed for a school-record 324 yards against Wayne State in 2006. In addition to his rushing total, he added 1,417 career receiving yards on 129 catches, and finished with 9,483 all-purpose yards in his career. He scored 109 touchdowns and ranks second all time with 654 career points. Woodhead, a native of North Platte, was also a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American and the 2007 CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year for football. A two-time AP All-American and a four-time Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year on the field, Woodhead earned a National Football Foundation Postgraduate Scholarship and was a finalist for the Vincent dePaul Draddy award. Woodhead signed a free agent contract with the New York Jets following his collegiate career.

Chris Pohle (Hastings College) - A defensive tackle for Coach Dan Kratzer at Hastings College, Pohle was one of the most dominant Broncos in history. A native of Campbell Hall, N.Y., Pohle earned NAIA Little All-America honors in 1991 and 1992. He was a first-team all-conference selection both years, and earned first-team All-Nebraska state college honors from the Omaha World-Herald and the Lincoln Journal Star. He scored a touchdown in each of his two seasons at Hastings College, including a 96-yard interception return for a score against Northwestern.

Brian Bohling (Nebraska Wesleyan) - A four-year letterman at right guard for Nebraska Wesleyan from 1996 to 1999, Bohling earned NAIA All-America honors as a senior, when he was also named the Football Gazette’s Offensive Lineman of the Year. A two-time first-team all-conference selection for Coach Brian Kelly, Bohling attended Nebraska Wesleyan after graduating from Lincoln Southeast High School. He redshirted in 1995, before earning a starting spot on the offensive line as a freshman in 1996.

Special Merit Award Winners:

Bill and Betty Cook (Beatrice) - The University of Nebraska Athletic Department is extremely proud to salute longtime Husker supporters Bill and Betty Cook of Beatrice. The Cook family owned and managed the Beatrice National Bank for three generations. Although they are now retired from the banking business, Bill and Betty remain active serving their community and following the Huskers across the country. The Cooks have always shown a strong commitment to helping Husker student-athletes reach their highest potential. As members of the Devaney Society, the Cook family was one of the first to endow a scholarship, which will benefit Nebraska student-athletes indefinitely and secure the stability of the program. Bill and Betty are members of the President’s Club with Distinction and Trustees of the University of Nebraska Foundation. The Cooks have also been strong supporters of each of Nebraska’s major football building projects, including the West Stadium Improvement Project and the Memorial Stadium Expansion Project, making generous contributions to each.

Dan Young (Lincoln) - Young was an assistant at Nebraska for 20 years, spending the final 17 as NU’s kickers coach and offensive line assistant coach. During his two decades on staff, the Huskers rolled to a 208-41-1 record and three national titles. NU’s offensive line ranked among the top six nationally in rushing every year, while helping the Huskers win 10 NCAA rushing titles. Three Nebraska offensive linemen won the Outland Trophy, and Young coached 11 All-Americans and 10 Academic All-Americans during his Husker career. Young’s punters ranked among the nation’s top 10 nine times, including a national statistical title in net punting in 1992. A graduate of Primrose (Neb.) High School, Young earned his bachelor’s degree from Kearney State in 1962, before earning his master’s degree from Reed College in 1972. Young began his career as the head coach at Barneston High School from 1962 to 1964, before spending one season as an assistant at St. Paul High School. He then spent 11 seasons as an assistant at Omaha Westside High School, before taking the reins as head coach for six years. Young led Westside to back-to-back 12-0 state championship seasons in 1981 and 1982. He joined Coach Tom Osborne’s NU staff in 1983 and spent three seasons as head freshman/junior varsity coach.