Every Nebraska Fan Could Learn Something from Budge Porter?s Uncle Fred

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It's a new year, and every time you turn on a BCS bowl game, you might wonder why your favorite team isn't there. You know how close Nebraska was to making that elite level, so you don't want to complain, overanalyze or grumble about a 10-4 season that came within a whisker of a Big 12 championship.

If you're looking for inspiration and perspective, we've found someone who can help provide both.

Budge Porter, a former Husker who broke his neck tackling I.M. Hipp 35 years ago in spring practice, has a story to tell about his Uncle Fred, and every Nebraska fan should hear it. We say that because Uncle Fred's story can transform your thought process and help you trade a possible winter of discontent for a fresh outlook on life in general and football in particular.

Whether you're a fan that sticks together in all kinds of weather or one standing on some shaky ground right now, you can learn something from Budge Porter's Uncle Fred.

Uncle Fred is former Husker football letterman Frederick J. (Fred) Meier, who died last week in Santa Ana, Calif., a day before he was hoping to see Nebraska play Washington in the Holiday Bowl.

One of the last surviving members of Nebraska's 1941 Rose Bowl team that lost, 21-13, to Stanford, Meier was within two weeks of reaching his 91st birthday, and we would be absolutely remiss if we didn't mention the legacy he left as the starting center on that first of 47 Husker teams to play in a bowl game.

As Loyal and Faithful as Any Husker Fan Anywhere

"My Uncle Fred was a hard-working starter on one of our most historic football teams ever," Porter said. "Besides being a World War II veteran and a very successful civil engineer with a brilliant mind, he was a great husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, brother-in-law and uncle. But to me, his greatest legacy is the hard-core Husker fan we all knew and all loved so dearly. He was as loyal and as faithful as any fan you will ever meet or any fan you could ever imagine."

Strong words indeed from a nephew who knows all about inspiration and dedication himself.

Longtime Husker fans surely remember Porter, who graduated from Nebraska City in 1974 and received a full scholarship to play football at Nebraska. He became a third-generation Porter to play for the Huskers, following in the footsteps of his grandfather, Grove, and his dad, Mort, whose sister, Jane, was married to Meier.

Porter, you might recall, worked his way up to a second-team sophomore cornerback behind All-America candidate Dave Butterfield. Then, on April 21, 1976, disaster struck. While tackling Hipp, he broke his neck and faced a life of paralysis.

Budge's dad became his son's chief motivator and life counselor, steering him toward a full life as an Omaha stockbroker, a husband and at age 55, the father of three children, ranging from age 17 to 10.

Thanks to a strong belief and remarkable resolve, Budge Porter used his handicap like a hurdle in a steeplechase, riding up to every obstacle and then throwing his heart over it.

Uncle Fred was a big part of Budge Porter's belief and his resolve, and he helped a grateful nephew understand what being a true blue Big Red fan is all about.

Saw the Silver Lining in Three Disappointing Losses

"You know what?" Budge said over the phone. "I personally took Uncle Fred to two games in 2009 and one game last October in Lincoln. You know what games those were? Texas Tech and Iowa State in 2009 and Texas in 2010! Can you imagine being his age and coming all the way from California to see three straight disappointing losses?"

Here's the kicker, though. Uncle Fred watched all three games and celebrated anyway.

"In all three games, Uncle Fred was as frustrated as anyone in the stadium," Porter said. "But you know what he did after all three? He made sure that I, in my wheelchair, got him, using his walker, down on the field after every game, so he could hear the band and sing every word of the Fight Song. Even with his walker, he would always be the last guy standing in the stadium. He loved his faith, and he loved his Huskers. After losing every one of those games, he said Bo Pelini would learn something, and what he learned would only make him and the team better."

Knowing the culture of Nebraska football just three short years ago before Pelini arrived, Porter thinks Nebraska fans should all take a few steps back and look at college football the way his Uncle Fred did.

Uncle Fred grew up in Lincoln and graduated from Lincoln High. "Sam Francis was his hero, and Vike Francis was his Rose Bowl teammate," Porter said, emphasizing how Uncle Fred knew the meaning of tradition, the value of loyalty and the growth that can result from a loss. So while others around him showed their frustration after losing games they thought the Huskers should win, "Uncle Fred celebrated the way he believes every Nebraska fan should celebrate, win or lose."

It's been said that an optimist sees a green light everywhere with every experience while the pessimist sees only the red stoplight. It's also been said that the truly wise person is colorblind, and a certain nephew would add a couple of footnotes to that observation: 1) his Uncle Fred's patience is the companion to his wisdom, and 2) his common sense is his wisdom with its sleeves rolled up.

A Small Center with the Heart of a Boy Scout

"My Uncle Fred was only 5-10 and 190 pounds," Porter said. "He always said he wasn't much of an athlete, but he worked as hard as anyone could work and when you do that, great things happen."

Uncle Fred was a Nebraska success story that even Tom Osborne holds dear. "I had the privilege to meet Fred on several occasions, most recently at an event in Arizona," Nebraska's athletic director said. "He lived a good life, and I know that he was a great player."

Porter said Meier mirrored the values of Osborne. "I don't know what the Boy Scout creed is, but Coach Osborne and my Uncle Fred could have been poster boys for that creed because I'm sure both represent every value in it."

Funny Porter would make such a comparison. Two years ago, 17 former Nebraska players showed up in Omaha and surprised Osborne when he was honored as the "Ultimate Boy Scout" after receiving the Citizen of the Year Award from the Mid-America Council of the Boy Scouts of America.

For the record, there is no such thing as a Boy Scout creed, but there is a Boy Scout oath and a law, and Porter says Meier meets all criteria of being trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent.

"He is all of those things," Porter said, adding that his uncle was a Nebraska student-athlete who became a role model long before the Huskers knew the importance of cranking out Academic All-Americans like there was some kind of assembly line.

Five Direct Relatives Also Husker Football Lettermen

Uncle Fred's loyalty to Nebraska football is reflected in his having five direct relatives that also were Husker football lettermen. Uncle Fred's late brother, Frank (1932-34), was an All-Big Six Conference center for the Huskers. His late father-in-law, Grove Porter, lettered for the Huskers at quarterback in 1914, and his brother-in-law, Mort Porter, lettered for Nebraska as an offensive guard in 1943. In addition, Meier was an uncle for both Budge (1978) and his brother Scott Porter (1983-84).

"Everyone in our family would describe Uncle Fred the same way," Porter said, admitting he grew closer to his uncle with each passing year. "He would get upset with a loss just like everyone else, but he would never let his disappointment cloud his love for the Huskers. His faith and his love for our program were unwavering, and he thinks that's the way it should be for everyone who chooses to follow a program like Nebraska's because we stand for so much more than just winning."

Porter cherishes his drives with Uncle Fred to Lincoln from Omaha and the trips back home, especially the one after eventual non-bowl qualifier Texas beat Nebraska last October.

"I remember what Uncle Fred said when we finally got in the car for the ride home," Porter recalled. "He said: 'It's just too bad the game turned out that way, but we'll come back and be better because that's the way Bo coaches and the way he leads. It takes time to get everything the way you want it.'"

Talk about time. "You should see how long it would take for my Uncle Fred and I just to get to and from my (handicapped-equipped) conversion van into the stadium," Porter said, chuckling. "We'd park in Lot 1 and then start the process. It would require some teamwork for sure. I'd be in my wheelchair and part the sea, and Uncle Fred would follow in that little walker of his with a seat on it."

Uncle Fred and his nephew would have to stop three times in one block.

"Budge, hold up a minute," Uncle Fred would say, and Porter would stop so his uncle could camp out on the seat attached to his walker.

"We'd help each other fight our way through the crowd," Porter said. "You should have seen the two of us at a concession stand when we'd each buy a couple of hot dogs and a couple of drinks. Fortunately, the concession staffers would always ask us if we needed help, and we'd always say yes."

Sacred Moments: The National Anthem and Fight Song

Porter knew that two non-game moments were sacred: The National Anthem before the game in his seat and the Nebraska Fight Song after the game with the student body.

"We always had to be in our seats, so Uncle Fred could experience the pre-game pageantry," Budge said. "He loved watching the planes fly overhead, and he always stood up and sang every word of the National Anthem. That was every bit as important to him as singing the Fight Song after every game, win or lose."

Leave it to a veteran to relate the football experience every Saturday to the freedom to watch your favorite team play its heart out. Veterans don't like losing either, even when they're 90, but they would never make the mistake of pulling away from or criticizing the team they love most, especially when they see how hard the Huskers play.

"My Uncle Fred was all about faith, family and country, and he put football right up there with everything else," Porter said.

Uncle Fred served in the United States Navy Seabees Construction Battalion and protected his country during WW II in the Pacific. "He fought in the Guadalcanal Campaign and helped build airstrips for Navy planes to land in uninhabited territory," Porter said. "There would be bombs and choppers all over the place, and the Seeabees had to jump in foxholes and fight for their lives."

No wonder Uncle Fred loved his country just like he loved his Cornhuskers.

Fred Meier had every intention to attend Nebraska's Holiday Bowl game against Washington. "We had emailed each other, and he had tickets through the Californians for Nebraska," Porter said. "I thought something might be up when he didn't answer one of my emails. He'd been in the hospital for some internal ulcer bleeding, but they sent him back home."

In San Diego, He Had 'The Best Seat in the House'

Uncle Fred, of course, died the day before Washington upset Nebraska in San Diego, but he would have been proud to see Nebraska's creative Huskers for Heroes ticket donation program help inspire some new Husker fans among all those Navy sailors and U.S. Marines in attendance.

"It's not easy for Uncle Fred or Aunt Jane to travel to Nebraska, but I'll never forget what he told me when he went back to California after the Texas game: 'Budge, get me a ticket to another game because we're coming back next year,'" Porter related. "My Aunt Jane is legally blind, and my Uncle Fred has a hard time getting around, but they were always looking forward to that next visit." 

That's why Budge Porter is convinced that his uncle would be okay with the upset loss in the Holiday Bowl.

"I know exactly how my Uncle Fred would have responded because I know the kind of man he is," Porter said. "I'm sure he had the best seat in the house for that bowl game, and I'm sure he would have been thrilled to be there right up to the bitter end, even if we did come out on the short end and didn't play very well. I also know what he would have said walking out of that stadium with all those disappointed people."

Uncle Fred, Porter insisted, would have delivered one short, declarative sentence after singing the Fight Song and walking slowly out of Qualcomm Stadium with his walker.

And what exactly would he have said?

"'I can't wait until next season!'" Porter replied. "That's just the way he was."

Editor's note: Fred Meier's funeral services will be Saturday, Jan. 8, 2011, at Trinity United Presbyterian Church in Santa Ana, Calif. He is survived by his wife, Katherine Jane, three sons (Mike, Steve and Jack), and their families, including four grandchildren and three great grandchildren. Son Steve played football at the University of the Pacific, where his quarterback was Zac Lee's father, former NFL quarterback Bob Lee. Son Jack was recruited by Southern Cal, but finished at Hawaii. Former Husker Assistant John Melton "tried hard to recruit Jack, but lost out to USC," Porter said, adding "It must have been the weather."

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Voices from Husker Nation

Leave it to someone from our Greatest Generation to remind us of how lucky we are to live, work and be able to show some passion for a sport we love. Of course, Uncle Fred is right. We should all celebrate the journey more than the destination. Uncle Fred learned long ago that life isn't about how many times you get knocked down, but how many times you get back up. The timing of an article like this is refreshing, coming on the same day that a freshman quarterback shares how a week of soul-searching made him look forward to the challenges ahead. So here's a toast to Budge Porter's uncle, to Taylor Martinez and to the historic journey Nebraska football will take in 2011! Thanks, Uncle Fred, for clearing our minds and sharpening our focus. Tim Sullivan, Chicago, Illinois

Thanks for a  great article. Fred should be an inspiration to us all. I worked with his son Jack, and he often mentioned the love his family had for the Huskers. Thank you, Uncle Fred. Larry Snider, Rancho Cucamonga, California

We could sure use some more uncles like that in all of our lives and not only for football. I hope this generation and the next will take some thoughts and life lessons from your article. Thanks. Chris Duryea, Steamboat Springs, Colorado

I'm pretty good friends with Scott Porter and know both Budge and his dad, Mort ... good people! I loved the article on Budge and his Uncle Fred, who truly does represent the way that a lot of Huskers have been raised here in Nebraska. Although the Holiday Bowl loss was disappointing, my family can't wait for Husker Football in 2011! Shawn Sinner, Omaha, Nebraska

My thanks for writing such a positive article about "Uncle Fred". Rob Goodale, Phoenix, Arizona

Over the years, I've met and read about a lot of loyal Husker fans, but I do believe that "Uncle Fred" just might be in a league of his own. Bless his attitude, his spirit and his entire family. He sounds like he was one very special guy. Darla Hansen, Omaha, Nebraska

Uncle Fred had it right! The most positive thing I've read about the Huskers for several months. D.F., Overland Park, Kansas

I've often wondered whatever happened to Budge Porter, so reading about his Uncle Fred through his words was a double treat for me. It was inspiring. Keep up the great work. Scott Simpson, Denver, Colorado

I really enjoyed reading the article, and I, too, can't wait until the new era of "Big 12" football starts. I was at the Holiday Bowl game with my 80-year-old dad who graduated from the University of Nebraska. He taught me to scream and cheer for our Huskers when I was only three-years-old. Johnny Rodgers tended to have that effect on people, and I have been a Husker addict ever since. GO BIG RED! See you in the new Big 12. I can't wait until we face Ohio State in the first championship game!! Thanks for being there for us addicts. Chuck Spale, Palmdale, California

Reading this column was like going to confession for me. I grumbled plenty during the game and even more afterwards. From now on, I'm using Budge Porter's Uncle Fred as my new standard for sportsmanship. It won't be easy, but I think Uncle Fred would say changing my outlook will only make me better. Thank you. Steve Emerson, San Diego, California

I would be thrilled to have half of Uncle Fred's optimism. It would make watching football a lot easier. Good column and one worth sharing with others. Don Harris, Olathe, Kansas

Thanks, Budge. I  loved reading that. What a great man! Inspiring people!! Dion Trent, Dodge City, Kansas

Don't we all wish we had an uncle like Uncle Fred? The guy is amazing. What a man. What a legacy. Thanks for sharing a real gem with all of us who follow Nebraska football. We get it. Thanks for helping us figure out that one big thing they touted in City Slickers. Jerry Swanson, Des Moines, Iowa

I'm impressed. I was ready to dismiss this story until I read it. Man, woman and child, Uncle Fred just defined the true meaning of Nebraska football, and we should all thank him for that. Thank you, Uncle Fred. The Phillips Family, Lincoln, Nebraska

Best story I've read all year. Thanks for taking the time to write it so we could all enjoy it. Margaret Paulson, Fargo, North Dakota

This is an awesome story, and a nice coincidence to the Husker Vintage poster calendar I got for 2011. January is the poster from the 1941 Rose Bowl. RIP Uncle Fred. David Russell

Fred Meier is my Great Uncle Fred. My son, Josh Leber, also graduated from UNL and has two Master's degrees and is working on his PHD. Thanks for the article about Uncle Fred. He truly was special. Lori Leber, Loveland, Colorado