Legate Wants a Third Straight 10-Win Season

 

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By Randy York

Somehow, 10 is one of those magical numbers that works its way into your mind, athletically, socially and otherwise. You have Top 10 teams, 10 most memorable moments, 10 best quotes, 10 all-time greatest players, coaches, songs, movies, you name it. Why, 10's even considered the ultimate measurement for beauty, so please don't put me down when I say Tyler Legate has to fit somewhere among my Top 10 all-time favorite Nebraska walk-ons. I mean, Legate and Husker teammate Austin Cassidy were both in my Top 10 last year as juniors, and even though they've gone from George Strait and Kenny Chesney fans to curly-haired seniors, they've managed to reinforce that lofty status for one simple reason ... all either one cares about is winning.

Cassidy and Legate are both what Bo Pelini would call players who are "all in" ... guys who put team above self every day, every play, every way. Why else would Legate, preparing for his last home game as a Husker, change the conversation from what's important to him to what means the most for his school, his coaches, his teammates and even the fans that follow him? This is Legate's third year as a letterman, and all that matters in the senior starting fullback's mind is going out a winner in the Capital One Bowl against Top 10 (there I said it again) South Carolina. "We fell short in the Big Ten (a conference that refuses to change its "perfect" name), but we still have a chance to win 10 games," Legate said. "I think that's really important to win 10 games three years in a row. I mean, that's not what we're here for, but it's something we can always say we did, you know? It's something to fight for and to strive for, so we can go out on top. When you work hard and give it your all, day in and day out, on the playing field and academically, you're going to take a step back. But when you slip up, you have to keep pushing forward. Bo, himself, said we'll look back on all of this 10 years from now (yet another meaningful measurement) and be really proud."  

Legate is Old School and finishing strong is something he'll bring to practice and take with him to Florida because it's the end of his long and winding road that began when he accepted a scholarship at South Dakota. After just one semester there, he gathered up the courage as an 18-year-old to head straight to his head coach's office and tell him he wanted to leave. "I told him, hey, I'm chasing a dream (to walk on at Nebraska)," Legate said. "He kind of told me very few walk-ons make it and then told me if it doesn't work out, I was always welcome back. He's still there, and I thank him for that. He kind of eased a lot of things that were going on inside me." Legate comes from a family in Neligh, Neb., where his dad has worked two jobs and where his mom would pick up extra jobs in the summer "just so I could fulfill my dreams," he said. No wonder he's understandably proud to receive a scholarship for all of the hard work he's put in, so he could experience the dream he chased so diligently. "I always would have regretted if I wouldn't have come (to Nebraska) and tried," he said. "I'm glad I never have to think about what might have happened if I wouldn't have tried. Even if I wouldn't have made it, I still could have said, 'Hey, I tried it.' But you know what? I did it!"

Yes he did, and he will never forget his first season as a walk-on when he had to sit in the student section because he couldn't suit up with the team. He'll never forget his first Tunnel Walk and every Tunnel Walk thereafter. And he'll never forget when (offensive coordinator) Tim Beck told him if he ever dropped one of those little flat passes that Taylor Martinez likes to throw his way, he might as well just keep running right out of the stadium. "I was like, 'Oh, no, he doesn't need to be saying that to a small-town kid who's just trying to make it,'" Legate said before adding that "It was pretty funny" and "I'll never forget that." Legate admits he wanted to wear cousin Billy Legate's No. 40 when he arrived at Nebraska, but he didn't have the courage to ask for it. "I was just trying to be quiet and work hard, and they gave me No. 48. I was like, 'That's my jersey,'" he said. His mom asked if he was ever going to switch. "Nope," he'd tell her. "That's what they gave me, and I'm going to keep it. I just stuck with it." Now, he admits, he "kind of likes No. 48" because he's built "my own identity wearing it". And now you know the rest of the story about why I put Tyler Legate somewhere among my Top 10 walk-ons, right up there with the likes of fellow Nebraska "small-towners" Derrie Nelson, Shane Swanson and Joel Makovicka.

Send a comment to Randy at ryork@huskers.com

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Voices Across Husker Nation

Once again, I have to say to you, thanks. There are a lot of writers who write articles concerning my beloved Huskers. But, article in and article out, your stories are some of the best every time. Tyler Legate sounds like another kid with that awesome character along the lines of Rex Burkhead that just makes me proud to be a Husker. I feel that we will need to play one of the best games that we have played this year to beat South Carolina, but I also feel that we can do it. I would love to send all of the current seniors out with a BANG! Three 10-win seasons in a row is nothing to take lightly. It is definitely progress, so best of luck to the Huskers in the Capital One Bowl. Thanks once again for a very enjoyable read. GO BIG RED!!! Bryan Hightower, Stateline, Nevada

What can I say? I'm a walk-on junkie, and whenever anyone mentions anyone else in the same breath with Derrie Nelson, I take notice and give credit where credit's due. Tyler Legate, you will go down in Nebraska history as someone who brought his lunch pail to work every day. Thanks to your blue-collar work ethic, we will succeed beyond anything we thought possible. Congratulations on a productive career. You will succeed in whatever you decide to do! Jim Thomas, Omaha, Nebraska Editor's note: Legate told us his transition into the real world should be smooth because he wants to teach and coach football.

From the days of I.M. Hipp and Jarvis Redwine, I can't read enough about walk-ons that defy the odds and end up playing important roles for my favorite team. Tyler Legate may not achieve the fame of those two well-known running backs, but every time he caught a short touchdown pass from (Taylor) Martinez, I would high-five my family and friends and ask: "Who doesn't absolutely love the Nebraska walk-on program?" Here's hoping, Tyler, that you go out in a blaze of glory against South Carolina! Go Big Red! Steve Anderson, Salt Lake City, Utah

Great article, as always. A 10 any way you measure it. Dan Hansen, Denver, Colorado

I don't know why, but this is one of those stories that brings a tear to my eye because it reminds me of how different Nebraska is from everyone else in the country. Notre Dame had Rudy, who gets in for a few plays that don't matter. We have our own version of Rudy every single season. The only difference is, guys like Tyler Legate, Austin Cassidy and Mike Caputo and all of the other walk-ons just like them get on the field when the game's on the line and every move they make becomes part of the outcome. Let's hope that tradition never changes in any way, shape or form. Cheering walk-ons is the proudest moment I have as a Nebraska football fan, year after year. Don Smith, Des Moines, Iowa

Even when we beat Iowa, I've been a little down because we finished third in our own division. After reading this, though, my attitude has changed rather dramatically. I think I finally get it. I'm proud of Nebraska and especially proud for senior leaders like Tyler Legate, who bring me back down to earth and remind me how dedicated 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22-year-old "kids" really are. This was the best article I read this season because it gave me perspective I didn't have. Here's hoping our walk-ons walk off the field as champions in Orlando! GO BIG RED! Scott Miller, Lincoln, Nebraska