My Top Ten of 400 Wins at Memorial Stadium

Randy York’s N-Sider

Last Saturday against Miami, Nebraska won its 400th college football game in Lincoln. The milestone inspired The N-Sider to reflect on the Huskers’ best home field wins of all-time. After analyzing the possibilities and searching my soul, I’ve compiled a personal Top Ten, and it should be no surprise that nearly half of my Top Ten involve Oklahoma, the Huskers’ greatest rival of all time.

The Sooners rise to the top with four games played in four different decades. My other six selections include wins over Notre Dame, Ohio State, Alabama, UCLA, Colorado and Oklahoma State. My choices represent eight decades of Nebraska football. Please take a sentimental journey in remembrance of these Top Ten wins that date all the way back to 1923, Nebraska’s first season inside Memorial Stadium:

Win No. 2: Nebraska 14, Notre Dame 7, Nov. 10, 1923

Talk about magical moments. Knute Rockne and The Four Horsemen of Notre Dame represent one of the most fabled eras in college football history, but they lost twice to Nebraska before earning their storied name. Nebraska defeated Notre Dame 14-6 in 1922 and 14-7 in 1923, the year Memorial Stadium first opened its doors. The same legends NU had beaten twice were “outlined against a blue, gray October sky” when Grantland Rice named the Four Horsemen backfield in 1924. In their three-year reign before packed crowds at home and away, The Four Horsemen lost only two games – both in Lincoln.

Win No. 102: Nebraska 25, Oklahoma 21, Oct. 31, 1959

This happened before Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne but ranks among the greatest upsets ever. Nebraska’s first win over Oklahoma in 17 years became OU’s first loss to any conference team in 74 games. Media called it the “Tolly-Meade-Fischer combo” that stole the show. Quarterback Harry Tolly scored Nebraska’s last touchdown in the fourth quarter and directed the upset. Ron Meade kicked two second-half field goals and came up with a game-saving pass interception, and Pat Fischer produced a 61-yard punt return that set up Nebraska’s third touchdown. Lee Zentic returned a blocked punt 36 yards for NU’s second touchdown.

Planes flew over Memorial Stadium when Nebraska hosted OU on Nov. 23, 1963, the day after JFK died.

Win No. 116: Nebraska 29, Oklahoma 20, Nov. 23, 1963

This was an emotional experience for a nation mourning the heart-breaking assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Dennis Claridge, Rudy Johnson and Kent McCloughan led the Huskers to a win that decided the Big Eight championship. “We met as a team and decided the game would be a way for us to honor the President and show our respect for his family,” offensive lineman Bob Brown told me. The only modern-day Husker player in both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame, Brown said he was “stunned and confused” because “it was a very sad and very somber time.”  Husker fans should know that OU legendary coach Bud Wilkinson was on the President’s Council on Youth Fitness, so he called Bobby Kennedy to discuss whether to play or postpone the game. Bobby, JFK's brother and the nation's Attorney General, counseled Wilkinson to play the game because the country needed a psychological pickup.

Win No. 183: Nebraska 31, Alabama 24, Sept. 17, 1977

 Rick Berns is one of Nebraska’s most underrated running backs in history. At 6-foot-4 and fast, he had a career average of more than six yards per carry. In this classic matchup of Tom Osborne against Paul “Bear” Bryant, Berns rushed for 128 yards and added 22 receiving yards while scoring three touchdowns in Nebraska’s 31-24 upset of Alabama. Berns won five national player of the week honors for a performance that ended up costing the Crimson Tide the 1977 national championship. Jim Pillen’s two interceptions earned Defensive Player of the Game honors. Alabama finished second in both final polls.

Win No. 191: Nebraska 17, Oklahoma 14, Nov. 11, 1978

No. 1-ranked Oklahoma lost six of nine fumbles. Heisman Trophy winner Billy Sims’ fumble was the last at Nebraska’s 3-yard line with 3:27 remaining. Monster back Jim Pillen recovered that fumble and led Nebraska with eight tackles and two fumble recoveries. Linebackers Bruce Dunning and Lee Kunz were stellar. So were defensive back Jeff Hansen, defensive tackle Dan Pensick and defensive end George Andrews. Pillen was Defensive MVP and Rick Berns (113 yards rushing) the Offensive MVP. In a 2009 poll on Huskers.com, fans voted this game as their all-time favorite to celebrate Nebraska’s NCAA record-setting 300 home-game sellout streak.

Win No. 237: Nebraska 42, UCLA 33, Sept. 12, 1987

In a game that was Nebraska’s 150th consecutive home sellout at Memorial Stadium, Steve Taylor threw a school record five touchdown passes to power No. 2-ranked Nebraska over No. 3-ranked UCLA, 42-33. Even though Taylor bruised his shoulder in the first quarter, the California native fired five scoring passes to four different receivers. The first three were Tom Banderas (9 yards), Ken Clark (11) and Rod Smith (48). Taylor’s last two strikes were 35 and 33-yard passes to Todd Millikan in the fourth quarter. The day was made even more memorable because the legendary Troy Aikman was the opposing quarterback.

Win No. 245: Nebraska 63, Oklahoma State 42, Oct. 15, 1988

Nebraska football fans remember this as the highest scoring game in Memorial Stadium history. It now holds a special place in our hearts for two distinctively different reasons: 1) It matched two top 10-ranked teams and two top-rated running backs; and 2) Nebraska’s Ken Clark died last year at age 46 of a heart attack. In the first minute of this game, Clark scored a 73-yard touchdown and added another in a first quarter that ended 35-0. Clark finished with 256 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 27 carries. OSU legend Barry Sanders rushed for 189 yards on 35 carries.

Brook Berringer's finest individual game was leading Nebraska to a decisive 24-7 win over Colorado in 1994.

Win No. 284: Nebraska 24, Colorado 7, Oct. 29, 1994

When Nebraska celebrated the 20th anniversary of Tom Osborne’s first national championship season, a trip down memory lane led to this game. The late Brook Berringer, the quarterback who had the most starts on that team, demonstrated his leadership in this game, enabling the Huskers to outplay a CU team that featured future NFL stars Kordell Stewart and Michael Westbrook and 1994 Heisman Trophy winner Rashaan Salaam. This was Brook’s date with destiny, his time to shine. “That kid had something inside that was really special,” Nebraska assistant Ron Brown said. “He was the star that day. He was sensational.”

Win No. 328: Nebraska 20, Oklahoma 10, Oct. 27, 2001

Who can forget All-America quarterback Eric Crouch’s signature play in a Heisman Trophy season against the top-ranked team in college football’s BCS standings? For the record, it was called black flash 41 reverse pass where Crouch handed off to Thunder Collins, who pitched the ball to Mike Stuntz, who then threw a perfect pass to a streaking Crouch, who hauled in a 63-yard, fourth-quarter touchdown catch. The difference between a 13-10 and a 20-10 lead is still steeped in folklore and personified Crouch’s Heisman campaign while ending a 20-game Oklahoma winning streak that included a national championship the previous season.

Win No. 377: Nebraska 34, Ohio State 27, Oct. 8, 2011

Every Nebraska football fan will remember this game. It was dark, raining, and Ohio State was leading, 27-6, early in the third quarter. A hush fell over 85,000 fans. Then Lavonte David made arguably the biggest play of the season, stripping the ball from the quarterback and recovering a fumble at the OSU 23. Two plays later, Nebraska cut the lead to 27-13, and the greatest comeback in Nebraska football history was on. Within an hour, hope turned to euphoria and the Huskers won their first-ever football game in the Big Ten Conference. Taylor Martinez rocked and Rex Burkhead rolled with 96 yards rushing in the fourth quarter alone. David led the Huskers with 13 tackles, and this magical, emotional victory will always be remembered for one other thing. Two weeks later, Nebraska fans finally learned who received the game ball after an unprecedented turnaround – Bo Pelini, a former Buckeye who would love nothing more than lead Nebraska this year to its first conference championship since 1999. 

That's my Top Ten in chronological order.  I know there are other equally compelling home football wins scattered among Husker faithful, including the only Hail Mary-winning ending in stadium history.  Please feel free to share your thoughts about what game or games should be on the list you read above and why it should be there. GBR! 

Send a comment to ryork@huskers.com (Include city, state)

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Voices from Husker Nation

Loved this Top 10.  I was at the 1959 Nebraska-Oklahoma game as a NU band member.  All kinds of empty seats at the beginning of the game.  After halftime, people started to come to see what was happening.  By the end of the game, the stadium was full, all 37,000-plus seats.  Knot-hole seats were full as usual.  Boys were in the South, girls in the North and tickets were 50 cents apiece.  Gary Welch, Leadville, Colorado, Classes of 1960 and 1965 and still a Husker fan.

I'm not sure I can dispute your Top Ten games, but here are six contests with historical significance that I would put in the Honorable Mention category! November 14, 1970:Nebraska 51, Kansas State 13.  The Blackshirts intercept Wildcat quarterback Lynn Dickey seven times.September 8, 1973:Nebraska 40, UCLA 13.  In dominating fashion, the Big Red ushers in the Tom Osborne era.  November 26, 1976:  Oklahoma 20, Nebraska 17.  This could be considered the most heartbreaking Husker loss in Memorial Stadium history, as the Sooners drove 84 yards in the game's final four minutes to score a TD, using two trick plays along the way.  November 12, 1983:  Nebraska 67, Kansas 13.  As eventual Heisman Trophy winner Mike Rozier rushes for 285 yards, Lyell Bremser broadcasts his last football game at Memorial Stadium on radio, ending a 45-season career that began in 1939. Bremser was also on the stadium's PA mic, introducing the Husker seniors just prior to kickoff.  November 15, 1997:  Nebraska 77, Iowa State 14.  The Huskers roared to a 63-7 halftime lead.  At the time, very few people were aware that this would be Tom Osborne's last home game as head coach.  November 10, 2007: Nebraska 73, Kansas State 31.  In what would be a silver lining in a dark cloud season, Husker QB Joe Ganz completed 30 of 40 passes for 510 yards and seven touchdowns  in a 73-31 triumph over Kansas State.  The 510 yards and seven TD passes are still Husker single game records.  Kevin Horn, Alliance, Nebraska

In my mind, the win over Kansas in 1969 was one of the most important ever.  Remember, Nebraska was coming off two 6-4 seasons, people were questioning Devaney and the team, and they had already lost two games that season, to USC and to Missouri the previous week.  Nebraska, playing a number of sophomores, was in danger of losing again to Kansas when, late in the game, Jerry Tagge scrambled and heaved a desperation pass in the neighborhood of Jim McFarland.  It was long but pass interference was called and when Kansas protested too strenuously an unsportsman-like conduct penalty was called.  Nebraska went on to win and didn't lose again until 1972.  Two national championships and a return to relevance.  The doubts were answered.  None of that might have happened if that one play had just been an incomplete pass. In view of what followed, and what might have never been, I think it qualifies as one of the most important wins ever.  Don Harris, Grant, Nebraska

N-Sider comment: Good memory.  It was a pivotal game after a 2-2 start and sophomore Jeff Kinney's 6-yard touchdown run, his second of the game, gave Nebraska a 21-17 win with only one minute and 22 seconds left on the clock.  The win solidified and unified the team and launched sophomore leaders on a record run.