Huskers Writing Their Own Definition of Hero

Randy York's N-Sider

Official Blog of the Huskers

Hero can be a misunderstood word. Some reserve it for those who risk their lives to protect our country. Some use it to describe valiant actions that save lives. In simple terms for Nebraska Athletics, a hero can be anyone who volunteers their precious time to help someone else. Nebraska’s gifted 600-plus student-athletes are expected to care about the community and to share with their hearts and souls whenever possible. A great example of a touching experience and the value it creates was a recent Sunday when Nebraska’s incoming class for 2014 hosted its fifth annual Husker Heroes event that drew more than 300 special needs individuals from across the state and 900 other guests who became the first Husker Heroes group to use Memorial Stadium’s turf instead of the Huskers’ indoor practice facility.

Nebraska Life Skills Coordinators Stacey Burling, Kayla Conrad and Jordan Wilson organized an experience that hit home. “This event is important to the kids, and it’s important to our student-athletes who are beginning their first semester here,” Nebraska Life Skills Associate Athletic Director Keith Zimmer said. “Husker Heroes really does set the tone for service and leadership for our student-athletes across all sports. Even though attendance is required as a Life Skills class, everyone who gets involved the first time wants to serve again.” The N-Sider found four first-year Husker student-athletes who appreciated their initial opportunity to make a positive impact in the community. Here’s how they described their experience to me:

Trai Mosley, Freshman Defensive Back from Pflugerville, Texas

“My experience at Husker Heroes was a blessing. The overall feeling made me want to do it again.  Being able to interact with families and give them a chance to have fun with a Nebraska football player was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.  Seeing kids come up and ask for a picture or autograph made me feel great.  It didn’t matter which one of us it was… those kids will forever cherish that moment, and so will we.  A lot of people never get to experience that feeling, and I was happy to be a part of it.”  N-Sider Footnote: Trai, pictured above, also was blessed to learn he was the Nebraska Special Team Player of the Week for his Scout Team role that helped Nebraska beat Illinois at Homecoming.  Mosley turned down scholarship offers from Oklahoma and Baylor, among others.

Madi Unzicker, Freshman Catcher from Omaha

“What’s so amazing to me is that we not only get to spend time with kids that look up to us, but we get to give back to the community!  Husker Heroes is a great opportunity for kids with disabilities to feel like they can do anything they set their mind to do, no matter what holds them back!  They’re capable of anything, and it’s such a blessing for me to be a part of something that means so much to someone else and that we, as student-athletes, can make such an impact!”  N-Sider Footnote: Madi, above, had a career batting average of .494 as a four-time first-team all-state player at Millard South.  The all-state team captain and Nebraska Gatorade Player of the Year “plays whatever role her team needs and does it with a smile on her face,” Nebraska Coach Rhonda Revelle said.

Alex Moreland, Junior Hurdler from Omaha

“Husker Heroes was a lot of fun for me.  Any time you get an opportunity to give something back, it’s important.  It really did give me a different perspective on why it’s so important to help. It was kind of a surreal experience.  I had to take a step back and realize how grateful we should all be to have the opportunity to reach out to those who look up to us.  These fans are so important, so loving and so courageous.”  N-Sider Footnote: Alex, giving a “high five” above, went from Millard South to Midland University for two years before transferring to Nebraska.  At Husker Heroes, he ran into a friend from Fremont (Neb.) who has a child with special needs. “I didn’t know they were going to be here but it was so impacting for all of us,” he said.  “It was exciting being in charge of the bean bag station.   I was cheering and high-fiveing everybody who played.  It  was a great experience for everyone who was there.”

Grace Williams, Freshman All-Arounder from Linden, Michigan

“The feeling you get when you’re around those kids is indescribable.  I mean, just the smiles on their faces makes you want to stay the whole time.  My job was the captions for all kids before the event started.  It was fun.  I got to talk to them and see what they were interested in.  I walked around to the dance station and the hula-hoop station.  I worked the assigned sessions and when my shift was over, I was free to leave, but I stayed the whole time just because I wanted to experience the entire event.  I actually changed my major to special education the week after Husker Heroes.  I thought about it before but didn’t really know what it entailed or what I could do.  This was a great event and a career-changer for me.”  N-Sider Footnote: Grace, above, accepted Nebraska’s scholarship over offers from Georgia and Michigan.  She’s a former international elite and multi Junior Olympic national all-around champion.  She also won the 2014 Jr. Olympic national title in bar. “When I came here, it just felt like home away from home for me,” she said.   “I didn’t really get that feel from anywhere else.  I’ll have to step up in my game, but I’m going to enjoy it, and I’m glad I made the choice to come here.”

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

Follow Randy on Twitter at www.twitter.com/RandyYorkNsider

Randy’s N-Sider Blog Archive

Randy’s N-Sider Column Archive