Randy York’s N-Sider
Video: Husker Student-Athletes Describe Excellence
Video: Pride, Passion Reinforce Big Red's Tradition
The first time De'Mornay Pierson-El spotted a Nebraska letterwinners’ jacket on UNL’s campus, “I knew I wanted one and not everybody can have one,” the Huskers’ All-America freshman punt returner said Monday following Sunday’s formal presentation honoring 46 first-time Nebraska Athletics’ letterwinners in West Memorial Stadium.
“Very few get that letter jacket, and it means a whole lot to me,” Pierson-El told me before adding a footnote: “At this university, the ‘N’ stands for hard work. Everybody wants one, but you have to work your butt off to get one. Getting one means I’m on the right path and I’m doing the right things, and I need to continue to do what I do to get there again. This letter jacket stands for tradition and dedication. It means being the first guy in every morning and the last guy out. At Nebraska, hard work is just not something you can pass over at any time or in any way.”
“Look at Joey Felici (pictured below, 12th from left). He’s been here for five years, and he just got his first letter,” Pierson-El pointed out. “All I can say is hard work pays off. Joey’s my brother. He’s my battle buddy. He was one of the first guys to meet me in the end zone after returning a punt for a touchdown (Pierson-El led the nation in 2014 with 596 yards and three punt return touchdowns while averaging 17.5 yards per return). Joey was one of the first guys who would lift me up. He always told me ‘If you need something big, I got you’, so I love those guys who have worked their butts off for five years to earn a letter. It means a lot to me to see somebody like Joey get a letter because he definitely deserves one.”
Blocker Felici Kept Returner Pierson-El Loose and Comfortable
“Joey worked very, very hard while making me laugh and keeping me loose,” Pierson-El said. “He made me feel better and more comfortable back there as a freshman returner. Joey is more about ‘us’ than he is about ‘me’ and getting the job done. He’s a big part of the whole. I can tell you he’s helped me a lot. Just the little time that I’ve had with him, he proves it’s all about how much effort and how much hard work you’re willing to give. I’ve seen him in his daily ritual. He didn’t take one rep off, not one, ever. I mean, he got his opportunity to play, and he made the best of it. He didn’t complain once. He just chinned up and made the most out of every play he could. He was selfless. He proved that the letter N stands for keep fighting hard every day in every situation. Perseverance is important. If you work hard and fight hard, there's no limit to how far you can go. You need to compete until every drop that’s in you is gone. It’s such an eye-opener when you push yourself as far as you can. That was important for Joey, for me and everyone else. I think of all the great people who have worn this letter N before me, and I don’t just mean football. I mean, every sport we have here.
“Nebraska is about improving every day in every sport. We have an elite group of student-athletes out there, men and women," Pierson-El said. "Not everybody can say they have a letter, but we know the only way you can walk away with one is to give everything you have in you every single day. I feel privileged to earn a letter as a freshman. I worked hard to get it. We all did. If you don’t keep giving everything you have, it’s not going to happen. This is Nebraska. This is why I came here – to earn everything I get and to help my teammates do the same.”
Former Husker, NFL Player Warren Set the Tone for Sunday Ceremony
Former Husker second-team All-America nose tackle Steve Warren (pictured above) delivered a short speech at Sunday’s ceremony, admitting that he wasn’t “quite as focused as I should have been” in taking advantage of Nebraska's multiple resources related to total-person development. Even though “my time was definitely special” at Nebraska, Warren pointed out how fleeting football can be. A third-round draft choice of the Green Bay Packers, he tore a quad on his kneecap in his first year with the fabled franchise and played just three NFL seasons. He is now founder/president of the D.R.E.A.M. Omaha Foundation, a non-profit that provides role models who reach out and help about 500 underserved and less privileged children and their families.
Freshman Walk-On Lives the Dream, Earns Volleyball Letter
Not everyone can earn a varsity letter at Nebraska, but some freshmen can beat the odds and live a dream at the same time, even after walking on. Case in point: freshman libero Sydney Townsend, pictured above next to head volleyball coach John Cook and redshirt freshman teammate Kira Larson. Pat Logsdon (far right) is the Huskers' senior woman administrator.Townsend is one of three Husker volleyball players earning their first N-Club letter. “Getting that jacket and finally putting one on was exciting,” Townsend told me. “I grew up in Lincoln. My parents would take me to see the Huskers play a few matches every year and whenever the NCAA Final Four was in Omaha, we were there.” Townsend earned a Regents’ academic scholarship, and Cook recruited her to walk on. “You think something’s never going to happen, and then it does," Townsend said. "It’s awesome to earn a letter from the same program where (USA national team members) Jordan Larson and Kayla Banwarth played.”
Eichorst: Letters Memorable Moments for a Lifetime
Pierson-El's response and Townsend’s experience proved the accuracy of a point Nebraska Director of Athletics Shawn Eichorst made before the letters were awarded. “You have joined an elite group, and I’m sure this moment will be memorable for the rest of your life,” Eichorst said. “We’re pleased to honor you and look forward to your ongoing commitment to Husker Athletics.”
Zimmer: The N Stands for Respect and Relationships
Keith Zimmer, Nebraska’s associate athletic director for Life Skills, told letterwinners that the N on their jackets represents different things to different people. “To me, the N stands for respect,” he said. “You have all earned our respect and admiration for becoming a varsity letterwinner. It is no small feat to be a collegiate student-athlete with the proven ability to balance the demands of Division I athletics with rigorous academics. The Nebraska N also represents relationships, so treasure relationships with your teammates, coaches, staff and alums. This is your family, and you will always share a common bond: ‘Once a Husker Always a Husker.’”
First-Time Nebraska Letterwinners in Soccer
46 Husker Student-Athletes Join Letterwinner List Launched in 1892
Cross Country (5): Grace Geiger, Pat Letz, Austin Post, Alec Sery, Bonnie Smith (pictured below with head cross country coach Dave Harris, third from left), and former NU letterwinner Paul Wilson); Football (28): Drew Brown, Byerson Cockrell,Josh Faulkenberry, Joey Felici, Derek Foster, Ryker Fyfe, Jack Gangwish, Kevin Gladney, Zach Hannon, Lane Hovey, Chris Jones, Harrison Jordan, Boaz Joseph, Joshua Kalu, Joe Keels, Paul Kelly, Chongo Kondolo, Alex Lewis, Spencer Lindsay, Graham Nabity, Jordan Nelson, Marcus Newby, De’Mornay Pierson-El, Brad Simpson, Paul Thurston, Dylan Utter, Chris Weber, Kieron Williams. Soccer (10): (Pictured above with assistant coach Marty Everding, far left, Nebraska administrator Jamie Vaughn and volunteer coach Anna Trent, left of Vaughn): Lia Baldo, Brooks Brennan, Haley Hanson, Amanda Hilton, Erika Johnson,Michaela Loebel, Alli Peterson, Sami Reinhard, Hannah Schafers, Nikki Turney; Volleyball (3): Annika Albrecht, Kira Larson, Sydney Townsend.
First-Time Husker Letterwinners in Cross Country
Video Below: Student-Athletes Describe the Power of N
Send a comment to ryork@huskers.com (Please include city, state)
Follow Randy on Twitter at www.twitter.com/RandyYorkNsider
Randy’s N-Sider Column Archive
Voices from Husker Nation
The Pierson-El/Felici article was great. Shows the love of TEAM that so many of the kids from Nebraska have, especially walk-ons. Good job. Dennis Claridge, Lincoln, Nebraska
Wonderful story. Great job on Love & Team. Jim Carstens, Huntley, Illinois.
GREAT VIDEO! It brought a tear to my eye, just reflecting back on how important team spirit was to me on the track and field team in 1976-77. Thanks for sharing! Love watching Natalie Romeo, the freshman guard on Nebraska’s women’s basketball team. She’s from Martinez, California, about 10 miles from where we live. Diane Dodd, Pleasant Hill, California
Thank you for posting video! It is fabulous! My daughter (Husker swimmer Alexandra Bilunas) received her jacket in the first N-Club ceremony (of 2014-15). She lives in her jacket! Make it a great day! Carol Bilunas, Omaha, Nebraska