Husker Walk-On?s Hole-in-One Wins a New Truck

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Last Wednesday’s second Big Red Scramble at Quarry Oaks Golf Course and Iron Horse Golf Club in Ashland, Neb., became a reunion of sorts, featuring an unlikely pair who celebrated like they’d just thrashed previously unbeaten Florida by 38 points in a national championship football game.

The only difference was who walked off the golf course a hero and who walked off feeling great about supporting such a hero. Twenty years after Nebraska’s dominating national championship team crushed  Florida, 62-24 in the Fiesta Bowl, Nick Sassaman was the man of the day and Aaron Graham was cheering him on like he was Jordan Spieth and Dustin Johnson rolled into one. Sassaman’s six-iron hybrid shot on Iron Horse’s 181-yard 11th hole found the cup for a hole-in-one. The Lincoln banker lives in Wahoo, Neb., and became the heroic figure among 200 golfers who competed during an afternoon of intermittent rain.

First-year Nebraska Secondary Coach Brian Stewart greeted Big Red Scrambleparticipants at Quarry Oaks' first hole.

Nick Sassaman Unknown Walk-On; Aaron Graham All-American

Talk about coincidence. Sassaman was a little-known walk-on defensive rover on Nebraska’s 1995 football roster. Graham, the designated driver on the 11th hole, was a first-team Husker All-American, a first-team Academic All-American and a Top Ten Award-winning senior who received the NCAA’s highest combined academic/athletic/community service individual honor.

Once a 5-foot-7, 190-pound Husker freshman, Sassaman reconnected with Graham, a 6-foot-4 Denton, Texas, native, who was a senior on the 1995 Nebraska team. Graham went on to play four years for the Arizona Cardinals and one season each with the Oakland Raiders and Tennessee Titans. The hole-in-one celebration was so intense, some might have wondered who made the shot.

The collective roar when Sassaman won a $35,000 white truck – donated by DuTeau Chevrolet – began when the ball dropped in the hole. Within minutes, it became a shot heard all around the course. “It’s an absolutely beautiful vehicle, and it’s going to be fun to have and to drive,” said Sassaman, one of three Cornhusker Bank employees in his foursome. “Every time someone sees me in it, I’m going to tell them how much I love it.”

Iron Horse champions: Alex Thayer, Matt Naden, Shawn Eichorst, Zach Alexander, Ryan Butler.

Hole-in-One Hero is a First-Time Husker Football Season Ticket Holder

Sassaman already has a truck but is moving on up in the world. “This is my first year as a Nebraska football season ticket-holder,” he said. “Once (Husker development employee) Jack Pierce helped me become a season ticket holder, I just figured this was a reward for supporting the team. It’s a nice prize for someone playing in my first Big Red Tournament.”

Unfortunately, Sassaman missed the awards ceremony afterwards because he had a board meeting in Wahoo to promote a Bishop Neumann wrestling program. The announcement of owning the truck was delayed until all the paperwork was completed, submitted and approved by a national hole-in-one organization. One of the witnesses to the hole-in-one was Emily Wood, a Husker women’s basketball sophomore guard who was working the event. “My wife and three boys didn’t believe me,” he said. “But they were super excited when I showed them the sign that said: ‘Great Hole-in-One Nick!’ I think they were almost more excited that Aaron Graham signed that sign than they were about winning the pickup.”

Huskers Erik Wiegert (left) and Terry Connealy helped golfers improve their Scramble scores.

Sassaman's 6-Iron Did Not Feel Right During Opening Takeoff

Sassaman said the feat was “funny” to analyze. “My partners that hit before me all had fairly decent shots,” he said. “I was a little nervous because big old Aaron was behind me and was ready to hit last. My shot wasn’t all that great. Something was wrong with my swing. I felt something was off. It came out more of a line drive when I hit it, but I knew it was going in the right direction.”

Tracing his thoughts was a positive mental exercise. “When it started traveling in the air, Aaron got excited,” Sassaman said. “The second it hit in front of the green, he said: ‘It’s gone!’ I started walking to it and talking to it and when it dropped, I didn’t know what happened. I saw it drop. I just didn’t believe it dropped.”

His playing partners – Jim Fay, Kevin Deaver and Bob Romohr – “looked like a bunch of school kids running around with their heads cut off,” Sassaman said. “It was so funny. They were all jumping around and hugging each other. I think this was one of those once-in-a-lifetime memories. It took a couple minutes of high-fiving each other before we all settled down. It was a like a big old party celebrating a national championship, and Aaron Graham was right there in the middle of it.”

Former Husker offensive guard Joe Armstrong was a 1968 first-team All-American in the Bob Devaney Era.

Wisely, Three Lincoln Bankers Had a Farmer in Their Foursome

Romohr, who farms near Gresham, Neb., probably deserves kudos for his contribution. “I rode in the cart with Nick, and he hit after me,” Romohr said. “It’s crazy to hit a hole-in-one and even crazier when you win a new pickup for hitting it. We were so stunned when it happened, we really were like a bunch of crazy kids. Nick looked at me and asked: ‘Did I win that truck?’ and I said: ‘Yes, you won that truck!’"

Later, Romohr reminded the three bankers in his foursome how fortunate they were to have him in their group. “Playing the previous three or four holes in the rain, they were all acting like they wanted to bail out,” he said. “I’m a farmer. I told them how much I love the rain, so they kept playing. If it wasn’t raining, I don’t know if I would have made it to the course. It was good luck all the way around, and I think I might have been part of it.”

Quarry Oaks champions: Bill Campbell, Nate Koch, Shawn Eichorst, David Davis, Dave Wudel.

Big Red Scramble Gives Golfers Unique Experiences

At Quarry Oaks, Nebraska’s top-ranked public golf course near Ashland, Brian Stewart, the secondary coach for Husker football, greeted all golfers on the first tee box. On the fourth hole, Nebraska Director of Athletics Shawn Eichorst sent an email photo taken with him to each member of the foursome while thanking them for participating. They received the photo on their cell phones before teeing off on the next hole. In our foursome, Alex Henery, the most accurate kicker in NCAA history, landed his drive within 12 feet of the 156-yard 11th hole.

Husker All-America offensive lineman Joe Armstrong was an adept putter. So was Diane Mendenhall, Associate Athletic Director for Development and Ticket Operations. Former Husker football players Terry Connealy, Erik Wiegert and Pat Ricketts also were greeting, driving and putting at Quarry Oaks. At Iron Horse Golf Course, former Husker football players Brenden Stai, Aaron Graham, Tony Veland, Shane Swanson and Tom Banderas were busy helping and accommodating golfers, along with legendary volleyball player Nancy Metcalf, Husker Women's Gymnastics Coach Dan Kendig and Nebraska administrators Marc Boehm and Pat Logsdon.

2015 Big Red Scramble Results

Iron Horse Golf Club

First Flight winners:55 (won card playoff), Zac Alexander, Ryan Butler, Alex Thayer, Matt Naden, Lincoln; Second Flight winners: 67 Al Hingst, Lee Hoffman, Dave Shoemaker, Jim Cada, Lincoln. Flag Prize winners: Matt Naden (#1), Angie Bosma (#2), Jared Blackwell (#3), Mike Trovato (#5), Nathan Swerczek (#8), Mark Lavin (#9), Nick Sassaman (#11), Bob Belgrade (#12), Alex Thayer (#13), Cliff McDow (#15), Greg Willey (#17), Mike Grzywa (#18).

Quarry Oaks Golf Course

First Flight winners: 57 David Davis, Bill Campbell, Dave Wudel, Nate Koch, Omaha; Second Flight winners: 63 Paul Brodhagen, Tod Masin, Steve Schmidt, David Liegl, Lincoln; Third Flight winners: 66 Scott Stoltenberg, Paul McCoy, Bart Karlson, Ryan Husing, Omaha; Flag Prize winners: Barry Redfern (#1), Juanita Nielsen (#3), Chris Alt (#4), Brian Schukar (#5), Nate Swawicki (#6), Lincoln Williams (#9), Karen Knobel (#10), Len Friedenbach (#11), Brent Herron (#13), Bart Karlson (#15), Juanita Nielsen (#16), Nate Koch (#18).

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