Why Self-Made Story Foltz is Big Ten?s Best Punter

Randy York N-Sider

Official Blog of the Huskers

With Nebraska resuming football practices to prepare for its Foster Farms Bowl game against 8-4 UCLA on Saturday night, Dec. 26 in Santa Clara, Calif., it’s time to share a little bit about a lot of things.

We begin congratulating Sam Foltz, Nebraska’s junior punter who won the Eddleman-Fields Award, given annually to the Big Ten's best punter. Despite playing much of this season well below 100 percent, Foltz led the Big Ten with an average of 44.4 yards per kick while burying Husker opponents inside their own 20-yard line15 times this season.

Statistics, however, fail to paint the portrait of a Grand Island native who seems already equipped to follow fellow Nebraska native Sam Koch, one of the NFL’s highest paid punters. Please take the time to read Dan Hoppen’s feature on Foltz. In my mind, Hoppen, son of Nebraska basketball Hall-of-Famer Dave Hoppen, wrote this season's definitive story on Foltz.

Will Tommy Armstrong Jr. Be the Key to Nebraska's Bowl Game in California?

If you’re looking for positive bowl game vibes, readMitch Sherman's blog on ESPN. Sherman reminds readers how Armstrong’s metamorphosis largely began last year in the Holiday Bowl against USC when he threw for a career-best and Nebraska bowl-record 381 yards.

“UCLA does a nice job against the pass, ranking first in the Pac-12 in yards allowed per game (205.7) and per attempt (5.3),” Sherman pointed out. “But Armstrong has displayed an ability to turn red-hot against marquee opponents.” Those looking for proof need only to harken back to Armstrong’s second-half comeback that took Miami to overtime, plus the stirring comeback that helped Nebraska hand Michigan State its only loss (39-38) of the season.

Northwestern Coach Pat Fitzgerald: Trev Alberts Could Still Play Football Today

The N-Sider shared two blogs this week about Trev Alberts (pictured above), but all Husker fans should take time to read Lee Barfknecht's column on Trev’s induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in New York City. Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald was a freshman middle linebacker for the Wildcats when Alberts was a senior at Nebraska in 1993. “Trev was one of those guys who I think was the athlete before there were athletes like there are today on defense,” Fitzgerald told Barfknecht, the president of the College Football Writers Association.

“If you look at Trev’s game, it was generational,” Alberts' fellow Hall-of-Famer Fitzgerald said. “He could play now. For a guy like me who played in the middle, it was a small window of time the way that game has changed. It’s well deserved and long overdue for him to be in the Hall of Fame.” Fitzgerald has the credentials to make such a statement. At Northwestern, he was named college football’s national defensive player of the year in 1995 and 1996.

One Fan Liked Alberts So Much, He and His Wife Named a Son after Trev

Huskers.com received more than 7,000 Facebook "likes" on Alberts earning College Football Hall of Fame status, and one comment that came to me struck a chord. Calvin Oberndorfer of Des Moines, Iowa, was thrilled to see #34 inducted and sent his congratulations to Trev my way. "As a lifelong Husker fan, the lives of my family and I have been influenced by Trev, not only as a student-athlete but as an upstanding individual," Oberndorfer said.

"In 1994, my wife Sarah and I were expecting our first child together. I was tasked with selecting a name if the baby should be a boy. Living in Colorado, we had followed the Huskers throughout the years and I remembered hearing Trev's name all night long during the 1993 Orange Bowl. While watching Trev play for the Colts, I decided on the name 'Trevor' in honor Trev.

Twenty-two years later, Trevor is a senior at UNL studying Criminal Justice and preparing to enter the field of Law Enforcement. As he prepares to serve and protect his community, "Trevor idolizes Trev and the way he carries himself," Oberndorfer said. "I truly believe Trev’s personality and character have been very positive influences on my boy. My youngest son has followed in the footsteps of his older brother and he's also studying Criminal Justice at UNL."

Glover: Alberts Played All Out; He'd Love to See Willie Harper Inducted Next

Rich Glover (No. 79) was a beast of a defensive lineman at Nebraska. Take a look at how big a crowd it took to keep him away. That's why he won an Outland Trophy and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. "It never gets old attending the Hall-of-Fame banquet," Glover told me. "It's always good to see someone like Trev Alberts inducted. He was a great player. He played hard. He played all out. He's such a good person, a real high-character guy.

"I've only missed a banquet or two since I was inducted. It's a great opportunity to meet people, reminisce, hang out in the ambiance and sign and get autographs. I'd like to see more Nebraska guys get inducted." I ask Glover who should be the Huskers' next inductee. "A lot deserve it," he said, "but personally, I'd like to see Willie Harper get the call. He was a great player, a good person and an All-American. He's been nominated enough. It's time for him to get in."

A Starter on Huskers' First National Championship Team, Wally Winter, 67, Dies 

As seniors in 1970, Wally Winter (pictured above as a Husker) and Bob Newton were Nebraska’s starting offensive tackles on a team that went 11-0-1 and beat LSU in the 1971 Orange Bowl to win the Huskers’ first of five national football championships. Winter, a Lincoln native, died on Dec. 5 in Bentonville, Ark., where he was head of sales for Winter Moving and Storage. “Wally was one of the most genuine, sincere, friendly, helpful teammates that I knew at Nebraska,” Newton said. “I was a transfer from California. He and I were immediately good friends. He was a good example of the goodness of Nebraska people.”

A three-year letterman and starting right tackle as a Husker senior, Winter was also a gifted basketball player, who scored 25 points in the 1967 Class A State Championship Game to lead Lincoln Northeast to a win over Omaha Central. Services for Winter were held today in Bella Vista, Ark. Check out  Rich Kaipust’s story on Winter, plus Jerry Murtaugh’s Legends Radio Show for commentary and remembrances.

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