2017 Game Program Feature: Senior Gabe Rahn

Like father, like son. Gabe Rahn’s dad was a big football fan, so naturally Gabe grew up watching football. Like father, like son. Gabe Rahn’s dad was a big football fan, so naturally Gabe grew up watching football. 

“I kind of was drawn to it from watching it all of the time,” Rahn said. “My brother and I would play football in the yard.”

His father was the quarterback and Gabe and his brother would switch off being a wide receiver and a defensive back. “It got really competitive sometimes, and we would start yelling and screaming at each other,” Rahn said. 

Rahn started  playing when he was five, and he’s been playing football ever since. Growing up in Iowa, the Rahn family stuck out on fall Saturdays. Rahn grew up a Husker fan in Hawkeye Nation. With both of his parents Nebraska natives, the Huskers were the family team. Every football Saturday, they wore red in a sea of gold.

“Both of my parents are from Nebraska so we grew up Husker fans,” Rahn said. “We would get together as an extended family and have big Husker parties every Saturday.”

Nebraska football always was a part of his life and his family’s love for Nebraska is what made him want to walk on to the Husker football team.

Rahn made the team and redshirted his first year. The following two seasons, he added depth at the receiver position, working hard to see the field. Rahn prides himself in his work ethic, something he thinks was inspired by a senior his freshman year.

“Quincy Enunwa, he was a wide receiver here my very first year,” Rahn said. “His work ethic, he was always grinding out there. He worked hard in the weight room, he worked hard everywhere. He worked his way up to the NFL. I try to emulate my work ethic off of his.”

In 2016, all the hard work paid off. Rahn saw action in six games, but the game that meant the most was a win against Wyoming. Rahn experienced the first pass play of his career and made the most of it. He hauled in a 35-yard touchdown helping the Huskers defeat the Cowboys 52-17 in the second game of his junior season. 

“That was my first ever catch-and-pass play,” Rahn said. “My whole family was there at that game. I didn’t expect it all. I went in expecting a run play but they called a pass play. I was like ‘OK, I may not get it’ and then the ball was coming my way. It was an incredible day for sure.”

Rahn has potential for more “incredible days“ in 2017 and is poised to compete for extensive playing time, as the Huskers graduated three fifth-year seniors at the wide receiver position.

After his Husker career comes to end, Rahn has plans to continue school. The nutrition, exercise and health science major, who earned Big Ten Distinguished Scholar honors in 2017 and is playing this season as a graduate student, plans to attend chiropractic school at Cleveland University-Kansas City beginning in May 2018. 

As he looks back on his time at Nebraska, Rahn unveils his favorite thing about Nebraska. 

“The best thing about Nebraska is that everybody cares,” Rahn said. “Between the academic staff, your coaches and the fans, they really care, and they really want to know how you’re doing. They are always asking questions and they always want to talk football with you. They know their stuff and they know every player even if you’re just a freshman. 

“The atmosphere with the fans and the coaches. That’s the best part.”