2017 Game Program Senior Feature: Kramer Rath

Growing up, Kramer Rath wasn’t much of a football fan, but he was a Husker football fan.

“My parents have season tickets and have been going to games since I can remember,” the Lincoln native said of his childhood memories of the Huskers.

But when it came to playing, Rath was all about soccer. “I always had aspirations of going and playing Division I soccer somewhere,” he said.

That dream faded after a knee injury ended Rath’s soccer career, but he found a new way to compete. During the summer before his senior year, his father bought him 10 footballs and Kramer never looked back.

“All summer long, I just went out and kicked every day and tried to get better and get a hang of it, and it ended up working out,” he said.

Rath laughed and called the transition from kicking soccer balls to footballs “weird. It’s a little bit different, a little bit different shape. So you have to go out there and do it over and over until you get a feel for it.”

Rath played three years at Nebraska Wesleyan, where he was a starter and a three-time all-conference pick. His decision to join the Huskers as a graduate transfer was academic.

“First and foremost, I wanted to get my MBA,” Rath said. “It made more sense to come here.”

When his academic plans fell into place and he saw the walk-on opportunity in front of him, he couldn’t help but take it. Rath’s favorite part of being a Husker doesn’t have anything to do with football.

“When you come to Nebraska, the abilities just as far as helping out the community and how people look up to you and the platform you’re on, I think that’s the coolest thing about being here is how many people you can impact, just as one person.”

Whether it’s from soccer to football, from Prairie Wolf to Husker or from MBA student to future business professional, Rath has a knack for conversions.