Husker Power 50-Year Team

In conjunction with teams across the country celebrating 150 years of college football, the Nebraska Athletic Department is celebrating 50 years of strength and conditioning by honoring 28 former student-athletes on a Husker Power 50-Year Team.

The group, which includes 10 football players and two players from 18 other sports, will be honored during a private event on Friday, Aug. 30, the night before Nebraska begins the 2019 football season at home against South Alabama. More than 100 former and current strength and conditioning coaches, along with special guests and donors, will also attend.

Boyd Epley, Assistant Athletic Director for Strength and Conditioning, led a committee that selected each representative for the Husker Power 50-Year Team, as well as 20 other nominees for football, and two other nominees for each of the other sports. In all, 84 former players and three coaches, including former football coach Tom Osborne, will be recognized.

The committee considered All-America status, world records, Olympic champions, performance in the weight room and general overall talent in selecting the Husker Power 50-Year team and nominees.

The Aug. 30 event will honor the team members with a gold coin and program, and will recognize notable first-time achievements and other records within Nebraska strength and conditioning. Dennis Rogers, one of the strongest people in the world, will also have a presentation. The former arm wrestling world champion is one of the top professional old-time strongmen in the world. He has appeared on The David Letterman Show and Oprah Winfrey, among other television talk shows.

Husker Power 50-Year Team

Alex Gordon, baseball

Shannon Pluhowsky, bowling

Rachel Martin, rifle

Karen Jennings, women’s basketball

Eric Piatkowski, men’s basketball

Penny Heyns, swimming and diving

Sarah Sasse, women’s golf

Steve Friesen, men’s golf

Shelly Bartlett, women’s gymnastics

Jim Hartung, men’s gymnastics

Aubrei Corder, soccer

Lori Sippel, softball

Merlene Ottey, women’s track and field

Kevin Coleman, men’s track and field

Ann Swanson, women’s tennis

Steven Jung, men’s tennis

Laura (Pilakowski) Buttermore, volleyball

Jordan Burroughs, wrestling

Tom Osborne, head coach

 

Football Husker Power 50-Year Team

Jimmy Williams, defensive end

Neil Smith, defensive line

Rich Glover, middle guard

Barrett Ruud, linebacker

Curtis Cotton, defensive back

Mike Rozier, offensive back

Johnny Rodgers, receiver

Will Shields, offensive line

Dave Rimington, center

Scott Frost, quarterback

 

Other nominees

Darin Erstad and Ken Harvey, baseball; Julia Bond and Melanie Crawford, bowling; Hannah Virga and Alex Lorentz, rifle; Jordan Hooper and Amy Williams, women’s basketball; Tom Wald and Larry Florence, men’s basketball; Erin Oeltjen and Anna Filipcic, swimming and diving; Allison Stewart and Joanne Brooks, women’s golf; Peggy Liddick and Michelle Bryant, women’s gymnastics; Phil Cahoy and Pete Studinsky, men’s gymnastics; Sharolta Nonen and Christine Latham, soccer; Marjani Knighten and Peaches James, softball; Melissa Price and Doreen Heldt, women’s track and field; Nick Percy and Ron Childs, men’s track and field; Stacey Tomkiewicz and Mary Weatherholt, women’s tennis; Fungai Tongoona and Christopher Aumueller, men’s tennis; Jordan Larson and Christina Houghtelling, volleyball; Tolly Thompson and Craig Brester, wrestling; John Cook and Francis Allen, head coaches.

Other football nominees

Willie Harper and Kyle Vanden Bosch, defensive end; Ndamukong Suh and Rod Horn, defensive line; Danny Noonan and Kerry Weinmaster, middle guard; Jerry Murtaugh and Lavonte David, linebacker; Russell Gary and Mike Brown, defensive back; Jeff Kinney and Ameer Abdullah, offensive back; Irving Fryar and Jordan Westerkamp, receiver; Aaron Taylor and Kelvin Clark, offensive line; Rik Bonness and Tom Davis, center; Eric Crouch and Tommie Frazier, quarterback.