Nebraska Athletics Sets Fundraising and Licensing Records in 2025-26; Continues Among National Leaders in Attendance

LINCOLN, Neb. – Nebraska Athletics celebrated a historic year of philanthropic support and reached unprecedented heights in licensing royalties in 2025-26. These impressive financial figures came in a year when Husker fans continued to fill athletic venues, placing Nebraska among the nation’s leaders in several attendance metrics.

"Our supporters continue to set the standard for what makes Nebraska special," Director of Athletics Troy Dannen said. "From record-setting giving levels from our Huskers Athletic Fund members, to purchases by our fans in the retail space, and ranking among the nation’s leaders in attendance, there is not a more passionate fan base in the country.  The generosity and support of our fans directly impacts the experience of every student-athlete and creates opportunities for young people to succeed in competition, in the classroom and in life.”

In fiscal year 2026, the Huskers Athletic Fund set a record with $71,658,087 in total cash gifts from 16,815 donors. The record-breaking total marks the second consecutive year Nebraska Athletics has surpassed $70 million in annual cash giving, underscoring the continued commitment of Husker supporters to student-athlete success.

Nebraska Athletics has now posted five consecutive years with more than $57 million in annual cash gifts.

Nebraska Athletics Annual Cash Giving

• 2025-26: $71,658,087 (Highest in history)
• 2024-25: $71,290,068
• 2023-24: $57,715,823
• 2022-23: $61,887,041
• 2021-22: $64,096,668

The year not only marked record-setting financial donations, but also significant growth in membership in the Huskers Athletic Fund. More than 1,200 new members joined the HAF during the year, expanding the organization's reach and strengthening support for Nebraska student-athletes. Huskers Athletic Fund members now represent 47 states, highlighting the nationwide passion for Nebraska Athletics.

The Nebraska Leadership Society, recognizing donors making transformational commitments to Nebraska Athletics, grew to 635 members, up from 379 a year ago. The milestone comes as the Nebraska Leadership Society celebrates its 10th anniversary.

One of the most notable areas of growth came through giving to sport-specific excellence funds and the student-athlete experience fund. Contributions increased from $3.9 million in 2024-25 to $20.3 million in 2025-26, a remarkable 411 percent increase. These flexible resources provide Nebraska Athletics with the ability to invest strategically in student-athlete development, competitive excellence and emerging priorities across all sports.

Nebraska Athletics also reached unprecedented heights in licensing royalties in fiscal year 2026. Husker Athletics generated a record $6.56 million, a 27% increase over FY25, while driving more than $35.6 million in retail sales of officially licensed merchandise.

The record-setting year underscores the continued strength and national reach of the Nebraska brand. Among Collegiate Licensing Company (CLC) partner institutions, Nebraska ranked 14th nationally in licensing royalties and fourth among Big Ten Conference schools.

Nebraska also continued to capitalize on the evolving Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) landscape, finishing sixth nationally in NIL licensing sales among peer institutions. The department's growing portfolio of NIL opportunities has helped expand the reach of Nebraska student-athletes while creating new ways for fans to engage with the Huskers.

Fan support remained a driving force behind the program's success, with 2.4 million licensed Nebraska products sold during FY26, an average of more than 6,500 licensed items every day. The record-breaking results reinforce Nebraska Athletics' position as one of the nation's premier collegiate brands and reflect the unwavering passion of Husker fans across the country.

The fundraising and licensing success mirrors Nebraska’s support at the turnstiles. In attendance figures across seven prominent sports, Nebraska ranked sixth nationally and led the Big Ten with more than 1.34 million fans packing Husker venues. Sports included in the seven-sport figures included football, men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball, baseball, softball and women’s soccer. Cumulative attendance for those Husker sports was up approximately 40,000 fans from the previous year.

Nebraska also continued its long-standing support of women’s athletics. Across the four women’s sports, Nebraska ranked second nationally with more than 328,000 fans attending those four women’s sports in 2025-26.

Seven-Sport Attendance (FB, M/W BB, VB, BSB, SB, WSOC)

1 - Tennessee – 1,560,345

2 - LSU – 1,502,869

3 - Texas A&M – 1,408,937

4 - Texas – 1,402,077

5 - South Carolina – 1,376,592

6 - Nebraska – 1,344,465

7 - Arkansas – 1,325,438

8 - Alabama – 1,232,620

9 - Ohio State – 1,117,594

10 - Oklahoma – 1,083,492

 

 

Women’s 4-Sport Attendance (WBB, VB, SB, SOC)

1 - South Carolina – 381,986

2 - Nebraska - 328,169

3 - Texas – 323,892

4 – Iowa – 305,833

5 - Tennessee – 278,924

6 - LSU – 263,424

The impressive support in several areas came in a year when Nebraska finished 17th  in the Learfield Directors’ Cup Standings, tying for Nebraska’s best finish since 2001.