Honors & Awards

  • Selected in the Fifth Round of the 2001 NFL Draft by Tampa Bay
  • First-Team All-American (The Sporting News, 2000)
  • First-Team All-Big 12 (AP, Dallas Morning News, Football News, Houston Chronicle, Fort Worth Star Telegram, 2000)
  • First-Team All-Big 12 (AP, Dallas Morning News, San Antonio News Express, Fort Worth Star-Bulletin, 1999)
  • Second-Team All-Big 12 (Coaches, Dallas Morning News, 2000)
  • Honorable-Mention All-Big 12 (Coaches, 1998)
  • Outland Trophy Watch List (1 of 40, 2000)
  • Team Captain (2000)
  • Cletus Fischer Native Son Award Winner (2000)
  • Big 12 Commissioner's Fall Academic Honor Roll (2000)
  • School-Record Holder for Pancakes in a game (23 vs. Notre Dame, 2000)

A first-team All-American by The Sporting News and a two-time first-team All-Big 12 selection, right guard Russ Hochstein (pronounced HOKE-stine) helped Nebraska claim the NCAA rushing title in 2000, as the Huskers averaged nearly 350 yards per game on the ground, and surrendered only 10 sacks in 11 games.  The 6-foot-4, 290-pounder from Hartington, Neb., was selected by the coaching staff as the Cletus Fischer Native Son Award Winner as a senior.  He was chosen by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fifth round of the 2001 NFL draft - the 151st overall pick.

Hochstein finished the 2000 season third on the team with 143 pancakes, an average of 13.0 per game, including double-figure efforts in nine contests.  In NU's 27-24 overtime win over then-23rd-ranked Notre Dame, Hochstein tied NU's single-game shcool record with 23 pancakes, equaling the mark also set by Josh Heskew in 1998.

One of three Husker lineman who bettered the single-season school record of 140 pancakes in 2000, Hochstein was named to the Outland Trophy Watch List and earned second-team All-America honors from collegefootballnews.com.

Hochstein started the final 29 games of his career, including all of the Huskers' contests in 1999 and 2000.  As a junior in 1999, Hochstein finished second on the team with 126 pancakes, averaging 10.5 per game.  Nebraska led the Big 12 and ranked fourth nationally in rushing, averaging 265.9 yards-per-game.

He also started Nebraska's final four contests in 1998, finishing fifth on the team with 71 pancakes.  Hochstein recorded a season-best 15 pancakes against Washington and added 11 against then-top-ranked Kansas State.

Pancakes Served: 1997 -  6 (1.2 per game) 1998 - 71 (5.9 per game) 1999 - 126 (10.5 per game) 2000 - 143 (13.0 per game) Total - 346 (8.7 per game)