LeRoy Etienne Season 1985

Honors & Awards
First-Team All-Big Eight (AP, UPI, Coaches, 1988)
First-Team All-Big Eight (Coaches, 1987)
Second-Team All-Big Eight (AP, UPI, 1987)
East-West Shrine Game (1988)

1988 (Senior)
LeRoy Etienne (pronounced ay-TEE-en) claimed first-team All-Big Eight honors for the second straight season as Nebraska’s starting strong-side linebacker in 1988. The 6-1, 230-pounder from New Iberia, La., produced career bests with 79 total tackles, including 52 solos, while adding eight tackles for loss (35 yards) with three sacks (20 yards). He also notched three pass breakups on the season. Etienne closed his Blackshirt career with a monster 12-tackle performance that included seven solos in the 1989 Orange Bowl against Miami. Etienne led Nebraska to the Big Eight title with an unbeaten (7-0) conference regular season on its way to an 11-2 overall record Miami. The Blackshirts finished sixth nationally in pass defense (134.8 ypg) and seventh in total defense (262.8 ypg).

A four-time letterman, Etienne finished his Husker career with 195 total tackles (115 solos), including 13 TFLs (42 yards) with four sacks (21 yards). He added seven pass breakups and one fumble recovery. He also played in the East-West Shrine All-Star game following his senior season. Etienne signed a free agent contract with the New York Giants in May of 1989. He was released by the Giants in September ahead of the season and signed a CFL contract with the Toronto Argonauts in 1989. He signed with the San Francisco 49ers prior to the 1990 season but was released before the start of the season. The 49ers resigned him in October, and he played 10 games for San Francisco in 1990.

1987 (Junior)
Etienne earned first-team All-Big Eight honors from the conference coaches, while adding second-team accolades from the conference media (AP, UPI) after totaling 75 tackles (39 solos) as a junior for the Blackshirts in 1987. He led the team in tackles in four regular-season games and in the 1988 Fiesta Bowl against Florida State, when he posted 10 tackles, including eight solos. He was named Nebraska’s Fiesta Bowl Player of the Game by NBC. He recorded a career-high 15 stops, including 13 solos, in the showdown with Oklahoma. The 15 tackles were the most by a Husker in 1987. He added the only fumble recovery of his career against the Sooners. He was named Nebraska’s defensive player of the game by CBS. He added double-digit tackle totals against UCLA (13) and Missouri (10), while contributing a team-high seven tackles against South Carolina. Etienne helped the Blackshirts rank sixth nationally in scoring defense (12.1 ppg), eighth in total defense (264.7 ypg) and ninth in rushing defense (107.0 ypg). He helped the Big Red to a 10-2 overall record and a trip to the 1988 Fiesta Bowl against Florida State.

1986 (Sophomore)
An alternate behind Marc Munford and Kevin Parsons at both inside linebacker positions, Etienne finished with 38 tackles and two pass breakups. He was named a second-team sophomore All-American by the Football News. In the 1987 USF&G Sugar Bowl, Etienne recorded five solo tackles and a pair of pass breakups to help the Huskers to a 30-15 victory over LSU.

1985 (Freshman)
Etienne earned his first varsity letter after playing five games for the Husker defense. He recorded three unassisted tackles with the varsity defense. He moved up to the varsity after starting the first three games for the Husker freshman team. 

New Iberia High School
A first-team Parade All-American at New Iberia High School in Louisiana, Etienne recorded a massive 210 solo tackles as a senior for Coach Wylie Fraze. 

Personal
The son of Hazel Etienne, LeRoy was born July 25, 1966 in Lafayette, La. He was a special education major at Nebraska.