Dan Svehla Season 1989

1990 (Senior)
Dan Svehla (pronounced Suh-VAY-luh) played in every regular-season game at outside linebacker for the third consecutive year for Nebraska. The 6-0, 230-pounder out of the small town of Clarkson, Neb., played behind All-American Mike Croel on the right side. Svehla finished with a career-high 21 tackles, including a six-yard sack as a senior, to go with a fumble caused, a pass breakup and two quarterback hurries. He helped the Blackshirts rank seventh nationally in scoring defense (13.4 ppg) and total defense (263.5 ypg). He also saw action in the 1991 Florida Citrus Bowl.

Svehla closed his career as a three-year letterman by playing in 34 regular-season games and three Husker bowls. He closed with 31 total tackles (18 solos), including two TFLs for seven yards lost. He had one sack for six yards, forced one fumble and recovered another. He added three QB hurries and two pass breakups.

1989 (Junior)
Svehla broke his left fibula late in the spring but battled back to play in all 11 regular-season games for the Big Red in 1989. He finished with six tackles, while adding a fumble recovery against Missouri and a pass breakup. He also played in the 1990 Sunkist Fiesta Bowl against Florida State. As a team, Nebraska ranked eighth nationally in total defense (274.1 ypg) on the season.

1988 (Sophomore)
Playing as a reserve at right OLB behind Jeff Mills and Mike Croel, Svehla saw action in all 12 regular-season games. He finished with four unassisted tackles, before playing against Miami in the 1989 Orange Bowl. Svehla helped NU’s defense rank sixth nationally in passing defense (134.8 ypg) and seventh in total defense (262.8 ypg). The Huskers also won the 1988 Big Eight championship.

1987 (Redshirt)
Svehla redshirted in his second season as a Husker.

1986 (Freshman)
A walk-on from Clarkson, Neb., Svehla shared the starting job at left outside linebacker (previously called left end) with Jeff Mills on Nebraska’s 4-1 freshman team. Svehla finished the season with eight tackles and one fumble recovery.

Clarkson High School
An all-stater as a senior and a three-time all-conference choice for Coach Jeff Walburn at Clarkson High School, Svehla was a four-year letterman at linebacker and offensive guard. He helped Clarkson qualify for the state playoffs for the first time ever in 1985. Svehla also played in the Nebraska Shrine Bowl in 1986. An all-around athlete, Svehla earned all-state honors in basketball and was a two-time all-conference pick. He visited Kansas State, Northwest Missouri State and Nebraska-Omaha before choosing to walk on at Nebraska.

Personal
The son of LaVern and Alice Svehla, Dan was born Nov. 14, 1967, in Schuyler, Neb. He passed away Oct. 11, 2021. He had three brothers and four sisters and was the second-youngest of the eight siblings. He was a marketing major at Nebraska, and rose to the position of senior vice-president of Union Bank & Trust in Lincoln.