Eric Alford Season 1993

Honors & Awards

• Member of Nebraska's 1994 National Championship Team
• Honorable-Mention All-Big Eight (Coaches, 1994)
• Signed Free Agent Contract with New England Patriots (1995)

 1994 (Senior)
Eric Alford played in 11 of Nebraska's 12 regular-season games, hauling in 14 receptions for 271 yards and four touchdowns to help Nebraska capture the 1994 national title. He made his only career start in a win over Kansas when the Huskers opened in a double-tight end set. He also had the only carry of his Husker career with a 17-yard run against the Jayhawks. 

Alford hauled in a career-high five receptions for a career-best 78 yards and one touchdown in No. 3 Nebraska's 24-7 win over No. 2 Colorado at Memorial Stadium (Oct. 29). After going without a catch in the opening-day win over No. 24 West Virginia (Aug. 28) in the Kickoff Classic, Alford scored his first touchdown as a Husker on a 35-yard reception in a win over Texas Tech (Sept. 8). He added two catches for 35 yards, including another touchdown, in NU's 49-13 home-opening win over No. 13 UCLA (Sept. 17). Alford added a touchdown for the third consecutive game on a career-long 46-yard reception in a 70-21 win over Pacific (Sept. 24). He missed the game against Wyoming and did not have a catch in back-to-back games against Oklahoma State and Kansas State, before getting a 29-yard reception in a 42-7 win at Missouri (Oct. 22). After his big performance against Colorado, Alford added a 28-yard catch in a 45-17 win over Kansas (Nov. 5) on Senior Day at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, before adding one catch for four yards at Iowa State (Nov. 12). He closed the regular season with two catches for 16 yards in Nebraska's 13-3 win at Oklahoma (Nov. 25) to help the Huskers earn the Big Eight title and a berth in the Orange Bowl.

Alford did not officially have a reception in the 1995 Federal Express Orange Bowl, but he was on the receiving end of Tommie Frazier's two-point conversion pass that tied the game at 17 with 7:38 remaining. It was a key part of No. 1 Nebraska's 15-0 fourth-quarter rally to a 24-17 win over No. 3 Miami to secure its first national championship since 1971.

1993 (Junior)
One of two junior college signees in Nebraska's 1993 recruiting class along with Jason Jenkins, Alford chose not to redshirt and played in every regular-season game for the Huskers except Colorado in 1993. He finished the season with three receptions for 27 yards and no touchdowns. Recruited as a wingback, Alford hauled in two receptions for 17 yards in a win over North Texas before adding one catch for 10 yards in a win over Colorado State. He played in the 1994 Federal Express Orange Bowl against Florida State, but he did not have a reception.

Before Nebraska
Alford was an honorable-mention All-American by Junior College Gridwire and was named to the SuperPrep JUCO 100 list as a sophomore at Garden City (Kan.) Community College in 1992. He was a teammate of fellow Husker Kareem Moss at Garden City CC in 1991. Alford, who was the team's MVP, played split end, tight end, running back, defensive back and was a return specialist at Garden City. He caught 27 passes for 476 yards and seven touchdowns as a sophomore, while adding 46 carries for 329 yards and four more touchdowns. He averaged 12 yards per punt return and 27 yards per kickoff return. Alford was also a starter in the secondary, helping Coach Jeff Leiker's team a final No. 9 NJCAA ranking and a conference title with a 9-3 overall record. He also competed in the triple jump (51-0) and long jump (25-5 3/4) on the track and averaged 12 points per game as a starting basketball player in 1992-93.

Originally from High Point, N.C., Alford attended Central High School

Personal
The son of Mary Alford and Curtis Johnson, Eric was born Aug. 12, 1972. He was a family science major at Nebraska.

Alford’s Career Statistics

Regular-Season Games Played: 21 (11, 1994), (10, 1993)
Regular-Season Games Started: 1 (Kansas, 1994)

Receiving: 17 rec., 298 yards, 4 TDs (17.5 ypg), long 46 (vs. Pacific, 1994)
(1994, 14-271-4), (1993, 3-27-0)

Rushing: 1 att., 17 yards (vs. Kansas, 1994)

1994 Orange Bowl: No receptions
1995 Orange Bowl: 2PAT reception in 4th to tie game at 17 (7:38)