Football
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Matt Vrzal Season 1995

#51
PositionC
Weight290 lbs
Height6-1
ClassJunior
HometownGrand Island, Neb.

Honors & Awards

  • Member of Two Nebraska National Championship Teams (1994, 1995)
  • Honorable-Mention Academic All-Big 12 (1996)
  • Big 12 Commissioner's Fall Semester Honor Roll (1996)
  • Phillips 66 Academic Honor Roll (1995)

Career

Matt Vrzal redshirted as a walk-on in 1992; played in three games in 1993, five games in 1994 and played in every game but one in 1995 and 1996. He played both center and offensive guard the last two years as a reserve and was a member of the Huskers' PAT and field goal teams.

1996 (Senior)

Vrzal was a reserve center behind Aaron Taylor and Josh Heskew his senior year. Despite this, he played in all but one game. 

1995 (Junior)

Vrzal played in all 12 games, including the 1996 Fiesta Bowl, as the backup to All-America center Aaron Graham. Vrzal helped the Huskers earn the nation’s top rankings in rushing (399.8 yards per game), scoring (52.4 points per game) and aided NU to a No. 2 final ranking in total offense (556.3 yards per game). Nebraska did not give up a sack in 1995, and the 52.4 point average was a school and Big Eight record.

1994 (Sophomore)

Vrzal played in five games in 1994, as the No. 3 center behind Graham and Bill Humphrey. Vrzal did not see action in the 1995 FedEx Orange Bowl against Miami.

1993 (Freshman)

Vrzal played in three games in 1993 as a backup center.

1992 (Redshirt)

A walk-on athlete, Vrzal opted to redshirt his first year.

Grand Island High School

Vrzal was a Lincoln Journal-Star Super-State and Omaha World-Herald all-state offensive guard as a senior at Grand Island High. He also earned USA Today Honorable-Mention All-America honors, playing for former Husker Ken Fischer. He also played defensive tackle for a team that finished second in Class A in 1990. He played in the 1992 Nebraska Shrine Game. An excellent student, Vrzal was academic all-state and graduate in the top 10 percent of his class.

Personal

The son of Terry and Nancy Vrzal, Matt was born on July 12, 1974. He assisted with Pacific Pals Youth Group and was a Merry Makers volunteer. He was a member of the 1995-96 Student-Athlete Advisory Board.