Honors & Awards
- Free-Agent Signee with the Carolina Panthers (1996)
- Member of Two National Championship Teams (1994, 1995)
- Honorable-Mention All-Big 12 (AP, Coaches, 1996)
- Two-Time GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-District VII (1995, 1996)
- First-Team Academic All-Big 12 (1996)
- Big 12 Commissioner's Fall Semester Honor Roll (1996)
- GTE/CoSIDA Second-Team Academic All-American (1995)
- Two-Time Big Eight Conference Academic Honor Roll (1994, 1995)
Career
Brian Schuster, a strong, powerful back, finished his career at Nebraska with 88 carries for 564 yards, an average of 6.4 yards per carry and 16.1 yards per game. His lone touchdown came against Colorado State his senior year. Also a member of the special teams unit, Schuster recorded seven tackles (three solo). He was not drafted during the 1996 NFL Draft, but signed a free agent contract with the Carolina Panthers.
1996 (Senior)
Schuster stepped into the starting role his senior year with the departure of Jeff Makovicka. He played in 11 games, starting 10. Schuster scored the first rushing touchdown of his career on a 15-yard run against Colorado State and had a season long run of 21 yards against Colorado. He finished with 213 yards on 46 carries for 4.6 yards per carry and 19.4 yards per game. Against Virginia Tech, in the 1996 Orange Bowl, he had four rushing attempts, resulting in a total of two yards.
1995 (Junior)
Schuster played a key role in the Huskers' explosive offense in 1995. He played in all 11 games behind starter Jeff Makovicka and carried 28 times for 246 yards. He was the only Husker running back who did not get tagged for any yards lost among the top three units. While he is still looking for his first career touchdown, Schuster earned more than 40 yards in a game three times in 1995, with 3-47 against Pacific, 5-42 against Washington State and 1-55 against Iowa State, a career-long run and a career-best total in yards. He also scored on a two-point conversion pass from Kris Brown against the cougars. He averaged an outstanding 8.8 yards per carry and 22.4 per game and also had four tackles on special teams. Against Florida in the Fiesta Bowl, Schuster had one carry for a four-yard gain.
1994 (Sophomore)
Brian Schuster was the backup fullback behind senior Cory Schlesinger and junior Jeff Makovicka in 1994. Despite being a backup, his 7.5 yards per carry, along with Tommie Frazier's 7.5 ypc, was the best on the team for those with at least 10 carries. On 13 attempts, he gained 98 yards with a long run of 33 against Texas Tech. His season best was a 37-yard day against the Red Raiders. He also had two carries for 19 yards against UCLA; three for 14 against Missouri and three for 25 against Kansas. Also a member of special teams, Schuster had one assisted tackle, playing in all 12 games. Schuster was named to the Phillips 66 Academic Honor Roll. He played in the 1995 FedEx Orange Bowl against Miami as a special teams member.
1993 (Freshman)
Schuster played in one game and recorded his one carry, a seven-yard gain against North Texas.
1992 (Freshman)
A walk-on athlete, Schuster redshirted his first year.
Fullerton High School
Schuster played running back and linebacker for Coach Pat Larson at Fullerton and helped lead his team to the Class C-2 state semifinals in 1990. He rushed for more than 3,600 yards in his career, including 1,831 as a junior and 1,520 as a senior. He also earned three letters in basketball and four in track while making the honor roll every quarter with a 3.7 cumulative grade point average.
Personal
The son of Nancy Folden and Mike Schuster, Brian was born on Sept. 19, 1973. He was a member of the Ventures in Partnership Speakers Bureau, and is the cousin of former Husker Gerry Gdowski (1987-89) and also Tom Gdowski, who was a defensive tackle for NU in 1982. Brian's wife's name is Chelsea and they have a daughter Samantha.
Schuster's Career Statistics
| Rushing | ||||||
| Year | G/S | Att. | Yds. | Y/C | Y/G | TDs |
| 1992 | Redshirted | |||||
| 1993 | 1/0 | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 0 |
| 1994 | 12/0 | 13 | 98 | 7.5 | 8.2 | 0 |
| 1995 | 11/0 | 28 | 246 | 8.8 | 22.4 | 0 |
| 1996 | 11/10 | 46 | 213 | 4.6 | 19.4 | 1 |
| Totals | 35/10 | 88 | 564 | 6.4 | 16.1 | 1 |
Tackles: 0 UT, 1 AT, 1 TT in 1994; 1 UT, 3 AT, 4 TT in 1995; 2 UT, 0 AT, 2 TT in 1996
1995 Orange Bowl vs. Miami: Played on special teams, no tackles.
1996 Fiesta Bowl vs. Florida: Rushing 1-4
1996 Orange Bowl vs. Virginia Tech: Rushing 4-2