[Husker] "1968"

[Alan Siporin]

I was a student, then, and attended all the home games, and all the freshmen
games. Freshmen weren't eligible, but the last year the varsity went 6-4,
the freshmen team was a monster-in-waiting, with Jerry Tagge, Larry
Jacobsen, Van Brownson, Jeff Kinney and many, many others. I remember
watching them a year later (as sophs) do warm-up exercises and they were so
impressive the other team stopped to watch them. People who knew football
knew they were going to be very good. Sports Illustrated (very good and
reliable back then) did their cover story on USC-Nebraska, and decided in
advance whoever won would be on the cover. We came very close to beating
them. I don't recall the specifics, nearly forty years later, but I remember
the game was closer than the ten point loss. That sophomore class won
back-to-back national titles. Others may disagree, but I think you could see
their swagger the moment they walked on the field.

Any parallel to apply today? I don't know. If last year's class of recruits
is all it's cracked up to be, then we should know it next year. Or know the
coaches need to go.

Alan Siporin


On 11/7/05 12:39 PM, "Scott Messer" <messersa at cox.net> wrote:

> 1968 is just a couple of years before my time.  Prior to the 1970 season
> what was the opinion of the team?  Did anybody think that NU was going to
> win the conference title or even play at the level?  When did the fans and
> the rest of the country really KNOW that the team was for real?
>