Nebraska...not feeling Frosty anymore

[Dr. Strangelove]

I think paying off the stadium renovations is still a significant part of that. Michigan's expense jumped $5 M in one year...that's right about the time of your own renovations, isn't it?

[entropy]

Well... With the renovations to the east stadium, parking in lot 12 has been reduced. These are the big donors... As a result of the shuffle, I have been bumped from lot 6 to lot 5 which is double the distance to the stadium for me. Next year they will redo parking again, I assume after construction, more spots will be added to the east stadium parking (lot 12)... Maybe I will get back to lot 6 at that time.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Ooos, meant Michigan. Didn't know Nebraska was renovating too

[entropy]

Pelini: No need to rush on new hire
Posted by: Steve Sipple on February 28, 2012 at 6:10PM CST

Just had a short chat with Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini regarding the open spot on his full-time coaching staff. He's not exactly panicking about filling the opening. He said if he hasn't made a hire by the time spring ball begins March 10, he and new defensive coordinator John Papuchis will combine to handle the secondary. Pelini said he'll consider candidates both inside the program and outside. The opening was created Monday when secondary coach Corey Raymond announced he was leaving to take the same position at LSU. "We're basically looking for whatever the best fit is for the program," Pelini said. "I have some guys in mind. Whatever works, works." He said he doesn't have a timetable in mind to have a coach in place. "However long it takes," he said.

[entropy]

Trio of Former Huskers on College Football HOF Ballot

Three former Nebraska All-Americans are part of 76 former college football players that were placed on the 2012 College Football Hall of Fame Ballot, which was released by the National Football Foundation on Tuesday, Feb. 28. Former Huskers Trev Alberts, Tommie Frazier and Eric Crouch will all have the opportunity to be among this year's class of inductees, which will be announced on May 15.

Alberts was a four-year starter for the Huskers at defensive end and became the first Butkus Award winner in school history as a senior in 1993. That season he recorded 96 tackles and tied a school record with 15 sacks, while leading NU through an undefeated season and an Orange Bowl berth. The Cedar Falls, Iowa, native was named a consensus first-team All-American as a senior and was also tabbed the Football News National Defensive Player of the Year. Alberts tallied 73 tackles as a junior en route to being named a second-team All-American. Off the field, the first-team CoSIDA Academic All-American was honored with The Today's Top Six Award and was a three-time academic All-Big Eight honoree.

Voters will also have the chance to vote for two of the most dynamic quarterbacks in the history of college football in Crouch and Frazier. Crouch became Nebraska's third Heisman Trophy winner in 2001 after leading the Huskers to the National Championship game. An option-based quarterback out of Omaha's Millard North High School, Crouch set the NCAA record for career rushing touchdowns by a quarterback with 59, and he owns the Nebraska career record for total offense with 7,915 yards. A consensus All-American in 2001, Crouch also reeled in the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, the Davey O'Brien Award and the Sporting News Offensive Player of the Year award.

Frazier will go down as one of the greatest winners in college football history after leading the Huskers to back-to-back national championships in 1994 and 1995, while capturing most valuable player honors in both championship games. Frazier finished second in the Heisman voting as a senior in 1995 and earned first-team All-America honors from eight major publications after leading NU to an undefeated season and a 62-24 rout of No. 2 and previously unbeaten Florida in the national title game. As a junior, Frazier returned from a seven-game absence because of a blot clot to lead the Huskers to their first national title in 23 seasons with his fourth-quarter heroics in NU's 24-17 come-from-behind victory over Miami in the Orange Bowl. Frazier, who was named one of the 10 greatest college football players of the century according to Sport magazine, finished his career with 5,476 total yards and 79 touchdowns.

The 2012 Hall of Fame Class will be announced on May 15 at 11 a.m. in New York City. Those who are selected will be inducted into the hall at the 55th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 4, 2012 at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. A total of 12,000 National Football Foundation members and current Hall of Fame members will cast votes. The current Hall of Fame is comprised of only 900 former players and 194 coaches.

http://www.huskers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=1&SPID=22&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=205388749&DB_OEM_ID=100

[entropy]

Rex Burkhead: 2012 Uplifting Athletes Rare Disease Champion

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Jaime Fettrow

Nebraska Running Back Rex Burkhead is named the 2012 Uplifting Athletes Rare Disease Champion after inspiring a young fan battling a rare brain cancer. The announcement was made Wednesday during a special event held in Bethesda, Md., at the National Institutes of Health’s annual Rare Disease Day.

Burkhead didn't realize lunch with a stranger in September this past year would change his life. It was then that he met 6-year-old Jack Hoffman. Hoffman had been diagnosed with a rare pediatric brain tumor called a low grade glioma; Jack's ultimate dream was to meet Burkhead.
“I couldn’t believe how positive he was,” Burkhead said. “He didn’t feel sorry for himself, whatsoever.”

Jack’s father, Andrew Hoffman says Rex took an interest in Jack, almost instantly palling around with him. It was as if at least for that day, there was not a care in the world for Jack. Rex and his teammates wear wristbands in honor of Jack. Rex has followed up with Jack numerous times on the phone and in person, even calling Jack days before a second scheduled surgery in Boston. It has meant the world to Jack, knowing that Rex cares so much. The Hoffmans are confident that Rex is making a difference in their son’s life. Although the road ahead is long, they say doctors believe the prognosis is favorable.

"Rex is a shining example of a college football player who realizes the position he's in to make a difference," said Uplifting Athletes founder and Executive Director Scott Shirley. "The friendship he's forged with Jack has inspired him and his family with hope and has brought much needed attention to a rare disease cause. It's fitting to recognize him with this honor and place his name along side of our former winners."

The Rare Disease Champion Award, determined by an online vote among four finalists nominated by their schools or organizations, is presented annually to recognize a leader in the world of college football who has made a positive and lasting impact on the rare disease community. A record number of votes - more than 76,000 - were cast for this year's award.

Previous Rare Disease Champions include 2011 winner Jordan Culbreath of Princeton, 2010 winner Ian Mitchell of Dickinson College and 2009 winner Grant Teaff of the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA).

Other finalists for the 2012 Rare Disease Champion Award included North Carolina State's Wayne Crawford, UCLA's Luke Gane and Florida's David Lerner. Burkhead will receive the sculpture at a date to be announced later.

http://www.upliftingathletes.org/ua-news/rex-burkhead-2012-uplifting-athletes-rare-disease

[entropy]

http://huskernsider.tumblr.com/post/18519121199/ripple-effect-led-to-burkheads-award

These are the great stories of college athletics. Its too bad the nation doesn't focus on them more.

[entropy]

Huskers Hire Joseph to Coach Defensive Backs
Sean Callahan
HuskerOnline.com Publisher


You had an idea Bo Pelini wanted to work fast on finding a new defensive backs coach to replace Corey Raymond.

The Huskers start spring practice on Mar. 10, and VolQuest.com of the Rivals.com network has officially confirmed that Tennessee's Terry Joseph has accepted the defensive back's job at Nebraska. This news comes just five days after Corey Raymond left NU for LSU.

Joseph has a relationship that dates back to with Pelini to LSU, where he worked underneath him as a graduate assistant. He also worked with current Husker defensive coordinator John Papuchis at that time, who worked as an intern on Pelini's staff in Baton Rouge.

Before coming to Tennessee, Joseph worked under Derek Dooley at Louisiana Tech where he developed a reputation as a top recruiter.

Over the last five years Joseph was credited with signing 21 different recruits at Louisiana Tech and Tennessee. Nine of those 21 players were from Louisiana and the five were from the state of Texas.

In 2009 Rivals.com tabbed Joseph as the No. 4 best recruiter in the non-BCS ranks.

Joseph made $225,000 in 2011 and was scheduled to make $250,000 in 2012 at Tennessee. Raymond made $200,000 this past season and was scheduled the make the same salary again in 2012.

Joseph is now the seventh coach to leave Dooley's staff in Knoxville since the end of the 2011 season.

[Wild Hoss]

By far the best hire Bo has made to date (Not that its a high bar) in my view...we really need a guy like this. Two or three actually, to help make up for Pelini in recruiting. For once though, we have seen a hire that is a step forward instead of a step back.

[entropy]

UNL women's beat OSU to advance to the BIG tourney finals. First 6 seed ever to do so...

Playing 4 games in a row will be tough, but making it to the finals with this very young team is an impressive job by the staff.

[Rob F]

I watched part of that game, Ent, but missed the run (and it must have been a helluva run) midway thru the first half---UNL was down by about 15; by the next time I looked they're up by 7. From that point forward, I watched a little more closely, and they continued to pull away thru the rest of the game. ohio was a beaten team, in all senses of the word, by halftime.

[entropy]

They are better than a 6 seed, but they can play poorly when the 3's don't fall...

[entropy]

Btw... UNL went on a 40-10 run at one point.

[Rob F]

Your CornHos now get play Purdue for the "butch" B1G Tournament Championship tomorrow, Ent.

I know I caught some flak in the "Other U of M Sports" thread for my postings I made about Women's Basketball (Sean: you know what I'm talkin' bout) , but it doesn't get a whole lot better than that last 5 minutes of the women's semi between Penn State and Purdue. #4 seeded Boilergals had a decent lead but the #1 seeded Lionesses kept coming at them, at one point drawing into a tie, before Purdue finally retook the lead with just 1.4 seconds left on the clock.

[entropy]

It was a good game. Top seeds go down paving a path for purdue to face UNL?.. Last time purdue and UNL met resulted in a triple OT win by the huskers @ purdue.