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When University of Nebraska football players take the field today at Ross-Ade Stadium, Kay Wallace will be wearing red and cheering for her ?boys? in her West Lafayette apartment.
The 96-year-old Wallace moved in June from her lifelong home of Omaha, Neb., to be near her daughter and son-in-law, Cindy and Larry Svajgr.
Just knowing the ?Cornhuskers? and their ?red sea? of fans are in town is heartwarming for Wallace.
?It?s terribly exciting for me,? Wallace said. ?It?s like they are coming to visit me.?
Wallace said she became a true football fan when she was in junior high school and read an article that explained the rules of the game.
?I thought, ?What a difference this makes when you know what?s going on,? ? said Wallace.
Her love of the game shifted from high school to the college level after Wallace went to work as a secretary at the University of Nebraska Omaha.
She and her husband, and two other couples held season tickets for more than 40 years.
They faithfully made the hourlong drive from Omaha to Lincoln, and attended games even during the lean years when Nebraska?s football program was not successful.
?There weren?t as many people, but it was kind of fun to see it grow,? Wallace said. ?We would take lunches, and there was a little filling station where we could meet and walk to the game.?
The women stopped making the drive but continued to watch games at home after their husbands died.
?We always dressed and would get together,? said Wallace. ?You?d think we were still in college.?
?I remember there were cakes with Ns on them, and everyone had Husker dishes and glasses,? said Cindy Svajgr, who is a University of Nebraska-Lincoln alumna. ?Every store has University of Nebraska items for sale, not just in Lincoln, but the whole state.?
At 65, Wallace became a University of Nebraska Omaha alumna, graduating cum laude with a degree in general education. ?When you go as a senior (citizen) you appreciate your education,? she said.
At 75, Wallace traveled with a group to Tokyo, Japan, to see the Cornhuskers play Kansas State in December 1992.
?I just love the game, and seeing the country there,? Wallace said. ?At the hotel where we stayed, all the staff came out and waved goodbye when we left.?
Wallace still has a jacket from the event, not to mention red beads and other Husker memorabilia collected over the years.
A scorecard posted in her apartment charts the scores of each Husker game for the season. Wallace said she has been accepted by her new Boilermaker neighbors.
Idle chatter is discouraged while the game is on. Wallace said she prefers to focus on the plays. She recalled watching televised games with her family.
?We would run with Johnny Rodgers down the field,? Wallace said of the 1972 Heisman Trophy winner.
Statistics on individual players are no longer in the foreground, said Wallace, who summed up her six-decade passion very simply.
?If you live in Nebraska, you?re a Husker fan.?
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The 96-year-old Wallace moved in June from her lifelong home of Omaha, Neb., to be near her daughter and son-in-law, Cindy and Larry Svajgr.
Just knowing the ?Cornhuskers? and their ?red sea? of fans are in town is heartwarming for Wallace.
?It?s terribly exciting for me,? Wallace said. ?It?s like they are coming to visit me.?
Wallace said she became a true football fan when she was in junior high school and read an article that explained the rules of the game.
?I thought, ?What a difference this makes when you know what?s going on,? ? said Wallace.
Her love of the game shifted from high school to the college level after Wallace went to work as a secretary at the University of Nebraska Omaha.
She and her husband, and two other couples held season tickets for more than 40 years.
They faithfully made the hourlong drive from Omaha to Lincoln, and attended games even during the lean years when Nebraska?s football program was not successful.
?There weren?t as many people, but it was kind of fun to see it grow,? Wallace said. ?We would take lunches, and there was a little filling station where we could meet and walk to the game.?
The women stopped making the drive but continued to watch games at home after their husbands died.
?We always dressed and would get together,? said Wallace. ?You?d think we were still in college.?
?I remember there were cakes with Ns on them, and everyone had Husker dishes and glasses,? said Cindy Svajgr, who is a University of Nebraska-Lincoln alumna. ?Every store has University of Nebraska items for sale, not just in Lincoln, but the whole state.?
At 65, Wallace became a University of Nebraska Omaha alumna, graduating cum laude with a degree in general education. ?When you go as a senior (citizen) you appreciate your education,? she said.
At 75, Wallace traveled with a group to Tokyo, Japan, to see the Cornhuskers play Kansas State in December 1992.
?I just love the game, and seeing the country there,? Wallace said. ?At the hotel where we stayed, all the staff came out and waved goodbye when we left.?
Wallace still has a jacket from the event, not to mention red beads and other Husker memorabilia collected over the years.
A scorecard posted in her apartment charts the scores of each Husker game for the season. Wallace said she has been accepted by her new Boilermaker neighbors.
Idle chatter is discouraged while the game is on. Wallace said she prefers to focus on the plays. She recalled watching televised games with her family.
?We would run with Johnny Rodgers down the field,? Wallace said of the 1972 Heisman Trophy winner.
Statistics on individual players are no longer in the foreground, said Wallace, who summed up her six-decade passion very simply.
?If you live in Nebraska, you?re a Husker fan.?
Post Extras:
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