What It Means to Be a Husker [Hardcover]

Jeff Snook (Editor), Tom Osborne (Foreword)

Book Description

Series: What It Means to Be | Publication Date: August 1, 2004

There’s nothing quite like wearing the red and white of Nebraska football, and only the chosen few can comprehend the feelings of pride, loyalty, and honor that define the experience. What It Means to Be a Husker captures that feeling through first-person accounts and recollections from legendary coach Tom Osborne and the greatest players ever to wear the Nebraska uniform.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

On November 27, 1890, Dr. Langdon Frothingham, a Harvard graduate, couldn’t possibly have known what he was creating when he took a group of University of Nebraska boys to Omaha to play the relatively new game of football. That day his Lincoln boys scored 10 points and those from the Omaha YMCA team scored none. From such simple beginnings, University of Nebraska football was born.

Those who played it over the next decade were known by such names as the Rattlesnake Boys, the Antelopes, and the Bugeaters. In 1900 they became known as the Cornhuskers. And for the next century and beyond, they became the state of Nebraska’s most enduring passion.

Playing in front of college football’s finest fans, otherwise known as the famed Sea of Red, those who became Huskers captured their state’s attention for the next 100 years—perhaps more so than any college football team in the country. Is it any wonder that historic Memorial Stadium has been sold out for each and every game since 1962? That amounts to more than 260 games and counting—the nation’s longest such streak.

Coached by legendary men such as Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne, the Cornhuskers have built a rich football tradition highlighted by five national championships, almost 100 All-Americans, and the nation’s longest consecutive bowl game streak, dating to 1969. What It Means to Be a Husker chronicles the dreams, thoughts, and stories of the young men who have made University of Nebraska football a large part of their lives. They arrived in Lincoln as wide-eyed young men, curious and perhaps doubtful as to whether they would be able to contribute to the rich Husker football tradition. By the time their playing days were finished, through hard work, determination, and unparalleled desire, they accomplished all-conference and All-American honors. Three even won college football’s highest accolade—the coveted Heisman Trophy. Off the field they earned the highest graduation rate and produced more Academic All-Americans than any school in major college football history. And they became heroes to the people of the state of Nebraska.

From star running back Glenn Presnell in the twenties to quarterback Eric Crouch more than eight decades later, these are the men who know best what it means to be a Husker.

Dr. Tom Osborne is the state of Nebraska’s finest ambassador. As head coach at the University of Nebraska from 1973 to 1997, he compiled an incredible 255–49–3 record that included national championships in 1994, 1995, and 1997 before his retirement from the sidelines. Osborne was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1998. A Hastings, Nebraska, native, he serves in the U.S. House of Representatives for the state’s third district.

About the Author

Jeff Snook is a freelance author who has written about college football for more than 20 years. A native of Ashland, Ohio, he graduated from The Ohio State University School of Journalism in 1982. He resides in West Palm Beach, Florida. This is his fifth book.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Triumph Books (August 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 157243662X
• ISBN-13: 978-1572436626
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 8.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #949,345 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great gift for the Husker fan, January 11, 2007

By 

Gloria O. Smith (Denton, TX USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: What It Means to Be a Husker (Hardcover)

I bought this book for my husband who is a long time Husker fan. He loved it and read it non-stop after receiving it. He told me it is a wonderful gift for any Husker fan and has given him new insights and information about the Husker team. However, he would have liked to have more pictures, especially color ones, to go with the articles since it is a collector piece to him. I would still recommend the book for Husker fans.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars to be a husker, March 25, 2006

By 

T. W. Mauldin "#1 Husker Fan" (Greenwood, SC USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: What It Means to Be a Husker (Hardcover)

The best book on Husker football history! Great memories from the greatest Nebraska players. I would recommend to any Husker fan or anyone who appreciates college football.

5.0 out of 5 stars Cornhuskers, March 13, 2010

By 

Barbara A. Syas "BS" (Arizona) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: What It Means to Be a Husker (Hardcover)

Being a Nebraska Cornhusker fan is the best. Gave this and other related books as a gift. The recipient was very pleased with this book and the others.