Memorial Stadium: The Sixth Decade, 1973-82

Tom Osborne took over Nebraska’s winning machine and kept it humming, but elite status proved elusive

Malcolm Emmons photo-USA TODAY Sports

Ninth in a series marking the 100th season of Nebraska football in Memorial Stadium. Pictured above: Oklahoma’s Billy Sims tries to get past Tim Fischer in 1978.

Nebraska football’s sixth decade in Memorial Stadium began with the passing of the coaching baton from a legend to a relative unknown. And a heavy baton it was.

Bob Devaney’s two national championships had raised expectations to new levels. Many fans were unaware Tom Osborne was the architect of those title teams’ offenses. As far as they knew, he had been in charge of the offensive ends and little more.

Would this low-key 35-year-old be up to the task?

Most fan bases would say yes when a coach racks up the nation’s fourth-highest win total over his first 10 years, as Osborne did from 1973 through 1982. Some of those were epic and unforgettable victories that had the stadium rocking. But losses when it seemed to matter most* — often at the hands of Oklahoma — left Nebraska fans yearning for more. 

*Defeats in the final game of the regular season knocked the Huskers out of national championship contention in 1975, ’78, ’79 and ’80. Including the bowls, only twice did Nebraska end a season with consecutive wins.

The frustration nearly had Osborne packing his bags for Colorado after six seasons. But he stayed, and he transformed his I-formation offense. At quarterback, passers in the mold of Dave Humm and Vince Ferragamo gave way to the likes of triple-option master Turner Gill. A potent ground game now had Nebraska at or near the top of the NCAA rushing charts. With a No. 3 finish in the 1982 polls, the Huskers were on the upswing at the close of this 10-year stretch. 

Through it all, Osborne was bringing aboard assistant coaches who would serve through the duration of his tenure. George Darlington (1973), Milt Tenopir (1974), Charlie McBride (1977) and Frank Solich (1979) became the bedrock of a stable and loyal coaching staff. On the field, the walk-on tradition was picking up steam thanks to the success stories of I.M. Hipp, Derrie Nelson, Jimmy Williams and others.

For a sampling of games from Memorial Stadium’s sixth decade, scroll past the facts box. 

Just the Facts: 1973-82

• Home record: 54-10-0 (.844). • Overall record: 96-24-2 (.795). • Conference titles: 1975,* ’78,* ’81, ’82 (*shared). • Head coach: Tom Osborne, 1973-97. • All-Americans: Daryl White, Marvin Crenshaw, Dave Humm, Rik Bonness (2), Wonder Monds, Bob Martin, Mike Fultz, Dave Butterfield, Vince Ferragamo, Tom Davis, Kelvin Clark, George Andrews, Junior Miller, Derrie Nelson, Jarvis Redwine, Randy Schleusener, Jimmy Williams, Dave Rimington (2), Mike Rozier. • Major trophies: Rimington.

Dazzling debut

1973: Nebraska 40, UCLA 13. The Tom Osborne era got off to a rollicking start in this season-opening battle of top-10 teams. The Huskers started fast and avenged a 1972 loss to the Bruins with big performances from sophomore I-back Tony Davis and senior quarterback Steve Runty, who both earned AP National Back of the Week honors. This was one of four wins over ranked opponents in Memorial Stadium for the 1973 Huskers, whose missteps during a 9-2-1 season all occurred on the road. | HuskerMax game page

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Defense delivers

Oklahoma State’s Charlie Weatherbie appears to begin losing his grip inside the NU 5 as Wonder Monds delivers a hit.  / Lincoln Journal Star via Newspapers.com

1974: Nebraska 7, Oklahoma State 3. When things were looking dire, cornerback Ardell Johnson saved Nebraska’s bacon. The Cowboys were at the Nebraska 5-yard line, threatening to take the lead with a little over three minutes remaining. As OSU quarterback Charlie Weatherbie ran a wishbone keeper over OSU’s right side, monster back Wonder Monds laid a shoulder into him. The ball came loose, and there to pounce on it at the 1-yard line was Johnson. 

Husker fans could exhale, but only briefly. After a Nebraska punt from the end zone, OSU took over at the NU 38 with 1:16 to work with. The Cowboys immediately threw deep, and once again it was Johnson coming up big, tipping the ball away from the reach of an OSU receiver inside the NU 10. Not until cornerback Jimmy Burrow picked off Weatherbie’s fourth-down heave at the 15 was this one truly over. It was an unusual way for a Tom Osborne team to win: Just one other time (1988 vs. Colorado) would his Huskers emerge triumphant at Memorial Stadium while scoring in the single digits. | HuskerMax game page

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Bombarding the Buffs

The game was turned over to reserves less than five minutes into the second half, and Dave Gillespie ended up being Nebraska’s leading rusher with 106 yards / Nebraska Athletics

1975: Nebraska 63, Colorado 21. The 10th-ranked Buffaloes stunned the No. 4 Huskers with a 74-yard touchdown run on the third play of the game. After that, though, it it was all Nebraska — with substantial help from an astonishing string of Colorado turnovers, several of them unforced. The Buffs lost six fumbles, threw two interceptions and lost the ball on a muffed kickoff. “The thing just snowballed. ... We just kept getting the ball inside the 30,” coach Tom Osborne said afterward. Four weeks later in Norman, the shoe was on the other foot when Husker turnovers set up Oklahoma touchdown drives of 13, 10 and 23 yards in the fourth quarter of a 35-10 loss — a defeat that relegated Nebraska to the lower-tier Fiesta Bowl. | HuskerMax game page

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98-yard dagger

Pete Woods drops back to make the throw that turned the game around. A minus-five showing in the turnover ledger also hurt the Huskers. “Every time we mess up, we seem to be playing Missouri,” said coach Tom Osborne, who was dealt his third loss in four tries against the Tigers / Lincoln Journal Star via Newspapers.com

1976: Missouri 34, Nebraska 24. Shortly after taking a 24-23 lead early in the fourth quarter, Nebraska had the Tigers just where it wanted them — third-and-14 at their own 2. It did not, however, turn out well. Mizzou quarterback Pete Woods faked handoffs to both running backs, stepped back and threw over the middle to slot receiver Joe Stewart, who was open around the Nebraska 35. Stewart took it the rest of the way for a Big Eight-record 98-yard touchdown reception that propelled the Tigers to one of their trademark upsets. 

The loss knocked the third-ranked Huskers out of the national title hunt and helped send Nebraska to a fourth-place tie in the final Big Eight standings — the worst conference showing in Tom Osborne’s 25 years at the helm. Including a close loss resulting from some last-minute Sooner magic, it was a disappointing 9-3-1 season for a team ranked No. 1 in the AP preseason poll. Osborne has said he might have been fired if not for a narrow win in the Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl. | HuskerMax game page

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Rising over the Tide

1977: Nebraska 31, Alabama 24. A week after losing to Washington State in the season opener, the Huskers were unranked for first time since 1969. With the nation’s No. 4 team in town, Memorial Stadium was rocking as Nebraska pulled out all the stops on offense and picked off five Jeff Rutledge passes on defense to register the upset. 

I-back Rick Berns rushed for 128 yards, and there were electrifying plays from I.M. Hipp, Curtis Craig and others as Nebraska’s offense kept pace with the Crimson Tide’s potent weapons, which included Hall of Fame receiver Ozzie Newsome (eight catches for 132 yards). Tom Osborne now had his first win over a top-five team. For ’Bama and legendary coach Paul “Bear” Bryant, it was the season’s only blemish — one that ultimately kept them one rung short of the 1977 national championship. | HuskerMax game page

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Sooners stymied

1978: Nebraska 17, Oklahoma 14. The delirium and decibel levels were off the charts in Memorial Stadium, and for good reason: The No. 4 Huskers knocked off the No. 1 Sooners, a team that coach Barry Switzer has said might have been his best at Oklahoma. Longtime fans will tell you this was the hardest-hitting game they’ve ever seen. The hit that saved the game was delivered with a minute and a half remaining by safety Jeff Hansen, who jarred the ball loose from OU’s Billy Sims at the Nebraska 3.

The Sooners’ six-game winning streak in the series was now over, and it seemed the Oklahoma monkey was off Tom Osborne’s back. A bowl game for the national championship now appeared all but certain, but Missouri’s upset of Nebraska the following week resulted in an NU-OU rematch instead — and a 31-24 loss. Osborne gave serious thought to jumping ship to Colorado before deciding to remain at Nebraska. | HuskerMax game page

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Roaring back vs. Lions

1979: Nebraska 42, Penn State 17. Twelve minutes into the game, quarterback Tim Hager had just thrown a pick-six and Nebraska was down 14-0. That turned out to be a mere speed bump as the sixth-ranked Huskers dominated the final 48 minutes for a lopsided win over coach Joe Paterno’s No. 18 Nittany Lions. Hager threw for 200-plus yards, including touchdown passes of 70 and 11 yards to tight end Junior Miller. Transfer I-back Jarvis Redwine rushed for 124 yards, his first triple-digit performance as a Husker.

It all added up to 530 yards of offense for Nebraska, just four yards shy of breaking the Penn State opponent record. The Blackshirts, meanwhile, allowed only 183 yards and were now on their way to stringing together 20 consecutive quarters without giving up a touchdown. The victory vaulted unbeaten Nebraska into the AP top five, where the Huskers would remain until a 17-14 defeat at Oklahoma, followed by another 17-14 loss to Houston in the Cotton Bowl. | HuskerMax game page

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Heartbreak, then applause

Jeff Quinn asks for quiet before Nebraska’s final play / 1981 Nebraska football media guide

1980: Florida State 18, Nebraska 14. This loss was about as frustrating as they come. Yet Husker fans gave Florida State a spontaneous ovation as the Seminoles left the field. FSU coach Bobby Bowden was amazed, and a signature tradition of sportsmanship at Memorial Stadium was born.

After a field goal had boosted the Seminoles’ lead to four points with 2:37 remaining, Nebraska answered by driving 77 yards to the FSU 3. The frenzied crowd got set to celebrate a classic come-from-behind victory. But on a second-down rollout, quarterback Jeff Quinn was hit and fumbled before he could get a pass away. A Seminole pounced on the pigskin with just 10 seconds left, and 16th-ranked FSU had knocked off No. 3 Nebraska despite being outyarded 386 to 166. The Huskers had squandered that yardage advantage with three third-quarter turnovers that led to 12 FSU points. Nebraska’s only other loss in a 10-2 season also was decided in the final minute when Oklahoma edged Nebraska in Lincoln for the Big Eight title. | HuskerMax game page

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More splash than flash

Jimmy Williams (96) gets ready to pounce on the Auburn fumble that set up Nebraska’s first touchdown / The Lincoln Star via Newspapers.com

1981: Nebraska 17, Auburn 3. It was sloppy, but it was a win — a pivotal one that saved the Huskers from a 1-3 start to the season. Both offenses struggled mightily as pouring rain made the ball slippery and the artificial turf even more so. After tying things up at 3-3 with a third-quarter field goal, the Huskers put the game away with touchdown “drives” of four and nine yards following Auburn turnovers. 

The Blackshirts were stellar, holding the Tigers’ wishbone offense to 150 yards, recovering five fumbles and picking off two passes. Husker senior Mark Mauer split time at quarterback with sophomore Turner Gill, who completed just one of six passes and had a scant 29 yards of total offense. Still, Gill earned his first start the following week against Colorado, and the 59-0 romp got Nebraska rolling on an improbable march to a potential national title in January. | HuskerMax game page

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Grinding one out

1982: Nebraska 23, Missouri 19. With Nebraska trailing by four points in the fourth quarter, a hobbled Husker offense scored two touchdowns in the final five minutes to pull away from the Tigers. Senior Bruce Mathison was getting his first meaningful action at quarterback because Turner Gill had suffered a concussion on a questionable hit in the first half. Junior I-back Mike Rozier was nursing a painful hip pointer and wasn't expected to play, but he came off the bench and rushed for 139 yards, including runs of 17 and 27 on the go-ahead drive. “I thought our players really showed a lot of courage today,” coach Tom Osborne said afterward. 

The win kept Nebraska on track for its second consecutive Big Eight title, and only a controversial loss at Penn State earlier in the season kept the 12-win Huskers out of the hunt for the national championship in January. | HuskerMax game page

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Postscript: Bag of tricks

Tom Osborne was becoming known during this time for his trick plays, but the most notable ones seemed to happen away from Memorial Stadium: the Bummeroosky fake punt for a pivotal score by John O’Leary at Missouri and the Fumbleroosky touchdown carry by guard Randy Schleusener at Oklahoma. Fans in Memorial Stadium finally got one to remember when the Sooners visited in 1982. This time it was the Bounceroosky — a backward pass off the AstroTurf from Turner Gill to Irving Fryar, followed by a deep throw downfield from Fryar to tight end Mitch Krenk. The 37-yard gain set up Nebraska’s second touchdown in a 28-24 win.

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Two former Nebraska assistants proved nettlesome for Osborne during his first decade at the helm. Carl Selmer won just five games in his two seasons as head coach at Miami, but highly ranked Husker teams needed second-half comebacks to beat Selmer’s Hurricanes when they visited Lincoln in 1975 and ’76. A far greater thorn in Osborne’s side was Warren Powers, who registered an upset win in 1977 with Washington State and followed that up with a devastating repeat in 1978 with Missouri. From 1979 into the ’80s, Nebraska sweated out more close calls against Powers’ Tigers.

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