Dave Feit: Nebraska’s Memorial Stadium by the Numbers, 1 to 100

Facts, stats and trivia to mark the Husker football venue’s centennial

Detail from postcard

Nebraska’s Memorial Stadium is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2023 with a yearlong celebration. As part of that celebration, here are 100 facts about the stadium, classic games, legendary players, obscure trivia, and other stats – each related to a number 1 through 100.

1. Times Nebraska has beaten the AP #1 team at Memorial Stadium (Oklahoma, 1978). Nebraska has hosted the #1 team three other times (Oklahoma in 1955 and 1974, USC in 2007)
2. Overtime wins at Memorial Stadium. Nebraska beat Iowa State in 2005 and Kansas in 2006. The Huskers lost in overtime to Northwestern in 2017.
3. Games with a lightning delay (1991 Utah State, 2018 Akron, and 2023 Louisiana Tech). Additionally, three games have been canceled: 1943 Pittsburgh (wartime travel restrictions), 2018 Akron (weather), and 2020 Wisconsin (COVID-19 outbreak).
4. Teams that faced Nebraska in Memorial Stadium that no longer play football at the FBS (Division 1) or FCS (Division 2) level. University of Chicago, Grinnell College, New York University and University of Pacific all currently play in NCAA Division III.
5. Nebraska's five national championship teams (1970, 1971, 1994, 1995, 1997) all called the stadium home. In addition, Nebraska hosted the eventual national champs in 1935 (Minnesota), 1955 (Oklahoma), 1960 (Minnesota), 1974 (Oklahoma), 1990 (Colorado) and 1991 (Washington).
6. Conferences represented by Nebraska in their home games (Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association, Big Six, Big Seven, Big Eight, Big XII, Big Ten).
7. Number worn by 2001 Heisman Trophy winner Eric Crouch. Crouch is one of three Huskers to score a touchdown via rush, pass, and reception in the same game (Joe Ganz and Jeff Kinney also did this at Memorial Stadium)
8. Number of games where both teams were ranked in the AP Top 5. Nebraska is 5-3 in these games. Many of these games will be featured in this list.
9. Heisman Trophy winners to play at Memorial Stadium the year they won the award: Jay Berwanger (Chicago), Ernie Davis (Syracuse), Billy Sims (Oklahoma), Barry Sanders (Oklahoma State), Rashaan Salaam (Colorado), Ricky Williams (Texas), Johnny Rodgers, Mike Rozier and Eric Crouch (Nebraska). Note: This does not include players who won the Heisman in seasons after playing in Lincoln, such as Steve Owens, Jason White and Robert Griffin III.
10. Years at a time. Nebraska had some great 10-year stretches in Memorial Stadium. The Huskers were 64-3 (.955) in their eighth full decade (1993–2002). They’ve also had some down times. The third decade (1943–1952) saw NU go 19-26-1 (.424), their worst 10-year run. It says something about Nebraska’s sustained success that going 36-31 (.537) from 2013–2022 is the eighth-worst decade in stadium history.
11. Sacks by the Blackshirts in a single game (Oregon State 1989, Maine 2005), tied for the most in NU history.
12. December 12, 2020 (12/12/2020): the latest calendar date the Huskers have played a home game. NU lost to Minnesota 24-17.
13. Number of tie games in Memorial Stadium history. Eight of these were 0-0 thrillers.
14. Average points scored (14.3) by Nebraska’s opponents in 591 games at Memorial Stadium. Keep reading to find NU’s average…
15. Number worn by quarterback Tommie Frazier, one of Nebraska’s greatest players. Nebraska went 26-0 at home during Frazier’s career.
16. Solo tackles by Barrett Ruud against Kansas State in 2004, a school record.
17. A 17-point loss to Wisconsin (38-21) in 2017 started a seven-game losing streak: the longest home losing streak in NU history.
18. The number worn by quarterback Brook Berringer, who led NU to the 1994 national championship game after Tommie Frazier went out. Berringer, who died in a plane crash days before he would have been taken in the NFL draft, is memorialized in a statue outside the north stadium.
19. Times Nebraska has defeated a higher-ranked team at home. The first time was a 13-7 victory over #14 Oklahoma in 1939. The most recent was a 35-32 win over #22 Oregon in 2016.
20. Number worn by 1972 Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Rodgers. One of the greatest receivers in school history, Rodgers caught a pass in every game he played at Memorial Stadium.
21. Point deficit Nebraska overcame to defeat Ohio State in 2011. It’s the largest comeback in school history.
22. The lone item that did not occur in Memorial Stadium. The 1922 finale (i.e., the final game at old Nebraska Field) was a 14-6 win over Notre Dame and the “Four Horsemen”.
23. Touches by Ameer Abdullah needed to set the all-purpose yardage record (341) vs Rutgers in 2014.
24. Points scored by Nebraska in the first game in stadium history, a 24-0 victory over Oklahoma.
25. Times NU has been shut out in Memorial Stadium. The Huskers have (knock on wood) not been shut out at home since 1968.
26. The 1926 game against NYU was played in a late November snowstorm. Although not recognized as official school records, NYU had more punts (18) than total yards (16). NYU’s lone score came on a fumble return.
27. Season Nebraska played at Memorial Stadium without a loss or tie.
28. Nebraska players and coaches who won a national college football award. Husker players have won the Bednarik, Bronco Nagurski, Butkus, Davey O’Brien, Eddie Robinson, Heisman, Johnny Unitas, Lombardi, Maxwell, Outland, Rimington, and Walter Camp awards.
29. Nebraska’s average points scored in their games at Memorial Stadium (28.8).
30. Jersey number of 1983 Heisman Trophy winner Mike Rozier. He owns the unofficial record for the longest 2-yard touchdown run in stadium history.
31. Points scored by Nebraska in the 2010 victory over #7 Mizzou (31-17). Roy Helu Jr. ran for a school-record 307 yards.
32. Conference championships won by Nebraska teams playing at Memorial Stadium.
33. Seasons where Nebraska was unbeaten at Memorial Stadium.
34. Points scored by Nebraska in a victory over Kansas State in 1923. Why is that significant? The final score (34-12) was the first “Huskerigami” score in the stadium. There have been 239 unique Huskerigami score combinations at Memorial Stadium.
35. Jersey number of Ed Weir. Of the 25 legendary players to have their names and numbers memorialized on the North Stadium façade, Weir was the first to play in Memorial Stadium.
36. Opponents who have made only one trip to Memorial Stadium.
37. In the 1937 home opener, new coach Biff Jones defeated three-time defending champion Minnesota 14-9. It is one of the great upsets in school history.
38. School-record carries by Rex Burkhead against Iowa in 2011. Burkhead ran for 160 yards and a touchdown in the 20-7 win.
39. Times Nebraska has defeated Iowa State in Memorial Stadium, the most wins over the same team.
40. Points scored by Nebraska in Tom Osborne’s first game as head coach (UCLA, 1973).
41. Black 41 Flash Reverse, the play name of Mike Stuntz’s 63-yard touchdown pass to Eric Crouch against Oklahoma in 2001. Arguably one of the loudest moments in stadium history, the play was the centerpiece of a #1 vs #2 thriller.
42. Points scored by #2 Nebraska in a 1987 win over #3 UCLA (42-33). Steve Taylor threw a (then) school record five touchdown passes.
43. States represented by teams in Memorial Stadium. Schools from the following states have yet to send a team to Lincoln: Alaska, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, and West Virginia.
44. First downs gained against Utah State in 1991, a school record.
45. Most appearances by an opposing team (Missouri). The Huskers are 30-14-1 against the Tigers in Memorial Stadium.
46. Pass completions by Louisiana Tech’s Tim Rattay in the 1998 home opener. The performances of Rattay (46 of 68 passing for 590 yards and 4 TDs) and primary receiver Troy Edwards (21 catches for 405 yards and 3 TDs) set a host of Memorial Stadium and NCAA records. Nebraska won comfortably 56-27.
47. Consecutive home wins from 1991 to 1998, the fifth longest streak in NCAA history.
48. Points scored by Nebraska in the third quarter against Colorado on 10/22/1983. Five different Huskers scored touchdowns in that quarter, with Mike Rozier and Irving Fryar each scoring twice.
49. Ranked teams beaten by NU at Memorial Stadium. The 2023 loss to #2 Michigan dropped the all-time record against ranked teams below .500 (49-50-0).
50. Jersey number of legendary Nebraska center Dave Rimington. Rimington was the only offensive lineman in Big 8 history to win Offensive Player of the Year honors. Nebraska needs to permanently retire #50.
51. Nebraska is 51-1 when two Huskers rush for over 100 yards at home. The lone loss was against #9 Oklahoma in 1980 (17-14).
52. Points scored by #8 Nebraska in a Halloween night blowout win over #8 Colorado in 1992.
53. Number of times a nonconference opponent has beaten Nebraska at home in the last 100 years. The first was a 7-0 loss to Syracuse in 1923. The most recent nonconference loss was to former Big 8/XII foe Oklahoma in 2022.
54. The largest margin of defeat for Nebraska in Memorial Stadium (Minnesota won 61-7 in 1945).
55. The 1955 opener against Hawaii might be one of the biggest upset losses in Memorial Stadium history. NU had beaten Hawaii 50-0 the previous season. Hawaii came to Lincoln with 28 players, their starting QB out of the lineup, and lost the backup during the game, yet won 7-0. Newspaper reports say Nebraska was a 40-point favorite.
56. Listed height (5′ 6″) of Brandon Rigoni, a safety and special teams standout in the Solich and Callahan years. Rigoni represents the hundreds of Cornhusker walk-on players – many of them (like Rigoni) Nebraska natives – who have played big roles in Nebraska’s success.
57. Length of the longest field goal made at Memorial Stadium, by Alex Henery in the 2008 win over Colorado. This is another contender for the loudest moment in stadium history.
58. The 1958 team went 3-7, but had two big upset wins at home over heavy favorites from Pennsylvania, earning an unofficial “Championship of Pennsylvania” title. NU beat Penn State 14-7 in the home opener and took down #14 Pittsburgh 14-6 in the home finale.
59. The 1959 team’s 25-21 upset over Oklahoma snapped the Sooners’ 74-game conference winning streak and caused the goalposts to be torn down for the first time.
60. Tom “Train Wreck” Novak” was the first Husker player to have his number (60) retired. Two other numbers (20 and 64) have been permanently retired.
61. The last tie game at Memorial Stadium was a 14-14 draw against Arizona in 1961.
62. The famed Memorial Stadium sellout streak started in 1962, Bob Devaney’s first season. The streak stood at 389 games prior to the start of the 2023 season. Sellout #400 will occur at some point in the 2024 season.
63. Points scored in the first half against Arizona State in 1995, a school record. Clinton Childs took the first play of the game 65 yards for a touchdown. Seven different Huskers scored in the first half.
64. Jersey number of Bob “Boomer” Brown, which was permanently retired in 2004. Brown is one of three former Huskers to be enshrined in the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame (Guy Chamberlin and Will Shields are the other two).
65. Winning percentage (.650) of the 20 NU coaches in their first game at Memorial Stadium (12-6-2). Matt Rhule broke a three-coach losing streak (Mike Riley, Scott Frost and Mickey Joseph) in 2023.
66. Years between visits by Washington. They came to Lincoln in 1925, and not again until 1991. The Huskies are currently scheduled to return to Lincoln in 2026, as members of the Big Ten conference.
67. J ersey number of Aaron Taylor, the first – and only – Husker to earn All-America honors at two different positions (center in 1996, guard in 1997). Won the Outland Trophy in 1997.
68. In 1968, Kansas beat Nebraska. The Huskers would win the next 21 home games against the Jayhawks. This is the longest (and still active) winning streak over one team in stadium history.
69. Length of Jack Hoffman’s touchdown run in the 2013 spring game. I watched this live – and hundreds of times since – and it still gets me choked up.
70. The 1970 team was the first national championship team to call Memorial Stadium home. The 1970 Huskers went 6-0 at home.
71. Jersey number of Dean Steinkuhler, a Burr, Nebraska, native and the winner of the 1983 Outland and Lombardi trophies. Steinkuhler is one of four Huskers to sweep the prestigious lineman awards (Rich Glover, Dave Rimington, and Ndamukong Suh).
72. Jersey number of Zach Wiegert, a Fremont, Nebraska, native and winner of the 1994 Outland Trophy.
73. Length of a run by I.M. Hipp against Indiana in 1977. It is the longest run from scrimmage in school history without scoring a touchdown.
74. Percentage of games Nebraska has won in Memorial Stadium (.739 through the 2023 Michigan game).
75. Jersey number of Larry Jacobse\on and Will Shields. Jacobson won the 1971 Outland Trophy as a defensive anchor of one of the greatest teams in college football history. Shields won the 1992 Outland and one of three Huskers to be elected to the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame. But most of all, Will Shields is the last Husker to run the Fumblerooski (against Colorado in 1992).
76. 76,000 fans. This was the approximate stadium capacity from 1972 to 1998.
77. The most points scored by Nebraska at Memorial Stadium (1995 vs ASU, 1997 vs Iowa State).
78. The 1978 Oklahoma game (#4 NU vs. #1 OU) is one of the greatest games in Nebraska history. It featured epic hits, a Heisman Trophy winner, and one of the loudest crowds of all time.
79. Uniform number of Rich Glover, a dominating middle guard who was a standout player on the 1970 and 1971 national championship teams. Glover won the Outland and Lombardi Trophies in 1972.
80. In 1980, #3 Nebraska suffered a heartbreaking 18-14 loss to Florida State. But after the game, the fans stood and applauded the Seminoles as they left the field, starting a tradition that is unique to Memorial Stadium.
81. In 1981, Nebraska beat Auburn 17-3. The Tigers remain the last Southeastern Conference team to visit Memorial Stadium.
82. In the 1982 New Mexico State game, Nebraska set a host of school and NCAA records: 677 yards rushing on 78 attempts, 36 rushing first downs, 883 yards of total offense, and the largest margin of victory (62 points).
83. The 1983 Scoring Explosion team scored 369 points in their six home games, averaging a ridiculous 61.5 points per home game.
84. College football award winners to appear at Memorial Stadium the year they won. The winners (28 Huskers and 56 opponents) won 19 different awards. Additionally, the namesakes of three awards played in Memorial Stadium (Nebraska’s Dave Rimington and Johnny “The Jet” Rodgers and John Mackey of Syracuse). Jim Thorpe’s Carlisle team played in Lincoln, but that was 15 years before the stadium opened.
85. Times a team from the state of Kansas has played in Memorial Stadium, 22 games ahead of the next closest state (Iowa).
86. The first night game in Memorial Stadium history was in 1986 vs Florida State. Permanent lights were not installed until 1999.
87. Length of a 1992 punt by Mike Stigge vs Oklahoma State. It is the longest punt by a Husker player.
88. The 1988 game versus Oklahoma State (63-42) is the highest-scoring game in Memorial Stadium history (tied with 1995 ASU). I-back Ken Clark outperformed Heisman Trophy winner Barry Sanders.
89. Nebraska’s winning percentage (.891) at Memorial Stadium when ranked in the AP poll.
90. Frank Solich’s winning percentage at Memorial Stadium, (.905) the highest of any NU coach. Tom Osborne is second at .901.
91. 91,585 is the largest crowd to watch a football game at Memorial Stadium (Miami 2014).
92. 92,003 is the world record attendance for 2023’s Volleyball Day in Nebraska. It is the largest event in Memorial Stadium’s history.
93. Jersey number of Ndamukong Suh. Suh was one of the most dominating – and decorated – players in college football history. The Heisman Trophy finalist scored three touchdowns at Memorial Stadium: two interception returns (including the destruction of Colorado’s Cody Hawkins) and a reception against Kansas.
94. 1994 was also the debut season for HuskerVision, making Memorial Stadium the first college football stadium to have video replay screens. Those screens showed plenty of highlights of Tom Osborne’s first national championship team.
95. Length of Nebraska’s longest play from scrimmage at Memorial Stadium. Fred Duda to Freeman White, against Colorado in 1965. Kansas’s Gale Sayers holds the stadium record for longest play, scoring from 99 yards in 1963.
96. In 1996, #4 Nebraska beat #5 Colorado 17-12 to clinch the inaugural Big XII North title and qualify for the Big XII Championship game against Texas. On a related topic, consider getting your annual flu shot.
97. The 1997 team won the national championship in Tom Osborne’s final season as head coach. The Huskers scored an average of 54.7 points in their six home games, second only to the 1983 “Scoring Explosion” team.
98. In April of 1998, Memorial Stadium was rededicated, with the field named after Tom Osborne.
99. Different teams to play at Memorial Stadium. The most recent first-time opponent was Georgia Southern in 2022. 2024 scheduled opponents UTEP and Northern Iowa have never been to Lincoln.
100. Times Nebraska shut out its opponent at Memorial Stadium. Iowa State was shut out 12 times. Kansas and Kansas State were shut out 11 times each.