Skip to main content

The Lost Generation of Nebraska Fans

Dirk Chatelain already took the snappy name. In his recent column, he referred to the generation born after the Osborne Era as "Generation Hex." He wrote about about how he was struck by what diehard fans this generation is despite growing up on such terrible football. 

I'm not sure if I completely belong to that generation as I have a few wispy memories of Nebraska greatness. My first Nebraska game ever was the 1998 Orange Bowl. My family also went to the 2002 Rose Bowl. I was seven years old at the time and took it all for granted. But hey, I know a lot of 40-70 year olds who took it all for granted too.

To put it bluntly, I was given the tiniest taste of greatness before being spoon-fed the Callahan Era. For me, that makes it easy to explain my diehardness, if that's even a word. I was given a taste, got addicted, and now there's no going back. I never really thought about people younger than me. I mean, yeah, I feel terrible for my 12 year old young nephew who has only really witnessed the last 5 years, but I kind of assumed anyone older than him was in the same boat as me; that is having some memory of being a pretty good program.

But then I managed an intern last year at work, a college kid of about 22. And he talked about the 2013 Northwestern Hail Mary game as if it were a distant, early Husker memory. The whole Pelini Era in general, was a long, long time ago to him. I was dumbstruck. To me it was just yesterday. And then I was dumbstruck by how old I sounded, and I'm not even old!

But then I did the math, and sure enough, he would have been about 14 or 15 for that Northwestern game. Even younger for most of the Pelini years. No memory at all of the Callahan or Solich years. Forget about Osborne.

And this guy is only 4 years younger than me. He graduated college just this May and even he only really remembers bad football. What a world of difference just 4 years can make in a young person's perception of Nebraska football. I also volunteer for my church's high school Youth Group. To one of those high schoolers, the thought of Nebraska even winning 9-10 games and playing conference title game is completely unfathomable.

A lot of that is depressing, and rightfully so. That next generation of fans losing that crazed passion for Nebraska football is what many of us worry about. But then I read columns like Dirk's, see college-aged Nebraska fans going nuts on Twitter, and think back to the die-hard high school to college aged Nebraska fans I do know. And I too am blown away by their passion. I certainly haven't been spoiled in my own personal Husker fandom, but at least my experience isn't a complete, bone-dry desert. At least I had hope of one day soon getting over the hump.

Enough is enough. We all need to see a winner, but what we really need is to put a good product on the field for them. No diehard Nebraskan deserves this miserable of a Husker childhood. I want to see the light that goes on in their eyes when they see just how fun Nebraska football can be. 

Everyone deserves that.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

BREAKTHROUGH: After Decades of 'N is for Knowledge,' World's Scientists Announce Creation of 2nd Nebraska Joke

After over four decades of milking the exact same joke about Nebraska football, the world's top scientists in every major field of research have come together to announce the creation of a 2nd joke. The original joke simply proclaims the 'N' on the side of Nebraska's football helmet stands for 'Knowledge.' They announced this breakthrough was the culmination of 10 years of collaborative research and over $250 billion spent. "Normally we'd spend that kind of time and resources on medical advances, technological breakthroughs, more efficient methods of engineering and manufacturing, but this joke had just gotten so stale. We eventually came to the conclusion that the best possible service we could do for society was to help them out of this rut," world-renowned quantum theorist Alain Aspect said. "I mean, come on! The joke doesn't even make sense. By the very structure of the joke, the joke teller is the one insisting the N stands for knowle...

To Break Nebraska Football Curse, Frank Solich to Sacrifice 'Lil Red at Halftime of Fordham Game

Lincoln, NE - After finding yet another Rock Bottom last week at Illinois, Nebraska football finds itself growing increasingly desperate to break the almost 2 decade curse that has befallen the program. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln announced this week that former Nebraska head coach Frank Solich would be returning to Memorial Stadium to perform a blood sacrifice of 'Lil Red while dressed as the original fan favorite "Blonde Herbie" during halftime of the Fordham game.  "We thank 'Lil Red and the unfortunate student scheduled to play him this Saturday for their long service to this university," said new UNL Athletic Director Trev Alberts in a statement released on Friday. "But these are desperate times and 'Lil Red was always kind of stupid anyway." The source of the curse remains unknown, but its existence has long centered around 3 popular fan theories: 1. The introduction of 'Lil Red as a mascot 2. The retirement of "Blonde Her...

$5.8M in Brick Wall Related Damages Reported in Nebraska after Scott Frost Releases Hype Video

Lincoln, NE - The state of Nebraska is reeling Friday morning from devastation and destruction caused by a hype video released Thursday afternoon by Nebraska football head coach Scott Frost on Twitter, sending thousands of fans across the state sprinting straight through the nearest brick wall, severely threatening the structural integrity of countless buildings. pic.twitter.com/2BR8slArsW — Scott Frost (@coach_frost) June 20, 2019 "WHO YOU ARE SOME OF THE TIME IS WHO YOU ARE ALL OF THE TIME," screamed Hastings resident Derick Bachmeier as he plowed through the exterior wall of the local Russ' Market and straight into the produce section. Even residents as far as the Sand Hills found themselves caught up in the hype as Randy Grove, 64, drove over 45 minutes to find a brick wall to his liking with the specific intention of sprinting straight through it. "I mean sure there were some cavity brick walls nearby, as well as dry wall, wood paneling and all ...