The Nebraska Cornhuskers football team competes as part of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, representing the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the West Division of the Big Ten. Nebraska plays its home games at Memorial Stadium, where it has sold out every game since 1962. [1] The team is currently coached by Matt Rhule. [2]
Nebraska is among the most storied programs in college football history. Through 2019, the Cornhuskers rank seventh in all-time victories among FBS teams. [3] Nebraska claims 46 conference championships and five national championships ( 1970, 1971, 1994, 1995, and 1997), and has won nine other national championships that the school does not claim. [4] [5] NU's 1971 and 1995 title-winning teams are considered to be among the best in college football history. [6] Famous Cornhuskers include Heisman Trophy winners Johnny Rodgers, Mike Rozier, and Eric Crouch, who join 22 other Cornhuskers in the College Football Hall of Fame. Notable among these are players Bob Brown, Guy Chamberlin, Tommie Frazier, Rich Glover, Dave Rimington, and Will Shields, and coaches Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne. [7]
The program's first extended period of success came just after the turn of the century. Between 1900 and 1916, Nebraska had five undefeated seasons and completed a stretch of 34 consecutive games without a loss, still a program record. [8] Despite a span of 21 conference championships in 33 seasons, the Cornhuskers didn't experience major national success until Bob Devaney was hired in 1962. In eleven seasons as head coach, Devaney won two national championships, eight conference titles, and coached 22 All-Americans, but perhaps his most lasting achievement was the hiring of Tom Osborne as offensive coordinator in 1969. [9] Osborne was named Devaney's successor in 1973, and over the next 25 years established himself as one of the best coaches in college football history with his trademark I-form offense and revolutionary strength, conditioning, and nutrition programs. [10] [11] [12] Following Osborne's retirement in 1997, Nebraska cycled through four head coaches before hiring state native Scott Frost in 2017. [13]
Season-by-season results
| Year | Coach | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Langdon Frothingham (Independent) (1890) | |||||||||
| 1890 | Langdon Frothingham [n 1] | 2–0 | |||||||
| Theron Lyman (Independent) (1891) | |||||||||
| 1891 | Theron Lyman [n 2] | 2–2 | |||||||
| J. S. Williams ( WIUFA) (1892) | |||||||||
| 1892 | J. S. Williams [n 3] | 2–2–1 | 1–1–1 | 2nd | |||||
| Frank Crawford ( WIUFA) (1893–1894) | |||||||||
| 1893 | Frank Crawford | 3–2–1 | 1–2 | 3rd | |||||
| 1894 | Frank Crawford | 6–2 | 2–1 | 1st | |||||
| Charles Thomas ( WIUFA) (1895) | |||||||||
| 1895 | Charles Thomas | 6–3 | 2–1 | T–1st | |||||
| Edward N. Robinson ( WIUFA) (1896–1897) | |||||||||
| 1896 | Edward N. Robinson | 6–3–1 | 1–1–1 | 3rd | |||||
| 1897 | Edward N. Robinson | 5–1 | 3–0 | 1st | |||||
| Fielding H. Yost (Independent) (1898) | |||||||||
| 1898 | Fielding H. Yost | 8–3 [n 4] | |||||||
| Alonzo Edwin Branch (Independent) (1899) | |||||||||
| 1899 | Alonzo Edwin Branch | 1–7–1 | |||||||
| Walter C. Booth (Independent) (1900–1905) | |||||||||
| 1900 | Walter C. Booth | 6–1–1 | |||||||
| 1901 | Walter C. Booth | 6–2 | |||||||
| 1902 | Walter C. Booth | 9–0 | |||||||
| 1903 | Walter C. Booth | 10–0 | |||||||
| 1904 | Walter C. Booth | 7–3 | |||||||
| 1905 | Walter C. Booth | 8–2 | |||||||
| Amos Foster (Independent) (1906) | |||||||||
| 1906 | Amos Foster | 6–4 | |||||||
| King Cole ( Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association) (1907–1910) | |||||||||
| 1907 | King Cole | 8–2 | 1–0 | T–1st | |||||
| 1908 | King Cole | 7–2–1 | 2–1 | T–2nd | |||||
| 1909 | King Cole | 3–3–2 | 0–2–1 | T–5th | |||||
| 1910 | King Cole | 7–1 | 2–0 | 1st | |||||
| Ewald O. Stiehm ( Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association) (1911–1915) | |||||||||
| 1911 | Ewald O. Stiehm | 5–1–2 | 2–0–1 | T–1st | |||||
| 1912 | Ewald O. Stiehm | 7–1 | 2–0 | T–1st | |||||
| 1913 | Ewald O. Stiehm | 8–0 | 3–0 | T–1st | |||||
| 1914 | Ewald O. Stiehm | 7–0–1 | 3–0 | 1st | |||||
| 1915 | Ewald O. Stiehm | 8–0 | 4–0 | 1st | |||||
| E. J. Stewart ( Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association) (1916–1917) | |||||||||
| 1916 | E. J. Stewart | 6–2 | 3–1 | 1st | |||||
| 1917 | E. J. Stewart | 5–2 | 2–0 | 1st | |||||
| William G. Kline ( Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association) (1918) | |||||||||
| 1918 | William G. Kline | 2–3–1 | 0–0 | [n 5] | |||||
| Henry Schulte (Independent) (1919–1920) | |||||||||
| 1919 | Henry Schulte | 3–3–2 | |||||||
| 1920 | Henry Schulte | 5–3–1 | |||||||
| Fred Dawson ( Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association) (1921–1924) | |||||||||
| 1921 | Fred Dawson | 7–1 | 3–0 | 1st | |||||
| 1922 | Fred Dawson | 7–1 | 5–0 | 1st | |||||
| 1923 | Fred Dawson | 4–2–2 | 3–0–2 | 1st | |||||
| 1924 | Fred Dawson | 5–3 | 3–1 | 2nd | |||||
| Ernest Bearg ( Big Six Conference) (1925–1928) | |||||||||
| 1925 | Ernest Bearg | 4–2–2 | 2–2–1 | 5th | |||||
| 1926 | Ernest Bearg | 6–2 | 5–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1927 | Ernest Bearg | 6–2 | 4–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1928 | Ernest Bearg | 7–1–1 | 5–0 | 1st | |||||
| Dana X. Bible ( Big Six Conference) (1929–1936) | |||||||||
| 1929 | Dana X. Bible | 4–1–3 | 3–0–2 | 1st | |||||
| 1930 | Dana X. Bible | 4–3–2 | 2–2–1 | 4th | |||||
| 1931 | Dana X. Bible | 8–2 | 5–0 | 1st | |||||
| 1932 | Dana X. Bible | 7–1–1 | 5–0 | 1st | |||||
| 1933 | Dana X. Bible | 8–1 | 5–0 | 1st | |||||
| 1934 | Dana X. Bible | 6–3 | 4–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1935 | Dana X. Bible | 6–2–1 | 4–0–1 | 1st | |||||
| 1936 | Dana X. Bible | 7–2 | 5–0 | 1st | 9 | ||||
| Biff Jones ( Big Six Conference) (1937–1941) | |||||||||
| 1937 | Biff Jones | 6–1–2 | 3–0–2 | 1st | 11 | ||||
| 1938 | Biff Jones | 3–5–1 | 2–3 | T–3rd | |||||
| 1939 | Biff Jones | 7–1–1 | 4–1 | 2nd | 18 | ||||
| 1940 | Biff Jones | 8–2 | 5–0 | 1st | L Rose | 7 | |||
| 1941 | Biff Jones | 4–5 | 3–2 | T–2nd | |||||
| Glenn Presnell ( Big Six Conference) (1942) | |||||||||
| 1942 | Glenn Presnell | 3–7 | 3–2 | 3rd | |||||
| Adolph J. Lewandowski ( Big Six Conference) (1943–1944) | |||||||||
| 1943 | Adolph J. Lewandowski | 2–6 | 2–3 | T–4th | |||||
| 1944 | Adolph J. Lewandowski | 2–6 | 2–3 | 4th | |||||
| George Clark ( Big Six Conference) (1945) | |||||||||
| 1945 | George Clark | 4–5 | 2–3 | 4th | |||||
| Bernie Masterson ( Big Six Conference) (1946–1947) | |||||||||
| 1946 | Bernie Masterson | 3–6 | 3–2 | T–3rd | |||||
| 1947 | Bernie Masterson | 2–7 | 2–3 | 4th | |||||
| George Clark ( Big Seven Conference) (1948) | |||||||||
| 1948 | George Clark | 2–8 | 2–4 | T–5th | |||||
| Bill Glassford ( Big Seven Conference) (1949–1955) | |||||||||
| 1949 | Bill Glassford | 4–5 | 3–3 | T–3rd | |||||
| 1950 | Bill Glassford | 6–2–1 | 4–2 | 2nd | T–20 | 17 | |||
| 1951 | Bill Glassford | 2–8 | 2–4 | T–4th | |||||
| 1952 | Bill Glassford | 5–4–1 | 3–2–1 | 3rd | |||||
| 1953 | Bill Glassford | 3–6–1 | 2–4 | T–4th | |||||
| 1954 | Bill Glassford | 6–5 | 4–2 | 2nd | L Orange | ||||
| 1955 | Bill Glassford | 5–5 | 5–1 | 2nd | |||||
| Pete Elliott ( Big Seven Conference) (1956) | |||||||||
| 1956 | Pete Elliott | 4–6 | 3–3 | 4th | |||||
| Bill Jennings ( Big Eight Conference) (1957–1961) | |||||||||
| 1957 | Bill Jennings | 1–9 | 1–5 | 7th | |||||
| 1958 | Bill Jennings | 3–7 | 1–5 | 6th | |||||
| 1959 | Bill Jennings | 4–6 | 2–4 | 6th | |||||
| 1960 | Bill Jennings | 4–6 | 2–5 | T–6th | |||||
| 1961 | Bill Jennings | 3–6–1 | 2–5 | T–6th | |||||
| Bob Devaney ( Big Eight Conference) (1962–1972) | |||||||||
| 1962 | Bob Devaney | 9–2 | 5–2 | 3rd | W Gotham | ||||
| 1963 | Bob Devaney | 10–1 | 7–0 | 1st | W Orange | 5 | 6 | ||
| 1964 | Bob Devaney | 9–2 | 6–1 | 1st | L Cotton | 6 | 6 | ||
| 1965 | Bob Devaney | 10–1 | 7–0 | 1st | L Orange | 3 | 5 | ||
| 1966 | Bob Devaney | 9–2 | 6–1 | 1st | L Sugar | 7 | 6 | ||
| 1967 | Bob Devaney | 6–4 | 3–4 | 5th | |||||
| 1968 | Bob Devaney | 6–4 | 3–4 | T–4th | |||||
| 1969 | Bob Devaney | 9–2 | 6–1 | T–1st | W Sun | 12 | 11 | ||
| 1970 | Bob Devaney | 11–0–1 | 7–0 | 1st | W Orange | 3 | 1 | ||
| 1971 | Bob Devaney | 13–0 | 7–0 | 1st | W Orange | 1 | 1 | ||
| 1972 | Bob Devaney | 9–2–1 | 5–1–1 | 1st | W Orange | 9 | 4 | ||
| Tom Osborne ( Big Eight Conference) (1973–1995)ci | |||||||||
| 1973 | Tom Osborne | 9–2–1 | 4–2–1 | T–2nd | W Cotton | T–11 | 7 | ||
| 1974 | Tom Osborne | 9–3 | 5–2 | T–2nd | W Sugar | 9 | 8 | ||
| 1975 | Tom Osborne | 10–2 | 6–1 | T–1st | L Fiesta | 9 | 9 | ||
| 1976 | Tom Osborne | 9–3–1 | 4–3 | T–4th | W Astro-Bluebonnet | 7 | 9 | ||
| 1977 | Tom Osborne | 9–3 | 5–2 | T–2nd | W Liberty | 10 | 12 | ||
| 1978 | Tom Osborne | 9–3 | 6–1 | T–1st | L Orange | 8 | 8 | ||
| 1979 | Tom Osborne | 10–2 | 6–1 | 2nd | L Cotton | 7 | 9 | ||
| 1980 | Tom Osborne | 10–2 | 6–1 | 2nd | W Sun | 7 | 7 | ||
| 1981 | Tom Osborne | 9–3 | 7–0 | 1st | L Orange | 9 | 11 | ||
| 1982 | Tom Osborne | 12–1 | 7–0 | 1st | W Orange | 3 | 3 | ||
| 1983 | Tom Osborne | 12–1 | 7–0 | 1st | L Orange | 2 | 2 | ||
| 1984 | Tom Osborne | 10–2 | 6–1 | T–1st | W Sugar | 3 | 4 | ||
| 1985 | Tom Osborne | 9–3 | 6–1 | 2nd | L Fiesta | 10 | 11 | ||
| 1986 | Tom Osborne | 10–2 | 5–2 | 3rd | W Sugar | 4 | 5 | ||
| 1987 | Tom Osborne | 10–2 | 6–1 | 2nd | L Fiesta | 6 | 6 | ||
| 1988 | Tom Osborne | 11–2 | 7–0 | 1st | L Orange | 10 | 10 | ||
| 1989 | Tom Osborne | 10–2 | 6–1 | 2nd | L Fiesta | 12 | 11 | ||
| 1990 | Tom Osborne | 9–3 | 5–2 | 3rd | L Florida Citrus | T–17 | 24 | ||
| 1991 | Tom Osborne | 9–2–1 | 6–0–1 | T–1st | L Orange | 16 | 15 | ||
| 1992 | Tom Osborne | 9–3 | 6–1 | 1st | L Orange† | 14 | 14 | ||
| 1993 | Tom Osborne | 11–1 | 7–0 | 1st | L Orange† | 3 | 3 | ||
| 1994 | Tom Osborne | 13–0 | 7–0 | 1st | W Orange† | 1 | 1 | ||
| 1995 | Tom Osborne | 12–0 | 7–0 | 1st | W Fiesta† | 1 | 1 | ||
| Tom Osborne ( Big 12 Conference) (1996–1997) | |||||||||
| 1996 | Tom Osborne | 11–2 | 8–0 | 1st (North) | W Orange† | 6 | 6 | ||
| 1997 | Tom Osborne | 13–0 | 8–0 | 1st (North) | W Orange† | 1 | 2 | ||
| Frank Solich ( Big 12 Conference) (1998–2003) | |||||||||
| 1998 | Frank Solich | 9–4 | 5–3 | T–2nd (North) | L Holiday | 20 | 19 | ||
| 1999 | Frank Solich | 12–1 | 7–1 | 1st (North) | W Fiesta† | 2 | 3 | ||
| 2000 | Frank Solich | 10–2 | 6–2 | T–1st (North) | W Alamo | 7 | 8 | ||
| 2001 | Frank Solich | 11–2 | 7–1 | T–1st (North) | L Rose† | 7 | 8 | ||
| 2002 | Frank Solich | 7–7 | 3–5 | 4th (North) | L Independence | ||||
| 2003 | Frank Solich [n 6] | 10–3 [n 6] | 5–3 | 2nd (North) | W Alamo | 18 | 19 | ||
| Bill Callahan ( Big 12 Conference) (2004–2007) | |||||||||
| 2004 | Bill Callahan | 5–6 | 3–5 | 3rd (North) | |||||
| 2005 | Bill Callahan | 8–4 | 4–4 | T–2nd (North) | W Alamo | 24 | 24 | ||
| 2006 | Bill Callahan | 9–5 | 6–2 | 1st (North) | L Cotton | ||||
| 2007 | Bill Callahan | 5–7 | 2–6 | T–5th (North) | |||||
| Bo Pelini ( Big 12 Conference) (2008–2010) | |||||||||
| 2008 | Bo Pelini | 9–4 | 5–3 | T–1st (North) | W Gator | ||||
| 2009 | Bo Pelini | 10–4 | 6–2 | 1st (North) | W Holiday | 14 | 14 | ||
| 2010 | Bo Pelini | 10–4 | 6–2 | T–1st (North) | L Holiday | 19 | 20 | ||
| Bo Pelini ( Big Ten Conference) (2011–2014) | |||||||||
| 2011 | Bo Pelini | 9–4 | 5–3 | 3rd (Legends) | L Capital One | 24 | 24 | ||
| 2012 | Bo Pelini | 10–4 | 7–1 | 1st (Legends) | L Capital One | 23 | 25 | ||
| 2013 | Bo Pelini | 9–4 | 5–3 | T–2nd (Legends) | W Gator | 25 | |||
| 2014 | Bo Pelini [n 7] | 9–4 [n 7] | 5–3 | T–2nd (West) | L Holiday | ||||
| Mike Riley ( Big Ten Conference) (2015–2017) | |||||||||
| 2015 | Mike Riley | 6–7 | 3–5 | 4th (West) | W Foster Farms | ||||
| 2016 | Mike Riley | 9–4 | 6–3 | T–2nd (West) | L Music City | ||||
| 2017 | Mike Riley | 4–8 | 3–6 | 5th (West) | |||||
| Scott Frost ( Big Ten Conference) (2018–2022) | |||||||||
| 2018 | Scott Frost | 4–8 | 3–6 | T–5th (West) | |||||
| 2019 | Scott Frost | 5–7 | 3–6 | T–5th (West) | |||||
| 2020 | Scott Frost | 3–5 | 3–5 | 5th (West) | |||||
| 2021 | Scott Frost | 3–9 | 1–8 | T–6th (West) | |||||
| 2022 | Scott Frost [n 8] | 4–8 [n 8] | 3–6 [n 8] | 6th (West) | |||||
| Matt Rhule ( Big Ten Conference) (2023–present) | |||||||||
| 2023 | Matt Rhule | 5–7 | 3–6 | T–4th (West) | |||||
| Total: | 917–423–40 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Notes
- ^ Nebraska's earliest coaching history is unclear. Many were nominal in their roles and likely only coached single games, if any. Nebraska played with no official coach until Frank Crawford was hired in 1893.
- ^ Lyman was coach for preparing Nebraska for the game against Iowa only.
- ^ The team had no head coach, though Omaha lawyer J. S. Williams led the team for one game.
- ^ The NCAA football record book credits Yost with a 7–4 record coaching Nebraska in the 1898 season, incorrectly noting a 24–0 loss to William Jewell. Nebraska's records show a 38–0 victory over William Jewell on October 22, 1898, in Kansas City, Missouri, and credit Yost with an 8–3 record for the season. [14]
- ^ The MVIAA did not have standings or award a champion in 1918 due to World War I and the outbreak of the Spanish flu.
- ^ a b Bo Pelini served as interim head coach for the 2003 Alamo Bowl.
- ^ a b Pelini was fired on November 30, 2014. Barney Cotton served as Nebraska's interim head coach for the 2014 Holiday Bowl.
- ^ a b c After starting the season with two losses in their first three games, head coach Scott Frost was fired on September 11; receivers coach and associate head coach Mickey Joseph was named interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
References
- ^ "Nebraska vs. Missouri 1962". HuskerMax.
- ^ "Nebraska fires Frost; coach to get $15M buyout". September 11, 2022.
- ^ http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2019/FBS.pdf [ bare URL PDF]
- ^ "Nebraska Conference Championships". Archived from the original on May 4, 2016. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
- ^ "Title teams – HuskerMax™". Retrieved October 23, 2016.
- ^ "Best college football teams of all-time". Retrieved October 6, 2018.
- ^ "Major Football Award Winners". Huskers.com. Retrieved June 21, 2010.
- ^ "Nebraska Football Schedules 1910–1919". HuskerMax. Retrieved September 2, 2010.
- ^ "Tom's Time: Devaney Selects His Successor". HuskerMax. October 3, 2017. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
- ^ "The 150 greatest coaches in college football's 150-year history". December 10, 2019. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
- ^ "The Greatest Coaches in College Football History". August 12, 2019. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
- ^ "Epley leaving Huskers". June 19, 2006. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
- ^ "Nebraska officially announces hiring of Scott Frost, introductory press conference scheduled for Sunday". December 2, 2017. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
- ^ "2010 NCAA Division I Football Records: Coaching Records" (PDF). NCAA. p. 2. Retrieved November 11, 2010.
- ^ "2021 Nebraska Football Guide" (PDF). huskers.com. p. 207. Retrieved April 13, 2022.