“It’s corn! ... I can’t imagine a more beautiful thing!”
The Nebraska Cornhuskers are one of the Big Ten Conference’s newer members, but their football tradition long predates their change in conference affiliation. A one-time powerhouse on the gridiron is still searching for consistent success this century, but Nebraska’s volleyball team has more than taken up the mantle — and packed the football stadium, too.
As the Oregon Ducks prepare for a move to the Big Ten in 2024, The Oregonian/OregonLive is taking a look at all of their newest conference rivals. While Ducks fans might be deeply familiar with fellow Pac-12 departees Washington, USC and UCLA, they have 14 new teams to get to know this year.
Next up is Nebraska.
UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA
Nickname: Cornhuskers
Location: Lincoln, Nebraska
School founded: 1869
Joined Big Ten: 2011
Type: Public
Enrollment: 23,600 (Lincoln campus)
Endowment: $1.7 billion
Athletic department spending (2021-22): $131.2 million
Athletic department revenue (2021-22): $143.4 million
Football spending (2021-22): $35 million
Football revenue (2021-22): $97.9 million
Football stadium: Memorial Stadium
Capacity: 85,458
Varsity sports: 24 (10 men’s, 14 women’s)
Mascots: Herbie Husker and Lil’ Red
Fight song: “Hail Varsity”
Notable alumni: Warren Buffett, Johnny Carson, Joba Chamberlain, Scott Frost, Larry the Cable Guy, Tyronn Lue, Ndamakong Suh, Jeff Zeleny
Famous coaches: Terry Pettit (volleyball), John Cook (volleyball), Rhonda Revelle (softball), Bob Devaney (football), Tom Osborne (football)
Biggest rivals: Wisconsin, Iowa, Oklahoma (historic)
Essential movie: Day by Day (2023) — Documentary on Osborne’s legendary Nebraska football teams, winners of three national titles in a four-year span.
Team national titles: Football (5), men’s gymnastics (8), women’s track and field (3), volleyball (5)
Did you know? In 2023, the Nebraska volleyball team set a world record for attendance at a women’s sporting event. 92,003 people piled into Memorial Stadium in Lincoln last August to watch the Huskers sweep University of Nebraska-Omaha in three sets.
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