Official Husker Fan
It is Game Day in Nebraska. Does it get much better than that? A spectacular day shared with 85,000 of my closest friends as we watch our Huskers inaugurated into Big Ten Football. Did I just say ‘our’? Yes, this girl from Iowa sitting amongst a sea of red has long claimed this team as her own. As I sit in Memorial Stadium taking in the awesome aura of the day and reflecting on my journey from Hawkeye black and gold to Husker red, I realize that this is the season that I am ‘official’. I am now an official Husker fan; tried and true. Let me substantiate my math on this honor. My move date over the Iowa border to the land of Nebraska was May of 1989. I would have been 21 years old at that time. Fast forward to September 2011 and I have now been in the state of Nebraska for 22 years. This officially pushes me over the golden timeline of being a Husker for more of my life than a Hawkeye. Yep, I am genuine and official. No bandwagoner here. I have earned my stripes.
My first taste of Nebraska football was the 1986 spring game. This was my unofficial initiation into Memorial Stadium. Along with a crusade of Westmar College classmates, I was in Omaha this late April weekend for Russ and Robbie's wedding. With many of the Westmar wedding guests being Nebraska natives, they hopped on the opportunity for a multi-faceted weekend which included NU football. So I joined them as I had a curiosity about what the excitement was all about and certainly didn't want to miss out. I very much remember walking into Memorial Stadium wearing a Guess mini-skirt and a light yellow cardigan sweater. I am not quite sure why I always remember wardrobe details like this, but I do. I could recite from memory what I wore to almost any event or what someone was wearing the first time I met them. Although I view this as a talent, I have yet to uncover the usefulness of this ability. But what I do know is that on this particular day, I was overdressed and definitely wearing the wrong color. I picked up on the sea of red around me and immediately wanted to shed my yellow sweater. Perhaps an Iowa loyalty was lingering with this chosen attire.
So one would ask, why did I flip? Changing teams is not a necessity by virtue of changing your home address. This is obvious by the waving flags throughout my neighborhood supporting the Hawkeyes, Cyclones, and Fighting Irish. The answer is that I didn't give it much thought, but made the declaration quickly while under pressure. This event happened in the fall of 1986. I was invited to spend the weekend with Scott's family in Nebraska. As part of this weekend excursion, we attended a NU football party at Aunt Rita and Uncle Roger's house in Omaha. The house was brimming with the aromas of chili, Rotel cheese dip, salsa, and the faint background smell of canned beer. As the game was already in progress, the family members (many of which I had not yet met) were glued to the TV and roaring over the latest great play made by the Husker contingent. As I quietly walked into the room; expecting to be a wallflower and waiting for the optimal time for introductions, Aunt Rita eyed me from across the room and exclaimed, "Where is your red?" Although I wasn't dressed in anything offensive (no opposing team mascot or brass contrasting color), I was certainly not wearing red which was obviously the uniform of this party. Silence followed as it was no secret that this new girlfriend was an Iowan. But without another thought or word, I declared to the crowd, "Of course, I will come dressed in red for the next game. Go Huskers!" Yep, I flipped pretty quickly now, didn't I? In my defense, I knew there was a high likelihood that this family would be mine someday and my living in Nebraska was also a probable event. So when you go to Rome, you do what the Romans do, right? And in my personal experience, this has proven to be a very good choice.
Along with marrying into a very Husker family, I have raised three very Husker boys. Red does flow deeply through their veins as they have been Nebraska born and raised. Nebraska football has been a pivotal part of our fall days over the last eighteen years and has given me many warm memories. Through the baby and toddler years, we would spend our game days with the boys dressed head to toe in their Husker attire as we went about our busy Saturdays. Grocery stores, gas stations, and pretty much every public place in Omaha would be blaring the game on overhead radios with employees dressed in the school colors and buzzing about the current score and game status. You see, there is no need to be physically in Lincoln to feel a part of Nebraska Game Day. We would many times go to the homes of other families and watch the games together while accommodating naps and crawling children dressed in NU onesies and sweat suits. I was introduced to my current vice, drive-through specialty coffee, in the mid-nineties with two sleeping boys strapped in car seats while the Nebraska game played on my radio. I would drive around town listening to the game while sipping my favorite latte. This was my window of peace and quiet as a very colicky Baby Ben Lane was soothed to sleep by the Husker announcers.
As the boys grew in size and age, we graduated from enjoying the games via TV and radio to driving to Lincoln. Ahhh...Lincoln, Nebraska on Game Day...an experience like no other. Although on occasion Zach would be treated to watching the game in Memorial Stadium, our Lincoln Game Day routine during the toddler+ years included an early drive down to the game to enjoy all the pregame festivities. We would tailgate, visit the University Bookstore, and then 2 hours prior to kick off...Husker Nation! For anyone who hasn't experienced Husker Nation, let me explain. In the track field adjacent to Memorial Stadium, UNL puts on family fun with all of the amenities prior to the game. This includes bouncy houses, obstacle courses, face painting, vendor food, and drink stands; while the pre-game and game are televised live on the big screen. The boys would enjoy this carnival setting with a football theme and then I would find a space to plop down and watch the game on the big screen. A typical day would include a sleeping Ben with a warm cheek painted with "NU" and a drooling mouth passed out on my leg while Zach and I played catch with a Nerf football. All this with the game on the big screen and the roar of the live crowd in the foreground. True bliss. By halftime we were packing up, beating the crowds and traffic with me driving back to Omaha while listening to the rest of the game on the radio. Boring by some standards, a picture-perfect day by mine.
The many bowls game won and lost each has had a different memory and piece of significance to my family. I remember like yesterday watching the Fiesta Bowl in the basement of our first house while playing with a 2-year-old Zach in his toy room. The two of us were dressed to the Husker nines cheering on our favorite team while knowing Zach's dad and uncle were in Arizona stands doing the same. We celebrated the win in true toddler style which was directly followed by me holding a sleeping and worn-out Zach while watching the trophy presentation on TV. At that point in my life, my basement with my 2-year-old was the ‘best seat in the house’; much better than the vintage view from Arizona stands. Fast forward to the 2005 Alamo Bowl game in San Antonio, Texas. At age twelve, Zach was proclaimed old enough to accompany his parents and the Russ Lane family on this football road trip. And indeed it was a memorable time. We enjoyed a win and some great Texas hospitality. Zach experienced his first adult-only trip (technically teenage and older, but biggest takeaway...no little brothers) and I came home with a Texan treasure; a great parting gift to a Husker bowl win...a sweet pair of red cowboy boots. I wear them proudly, weather permitting, as a part of my Husker Game Day uniform :)
As we are now officially graduated from sippy cups and car seats, we have moved up to enjoying the game inside Memorial Stadium. This happened sometime around the season of the Alamo Bowl. Our view is from the East which is conveniently located closest to my company's tailgate. So rather than planning nap time and packing diaper bags for an afternoon in Lincoln, I am now strategizing with my Lutz co-workers days prior to Game Day on important details like numbers of coolers and tailgate food choice; dependent on other important details outside of our control like weather and game time. Our most important decision at our scheduled TGP (tailgate planning meeting) is who gets the coveted Lot 12 parking passes. The awarded recipient is contingent on possession of the proper vehicle and accessibility to transport the many coolers, grills, big screen TV/satellite dish, and other necessary preparatory items to make our pre-game festivities a success. Definitely a production, but one we all enjoy thoroughly and anticipate greatly.
My boys look forward to Game Day and the pre-games festivities as much as their adult counterparts. Their pre-teen years have been filled with running with the other "tailgate regular" kids and playing football in the indoor practice field, The Koch Pavilion. Several years ago before the Texas game, Ben broke his collar bone playing a "recreational" game of football at the Koch. And BTW...he went back to Memorial Stadium to watch the game after a trip to the Lincoln Hospital emergency room. Now that Zach is graduated and is a college student, he has his own fraternity tailgate. But along with the other college kids who frequented the Lutz tailgate growing up, they all somehow make it back to ours on Game Day (just for "old times sake", I am sure :) ). There is a camaraderie like no other among our fans, and yes, we are very good to our non-Husker guests. I have experienced this firsthand as hostess to visiting Colorado and USC fans. They were graciously welcomed; not only by our tailgate groupies but throughout the lot and into the game as well. Every entrance at Memorial Stadium displays the phrase: "Through these gates pass the Greatest Fans in College Football." Yep, true story!
So now I am a proud Husker mom of a UNL student. I guess that makes me as official as the timeline that I have laid out, doesn't it? But since I can get a bit bucky about earning accomplishments on my own merit; going down Husker memory lane seemed a valid endeavor. And, ah...yes, the many memories brought a BIG smile to my face. So no matter where my travels take me...Colorado, Iowa, Arizona...you can rest assured that I will remain a loyal Husker fan. There really is no place like Nebraska; especially on Game Day. And now it's time for me to wrap up this blog. It is 10:25 a.m. with a 2:30 kick against Washington. As the boys are reminding me by the knocks on my door and shouts "Mom, we need to go!", I know it’s time. A tailgate awaits us...
