Never a fair weather fan
And sometimes, you lose.
As readers may know, I am a die-hard Nebraska Cornhuskers fan (sorry, Griz country!). I have been my entire life because my parents are from Nebraska and attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, just as I did.
College in Lincoln was incredibly fun. The air crackles with excitement each gameday. Memorial Stadium becomes the third-largest “city” in the state with a population of 85,000 people. By 2012, the stadium will seat 90,000. The “Sea of Red” is a loud crowd.
Husker fans are proud of their dedication. Every game since the 1960s has been sold out. Season tickets are heirloom items, passed down the generations.
A popular joke goes: “So there was a Husker fan looking for a seat on gameday and just happened to notice that there was an empty seat on the 50-yard line, about five rows up. Prime seating, indeed. The fan asked the older gentleman sitting beside the empty seat if the seat was taken. The gentleman said, no, it used to be his wife’s seat but she had passed away. The younger fan expressed his sympathy and asked the gentleman if another family member wouldn’t like the seat instead? The gentleman fixed a level gaze on the young fan and replied, ‘They’re all at the funeral.’”
Fan dedication goes so far that during my college years, when the Huskers absolutely stunk, the games continued to be sold out. Fans stuck around until the end of the game every time, even though we lost and lost and lost.
Coming from a program known for five national championships, losing is difficult.
Last year seemed to be our turn-around. The Huskers ended up with a 10-4 record, the best in years, and we played the Texas Longhorns in a heartbreaking Big 12 championship, which ended on a bad call and handed Texas the 13-12 victory.
Our defensive tackle, Ndamukong Suh, sent shock waves through the college football arena. He is one of the most decorated defensive players in history. He was the second overall pick in the 2010 NFL draft and now plays for the Detriot Lions.
This year, we had high hopes. Though the team has made a lot of mistakes (too many), going into this weekend, Nebraska was ranked No. 5 in the country. The team was ranked second in rushing.
This weekend crushed our national championship dreams.
Every team loses sometime. It’s inevitable. But our loss to Texas (again?) at home has sent our meteoric rise into a fiery plummet. The Huskers dropped from fifth to 16th.
This loss hurt more than most. All throughout my college years, the team was so, so bad. Dancing in the snow outside our house after the Huskers won the 1995 national championship was just a happy memory.
And now that the team is finally good again, the receivers drop EIGHT passes, each of which may have resulted in a touchdown. Our running game was completely shut down. Our startlingly good freshman quarterback routed.
Fiancé Shawn and I spent the game with friends in Bigfork. We made chili (red, of course), one friend made cheese fondue, another made Thin Mint cookie cupcakes. We wore red. We cheered loudly.
We went home afterward and mourned.
Is that normal?
I guess the moral of the story is this: Football is a heartbreaking sport. The Huskers have always been a heartbreaking team. But we love them anyway. We’ll continue to wear red, cheer loudly and support our team. Through the losses, hopefully toward the victories.
Go Big Red!