Calling The Shots

Oct1

It’s a historic moment in sports history.. Babe Ruth steps up to the plate, points at the outfield fence, then delivers.. home run. I do this at softball then strike out; the only guy who can actually do it is KETV meteorologist Kyle Gravlin (also the reigning Media Homerun Derby champ–watch the proof here).

In sports today, what would happen if an athlete called his shot? Just imagine, switching sports, what would happen if a D-1 college football player addressed reporters and said ‘we’re going to win a national championship!’

Ladies and gentlemen, #42 Jerry Murtaugh.

Photo courtesy Nebraska Athletics.

Heading into his senior year, Murtaugh was already a 2-year starting linebacker, had broken school records for total tackles and was a unanimous All-Big 8 pick in 1969. Nebraska had never won a national football championship, but Murtaugh knew something big was on the horizon.

“I remember before the season I predicted we were going to win it all, in front of reporters,” Murtaugh told me recently. “Devaney found out about three minutes later, sends Jeff Kinney over, Jeff grabs me, takes me back, says ‘Murtaugh, you can’t keep your mouth shut!’ But at the end of the year, we ended up with this.”

Murtaugh held up his hand, curled into a fist, a giant ring reflecting off his finger.

“A national championship. So the prediction did come true.”

CLICK HERE TO WATCH KETV’S THROWBACK THURSDAY FEATURE ON #42 JERRY MURTAUGH!

Dan Schneiss, Coach Bob Devaney and Jerry Murtaugh, taken in 1970. Photo courtesy Nebraska Athletics

That conversation symbolizes so many things about Murtaugh and his time at Nebraska. He’s an outspoken guy to this day who recently published the book, ‘If These Walls Could Talk’. Murtaugh bluntly writes about everything from his volatile relationship with Bob Devaney, to his ‘near-jail’ experience in Mexico his junior year, to his time at Colorado’s Playboy Mansion for a college football photo shoot.

Adventures aside, Murtaugh is proud to say he was a Nebraska football player, part of a long history of talent and tradition.

“Being a Blackshirt, the older I get, which I’m old now!, I can’t describe the word. It’s an honor. It’s an honor to have earned a black shirt,” said Murtaugh. “I thank all of the players before me because I think the world of the Frank Solich’s, the Barry Alvarez’s, the Mike Kennedy’s. I could go on and on, great football players before us.”

Photo courtesy FanBase.com

Murtaugh is also proud to be an Omaha native, a triple-sport athlete for Omaha North High School in the 1960’s.

“Expectations were high from fellow Omaha kids at Nebraska. Bobby Churchich, Denny Morrison, Dicky Davis,” said Murtaugh. “They said, Hey, we have a standard here. You better keep it high. So we tried.”

So does Murtaugh still hold that bar high for today’s players? After all, it’s been 18 years since Nebraska players have earned national championship rings like Murtaugh’s.

“People have to remember, 1968 & 1968 we were 6-4 and I was part of that,” said Murtaugh. “They wanted to run Devaney out on a pole. I had threatening calls, things like that. It was nasty. These young men now, they do the best they can. It’s a game! We forget about that.”

Murtaugh DOES expect all of the Huskers to give 110%. Today, he reaches out to athletes who have done just that, given their all despite their challenges. Murtaugh is the President of the Nebraska Greats Foundation, offering financial assistance to letter-winning athletes from colleges and universities across the state facing medical expenses. Recipients include Nebraska football player Dave Humm, wheelchair-bound due to multiple sclerosis; Creighton basketball star Josh Jones, who faced multiple surgeries due to a career-ending heart condition (see more here); and Jim Unger, the first gymnast in UNL history to receive All-American honors.

Jim Unger, Nebraska gymnast 1972-1975. Photo courtesy the Nebraska Greats Foundation.

“About three years ago riding his bike, [Unger] hit a pothole, hit a tree, paralyzed neck down,” said Murtaugh. “Things like that, we come in and help with their medical expenses, what the insurance doesn’t pay or if they don’t have insurance.”

Longtime Nebraska Coach Ron Brown and Murtaugh. Photo courtesy Nebraska Athletics.

So what’s Jerry Murtaugh’s prediction this time around, as a new Coach takes the reigns and Nebraska starts a season 2-2? Murtaugh, who talks Husker Football on his weekly Legends Radio Show in Omaha, says he DOESN’T predict.

“I’m going to sit there and watch and hope for the best for these young men,” said Murtaugh. “They’re still inexperienced. It’s going to take them awhile. All I ask is give 110-percent.”

Murtaugh supports Coach Riley, Shawn Eichorst and all of the players. Most of all, just as he did in another time and another place when he called his shot before his historic senior season began, he loves Nebraska fans.

“The excitement. The loyalty. The niceness. The–EVERYTHING,” said Murtaugh. “Greatest fans in the country.”

For more on #42 Jerry Murtaugh, click here to read his complete bio from Nebraska Athletics.

Click here for more information about the Nebraska Greats Foundation via their website; click here to visit the organization’s Facebook page!

Click here for more information about Murtaugh’s book, ‘If These Walls Could Talk’ by Murtaugh, Jimmy Sheil, Brian Rosenthal, George Achola and Brian Brashaw.

***

WEEK FOUR.. CLASS OF 1992 WILL SHIELDS!

NEXT WEEK.. CLASS OF 1991 CURTIS COTTON!

Will To Succeed

Sep23

Looking back at your life, what are your biggest accomplishments in your eyes? Perhaps raising good children. Maybe setting new records in your field. Possibly, experiencing things few others can say they’ve done.

I met a guy last week with a list of accomplishments a mile long. Still, the theme I kept picking up on throughout our interview was how to impact OTHERS. Ironically, that self-awareness of how the rest of the world can be impacted by one person’s actions makes this one that much more inspiring…

forget the fact that Will Shields is a College Football Hall-of-Famer and recent NFL Hall-of-Fame inductee.

Photo courtesy Nebraska Athletics

CLICK HERE TO WATCH KETV’S THROWBACK THURSDAY HUSKER FEATURE ON WILL SHIELDS!

Giving back, who knows when that lesson was instilled upon the young man born in Fort Riley, Kansas and raised in Lawton, Oklahoma. Shields himself told me about a moment at Nebraska that greatly impacted him.

It was November 3, 1990, Senior Day at Memorial Stadium. Shields was a sophomore, watching as his teammate Kenny Walker walked onto the field.

“It was dead silence and we waved for him because he was deaf. We honored him,” said Shields. “I wonder what that would’ve felt like, being him at that point.”

Many of the 76,000 fans inside the stadium held their arms above their heads and rotated their hands, the American Sign Language symbol for applause. The moment made national news, inspired a book, and Shields says, taught him parts of the game of football were bigger than anything else.

Photo courtesy Nebraska Athletics

By the time Shields was a senior, he was a dominant offensive lineman at Nebraska named a First Team All-American, a Lombardi Award semi-finalist and the 1992 Outland Trophy winner. At the height of that college success, drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in 1993, Shields and his wife also started the Will To Succeed Foundation to help abused and neglected women and children.

Shields was out in the community, trying to be a positive influence and also make a tangible difference in countless lives. According to the Will To Succeed Foundation website, the organization has created 12 different programs in the last 12 years to financially and emotionally support abused families. 100,000 people have been touched by the foundation since it’s inception.

Photo courtesy the Kansas City Chiefs

On the field, Shields was a MACHINE. #68 was a Pro Bowl player every year from 1995 to 2006, a Chiefs team record, also tying him with just two other players for the most Pro Bowls every played by one athlete. SHIELDS NEVER MISSED A GAME in his entire career. He started 231 STRAIGHT games, including playoff games.

This isn’t flag football. Shields was PUMMELING huge guys for hours on end every, single, one of those games. How does the human body, the human spirit, sustain that for 14 YEARS?!?

“They say I’m on the mental edge of being mental,” Shields laughs. “I just loved the game, love the sport, loved my teammates and wanted to be there for them week in and week out. It might have been one of those selfish things, I didn’t want anyone to play my spot.”

Aside from his charity work.. and his awe-inspiring career.. Shields is also a husband and father.

Photo courtesy the Will To Succeed Foundation

He seems to be doing a pretty darn good job at home, too. Their daughter, Sanayika, played basketball for Drury University. Son, Shavon, is one of the stars of the Nebraska basketball program. Their family owns and operates a gym and sports facility in Overland Park, Kansas.

Photo courtesy the Will To Succeed Foundation

Looking back, Shields says he know he would play professional football if given the opportunity, but I asked him if he ever dreamed of accomplished such amazing things in his life. For his work on the field, he’s been inducted into both the College Football and the NFL Hall of Fame. For his impact off the field, the NFL named Shields the league’s Man Of The Year in 2003.

“You know, I just envisioned what the next day would hold, to work hard for that next day,” Shields answered. “I never really thought about what it looked liked.”

Now, he says, he will try to live up the billing of all of the guys who came before him. A great message for the young men in Lincoln following in Will Shields’ footsteps, playing every Saturday under the retired #75 on the wall of Memorial Stadium.

“Still some work in progress, but we’ve got some guys that are out there fighting pretty good. I think there’s some things we have to work on,” said Shields. “You want them to do well, you always do because you’re forever counted as a Husker.”

Photo courtesy Nebraska Athletics; CLICK HERE to learn more about #75 Will Shields.

Click here to visit Will Shields’ official website.

Click here for more information about the Will To Succeed Foundation,

and click here to visit the foundation’s Facebook page.

WEEK THREE.. CLASS OF 1971 JEFF KINNEY!

NEXT WEEK.. CLASS OF 1970 JERRY MURTAUGH!

For a full list of KETV’s Throwback Thursday Huskers, click on the Throwback Thursday index at the top of the page!

The Good Ol’ Days

Sep17

1969. Nebraska was selected to play in the Sun Bowl against Georgia. No big titles on the line, no history book story lines from this match-up, but some might argue December 20, 1969 marked THE BEGINNING.

“We beat Georgia really badly,” remembers Jeff Kinney. “Vince Dooley (Georgia’s then Head Coach) said neither one of us should’ve been in the bowl game. They should’ve been in a better one, we should not have been in a bowl game. But I think at that point, you could just really see things turn around.”

Photo courtesy Nebraska Athletics

Kinney was a sophomore running back at Nebraska that year, the Big 8 Sophomore of the Year in fact in a conference that would later claim the #1, #2, and #3 ranked teams in the country. Kinney’s Huskers had tough years in the seasons leading up to that game, but followed up that Sun Bowl victory with Nebraska’s first two national football championships in 1970 and 1971.

Those Huskers were nothing short of legendary. Jeff Kinney was an integral part of it.

Photo courtesy Nebraska Athletics.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH KETV’S HUSKER THROWBACK THURSDAY WITH #35 JEFF KINNEY!

Kinney grew up in McCook, Nebraska. His memories of Nebraska football mirror thousands, if not millions of others spanning generations of Husker fans. Families, tuning in to the radio or television every Saturday, ears and eyes glued to every moment.

“I was a fan before I was ever a player,” Kinney recently told KETV’s John Oakey. “I knew that side of it, I knew how important it was and how much fun it was.”

As a Husker, Kinney was an offensive machine. In 1970, Kinney rushed for 684 yards, caught 20 passes for 206 yards, and scored five touchdowns… all of these numbers despite splitting time with another Husker great, Joe Orduna. Fast forward to 1971, Kinney set the career rushing record with 2,420 yards, and he set a new Husker career touchdown record with 35.

Photo courtesy Nebraska Athletics.

Kinney had arguably the biggest game of his college career with 55-million people watching, the Game of the Century versus Oklahoma in 1971. Kinney set a new season best rushing mark of 171 yards and scored four touchdowns, one of those putting Nebraska ahead of the Sooners with just minutes left to play.

Click here to watch highlights from the Game of the Century, thanks to HuskerTapes.com!

“Every play in that game had to happen for us to win. Richie Glover, had he not played, we wouldn’t have won the game,” said Kinney. “That particular season and that particular team just continues to live on.”

Especially when those dynastic teams seem like a distant memory at times. Kinney, now living and working in Colorado, says it’s been discouraging sometimes watching parts of the program deteriorate.

“Every program goes through that. It takes some retooling to get back up,” said Kinney. “I’m really excited what they’ve got going on right now. I love the coach, I love the athletic director, I really look forward to some good things happening. May take two or three years, but I think the foundation is being laid, just like what we talked about, how WE started to get better after some tough seasons.”

Funny how teams and times can seem so different, and yet sometimes, seem so much the same. Will Nebraska ever have a team like Kinney’s 1971 Huskers? I don’t know. Some things, though, will never change.

“This gal walks up to me and says ‘Mr. Kinney, I just want you to know you’re my Dad’s favorite player’,” Kinney described. “She said, ‘he passed away about a month ago, but my fondest memories were riding on the tractor, every Saturday, he’d have the radio up full blast listening to the game.’ That scenario plays out a million times every Saturday in Nebraska.’

Win or lose, Husker Nation will still wear red every Saturday. We’ll still pack Memorial Stadium waiting to let go of our balloons after that first touchdown. We’ll still turn out in droves to meet and get an autograph from legends like Jeff Kinney.

Perhaps THAT is why we can debate what was the beginning of the Nebraska Football dynasty, but there is no end.

“I just loved playing football at Nebraska,” said Kinney.

Click here for more on #35 Jeff Kinney, courtesy Nebraska Athletics!

WEEK TWO.. CLASS OF 2008 JOE GANZ!

WEEK FOUR.. CLASS OF 1992 WILL SHIELDS!

For a full list of KETV’s Throwback Thursday Huskers, click on the Throwback Thursday index at the top of the page!

Put Me In, Coach!

Sep14

I love softball.

I used to be alright.. even good as a kid. I remember once getting an in-the-park homerun when my friends came to watch my summer team in high school. Not a lot of power, but I was quick.

Two babies and xxx pounds later.. I am slow. No, really, you can hear Chariots of Fire playing in the background as I hustle to first. And since I still don’t have a lot of power, I also earned the nickname 1-3, courtesy of my friend and current ESPNU superstar, Matt Schick. STILL, I love softball. So I was pretty geeked up when I was asked to take play in this summer’s Celebrity All-Star Softball Game as part of the 2015 AAA-All Star game at Werner Park.

I was pretty terrible. In fact, I was the only girl of the four of us who did NOT get a hit.

CLICK HERE to watch Matt Lothrop’s ‘highlights’ from the game.. at least Thor was good!

The MVP of the game was also one of the most popular targets for autographs after..

Joe Ganz not only PUMMELED the first home run of the game, he casually mentioned that he actually planned to be a baseball player rather than a college football quarterback.

What?!?!

Photo courtesy Nebraska Athletics

CLICK HERE TO WATCH’S KETV’S HUSKER THROWBACK THURSDAY ON #12 JOE GANZ!

THIS is the Joe Ganz most people know and remember, the guy who started as a backup behind quarterbacks Zac Taylor and Sam Keller, then took Nebraska on an offensive thrill ride when he became the go-to QB in the second half of the 2007 season. All of this might never have been in a different place and time.. picture a scene from the Sandlot, in south side Chicago, with a shorter Joe “The Jet” Ganz playing baseball with his buddies. It may not be so far-fetched; sources tell me Ganz’s Palos Heights Pony League team once played Papillion’s 10-year olds in a bid for nationals.

“I love baseball, it was my first love, growing up I played it and it’s all I wanted to do,” Ganz told me recently. “Before Bill Callahan got here, I was going to play baseball for the University of Illinois-Chicago.”

That all changed the summer before Ganz was supposed to leave for college, when his parents received a phone call while Ganz and his siblings were on vacation in the Dominican Republic.

“They called me upstairs after I got done packing and they told me Nebraska offered me to play football,” said Ganz. “The first memory I have [of Nebraska] is Tommie Frazier’s run against Florida. I was hooked, both my Dad and I. It was really a dream come true.”

Photo courtesy Nebraska Athletics

Fast forward to the Texas game in 2007. Sam Keller hurt his shoulder late in the game. Joe Ganz took the field and brought Nebraska within 3 points of clinching the game, finishing a touchdown drive and converting a 2-point play.

Two games later was one of Ganz’s favorite moments. He started the game, and his parents and friends got to hear his name announced and see him on the big screens at Memorial Stadium. He also TROUNCED one of college football’s biggest prospects, Josh Freeman. The Huskers beat Kansas State that year 73-31. Ganz shattered several Nebraska records that day including 7 touchdown passes, and 528 yards of total offense.

“It was just something about beating Josh Freeman that really got me going,” said Ganz, who beat Freeman TWICE in his collegiate career. It was a highlight for a team that saw plenty low points and ultimately, ended with Coach Bill Callahan losing his job in November.

Ganz was the starting quarterback when Coach Bo Pelini took control in 2008, not only learning a new offense but embracing it. Ganz was named one of four team captains, the Husker’s MVP of the 2008 season and the MVP of the 2009 Gator Bowl. When he threw a football for the last time as a Nebraska athlete, he held 23 Nebraska school records.

“You wish you were still out there playing the game,” said Ganz. “For me, I only got 16 games to play, so I always wanted to play more, play more.”

And clearly, Coach Pelini still wanted Ganz around, hiring him as an assistant. Ganz learned an entirely new element of the game under his mentors and coaches, Bo Pelini and Tim Beck.

“I had some great teachers that really taught me how to teach kids the game of football, not just to go out there and coach,” said Ganz, who says he formed an extra-special bond with one player in particular.

“Probably the kid throwing the ball a little bit. I’m always pulling for #4,” said Ganz. “Tommy [Armstrong] and I are so close, to this day. We talk all the time, I text him, wish him the best of luck. He’s got all the talent in the world. Now, it’s just–can he understand the different steps of this West Coast Offense Coach Riley and Coach Langsdorf are going to bring in?”

And Joe Ganz will be watching how that plays out much like every other Husker fan. He was released from the Nebraska coaching staff along along with Pelini and his other assistants last fall. Ganz talked quite a bit in our interview how difficult that is for coaches after recruiting these players, spending countless hours with them and their families, and building incomparable relationships with them in an environment few get to experience.. you just MISS that. Ganz hopes he’ll get another opportunity to coach at the college level in the near future.

For now, Ganz is putting his Communications degree to use, offering radio analysis every week through the fall on The Bottom Line with Mike’l Severe. The Chicago kid calls Nebraska home for now, often flying under the radar among Nebraska fans who don’t always recognize him.

“I don’t have the Kenny Bell afro, I’m not the polarizing figure,” said Ganz. “Everyone always says ‘you looked a lot bigger on TV’, everyone thinks I’m really small. I’m like, I used to be bigger, but after you’re done playing, you don’t want to go up!”

To those who do know and remember Joe Ganz, #12 hopes to show his appreciation.

“It’s very flattering,” said Ganz. “I always take time to try and talk to everyone I can because you never know when that’s going to run out and people are going to forget your name.”

From what I saw this summer, the line of dozens upon dozens of fans standing in blistering heat for an autograph and a handshake, no one is forgetting Joe Ganz anytime soon. It’s just one of those things about Nebraska Football; these aren’t just players, they ARE statewide celebrities.. often during their time on the field and sometime years after when they trade that football jersey for a Sunday softball replica.

“Soak everything up. Relish everything,” Ganz says to today’s players. “When you’re done, you miss going to work every day, going to practice the game that you love. Relish it. Embrace everything Nebraska’s about.”

Thanks to Nebraska Athletics for the Photo!

For more on #12 Joe Ganz, CLICK HERE to read his official bio from Nebraska Athletics.

WEEK ONE… CLASS OF 2010 ALEX HENERY!

WEEK THREE… CLASS OF 1971 JEFF KINNEY!

For a full list of KETV’s Throwback Thursday Huskers, click on the Throwback Thursday index at the top of the page!

Time For Kickoff

Sep1

We are now just DAYS AWAY from a new Husker Football season.

2015 is no ordinary year.. we have a new head coach, a new mentality, a new style. We lost powerhouse players like Ameer Abdullah and Kenny Bell, but will see new faces like true freshman Dedrick Young, awarded his blackshirt just this week.

A new chapter will be written in the storied history that is Nebraska Football. Every Thursday, I get to flip back a few pages (or more) and check in with the ‘legends’ of seasons past.

IT’S TIME FOR THROWBACK THURSDAY.

Like last year, I’m hoping to dabble in as many eras of Husker football as possible. We’ll talk to guys hoping to continue playing in the NFL, guys who pursued other talents after graduation, and guys who built the foundation for decades of moments to come at Memorial Stadium. This has been one of my FAVORITE series to put together in my career here at KETV, and I can’t wait for another season! (To see who we featured in the 2014 season, CLICK HERE, or click the Throwback Thursday index tab at the top of the page!)

Who better to kick off 2015 then arguably THE BEST kicker in NCAA history?!?!

#90 ALEX HENERY

Photo courtesy Huskers.com

Alex Henery, Nebraska’s place kicker/punter who played for the team from 2006-2010, set records not only at Nebraska, but in the college football history books. He only missed EIGHT FIELD GOALS HIS ENTIRE CAREER.

Think about that for a second… HIS ENTIRE CAREER.

The Omaha Burke grad with the golden foot finished college with an accuracy rate of 89.5%, topping the previous NCAA record of 87.8%. One kick in particular is STILL in Nebraska record books for longest field goal, a moment that set the college football world on FIRE.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH KETV’S HUSKER THROWBACK THURSDAY FEATURE ON ALEX HENERY!

Nebraska was playing rival Colorado to close out the 2008 regular season. The Buffaloes had just scored a touchdown, putting them up 31-30. With less than 2 minutes on the clock and a looming 4th down, Coach Bo Pelini called in Henery.

My husband was on the sidelines shooting the game, so I was watching alone at home. I remember I was putting away laundry, and heard the announcer say Henery was coming in… that his field goal attempt would be from 57 yards out.

WHAT?!?! 57 YARDS?!?!

I put down the laundry basket, and clung to our dog, Mack, watching to see what would happen.

“The big thing I remember is standing out on mid-field,” Henery told me recently. “There was a commercial break, Jake Wesch looked at me and said, ‘you’re gonna be famous after this.’ I said, ‘right..'”

Do you remember?!? Click here to watch it all over again, thanks to HuskerAddict!

#37 knew what he was talking about. The kick went in. The announcers, 85,000 fans at Memorial Stadium and football fans all over the COUNTRY were in awe. Nebraska won the game.

Photo courtesy Spokeo.com

“Everyone I talk to, that’s the main thing they talk about,” said Henery. “They know where they were, who they were high-fiving, and it’s fun to hear people’s stories.”

That one moment was a preview of the consistency and reliability Alex Henery provided for Nebraska. Husker fans reached a point that we knew if Henery was in, the Huskers would put up another 3 points, no questions asked.

That is part of what fuels Henery’s message to this year’s kickers and special teams players at Nebraska.

“Come through in the clutch; that’s all that matters,” said Henery. “I think the coaches coming in, sounds like they’re great and the guys are buying in.”

He’ll be watching from his hometown of Omaha this season… maybe. After three years playing for the Eagles and Lions, Henery is now an NFL free agent, meaning his phone could ring (and has) at anytime, sending him to tryouts across the country. In fact, Henery and I had to reschedule our initial interview because he was in Pittsburgh trying out with the Steelers. Henery was at a charity golf tournament in Omaha when he got the call.

“Had to stop golfing and catch a flight out of town to make the tryouts,” Henery said. Unfortunately this time around, Henery didn’t get the job. We talked a little about the differences between college and the pros.. Henery credits great holders and snappers at Nebraska, and notes the business culture of professional football versus the fan adoration and fun many players have in college.

His biggest fans are always waiting for him back in Omaha, his beautiful wife, Johna, and sweet little Landen, who just turned one year old. How cool will it be for that kid to try on the jerseys hanging in the closet (the Burke High jersey right next to Nebraska and Philadelphia), to look at all of his dad’s plaques and awards from his years as a Husker, and to read all of the cards and newspaper clippings his dad kept as keepsakes?

“College was good to me and I have many good moments to look back on,” said Henery.

Photo courtesy Huskers.com

For more on #90 Alex Henery, CLICK HERE to read his official bio from Nebraska Athletics.

NEXT WEEK… CLASS OF 2008 JOE GANZ!

She Don’t Coast

Apr9

Complete disclosure: I’m a former Miss Omaha. I’m a current volunteer with the Miss Omaha/Miss Douglas County pageant, hoping to recruit outstanding young ladies to compete every year. As much as I’d like to be at every local pageant across the state, Miss Omaha is often the only one (other than Miss Nebraska) I can attend.

I was front row for this moment..

..when Miss Nebraska newcomer, Megan Gould, was crowned Miss Omaha 2015, along with Miss Douglas County 2015 Alyssa Howell.

MISS OMAHA 2015 MEGAN GOULD

(Photo courtesy Jenn Cady Photography)

“Literally, this was a dream come true,” Megan told me recently. “I had watched pageants for as long as I could remember and finally getting to be a local titleholder for the MISS AMERICA system was an absolute blessing. Little did I know at the time just how much of a blessing it would truly be.”

Megan, an Alliance, Nebraska native and University of Nebraska Lincoln student is now spending more time in the eastern part of the state she likely ever has before. She includes Children’s Miracle Network, Leap-For-A-Cure, Pediatric Cancer Action Network and others among the charities she’s worked with since that crowning moment last fall.

“I have booked myself for more appearances I can count and put in a large number of hours in preparation for Miss Omaha,” said Megan. “I have done appearances ranging from hosting events at bowling alleys to reading to children to Children’s Miracle Network fundraisers to platform presentations. Each appearance is as exciting as the next.”

That platform is Megan’s mission to promote constructive use of social media, or as she calls it, ‘T.H.I.N.K. Before You Post.’

“I see posts on social media sites that have no need being broadcast for the world to see,” explained Megan. “The problem is many social media users do not understand the effects their posts can have on their lives. T.H.I.N.K. is a list of five questions I hope all social media users will ask themselves before making a post on social media: T-is it true? H-is it helpful? I-is it intelligent? N-is it necessary? And K-is it kind?”

Megan notes she’s been traveling across the state to talk about her platform, and the ramifications of poorly using social media. In addition, Megan updates a blog with tips about responsible social media use. (Click here to check out Megan’s blog: My Journey As Miss Omaha 2015.)

“During presentations I emphasize how social media users can use social media to their advantage to market themselves,” said Megan, a Business Marketing major at UNL. In addition to her studies, Megan is also active with her sorority, the Kappa chapter of Chi Omega, and she’s a Nebraska Cornhusker Cheerleader.

“I can be seen on the sidelines of Memorial Stadium in front of 92,000 of the greatest fans of college football, or courtside in the Bob Devaney Sports Center or Pinnacle Bank Arena cheering for volleyball and men’s and women’s basketball,” said Megan. “[We] participate in a collective 200+ hours of community service visiting various schools, nursing homes, grand openings and charity events throughout the Lincoln area and all of Husker Nation.”

So why add to that already busy schedule by adding Miss America to the to-do list?

“One reason is the tremendous amount of scholarship opportunities provided as the Miss America Organization is the #1 scholarship provider of young women in the world,” said Megan. “Another reason is that I love performing and being a titleholder with the Miss America Organization provides me with unlimited opportunities to perform and share my love of dance with others. Additionally, I am given the chance to be very involved with various charities and causes dear to my heart.”

Omaha’s motto is ‘We Don’t Coast’. Here’s a young lady who, like thousands of other college students, could be partying every weekend, napping between classes and simply kicking back for four years. Megan Gould is a cheerleader for life, spreading positive energy and inspiring people around her. SHE don’t coast, and she couldn’t be more proud to represent this city.

“I am thrilled to have this opportunity not only to be a representative and ambassador for the Omaha area but also to get to promote the Miss America Organization,” said Megan. “[To] make appearances throughout the state and have the opportunity to compete for my dream job, Miss Nebraska, this coming June.”

(Photo courtesy Steph’s Studio)

Follow Miss Omaha 2015 Megan Gould

on Twitter, on Instagram, and via Megan’s blog: My Journey As Miss Omaha 2015.

To contact Megan about appearances and events, and for more information on the Miss Omaha/Miss Douglas County Scholarship Pageant, click here to visit the organization on Facebook, visit the Miss Omaha/Miss Douglas County Pageant website, and follow on Twitter.

For information on becoming a future contestant, contact Executive Director Marianne Grubaugh at 402-330-8033 or by email at missomahapageant@yahoo.com.

***

The Miss Nebraska Pageant will take place June 3-6, 2015 in North Platte. Click here to visit the organization’s website, to visit the pageant on Facebook, to follow the pageant on Twitter, and to follow the pageant on Instagram.

***

PREVIOUS.. Miss Panhandle 2015 Jessica Littlejohn

NEXT.. Miss Kearney Crane Festival 2015 Allison Tietjen

To read more about the Miss Nebraska Class of 2014, click on the ‘There She Is’ link at the top of the page.

The (Shocking) Season Finale

Dec4

All season during this Husker Throwback series, I’ve tried to post these blogs the day or two before the story has aired on KETV. There have been a few exceptions.. Monte Anthony had an ‘encore’ post thanks to Pearl Jam in Lincoln, and in our final week, legendary coach Milt Tenopir took a backseat to a terrible head cold. (No one puts Coach in the corner!) I fully intended to sit down at my desk Sunday and give Coach Tenopir the write-up his storied career at Nebraska deserved.

Then we all got the email that changed everything.

‘University of Nebraska Director of Athletics Shawn Eichorst has dismissed Head Football Coach Bo Pelini effective immediately.’

I’ve been sitting here, contemplating what to type next. The truth is, as I’ve written before, I don’t KNOW sports. There are journalists, commentators and analysts who make a living sharing the whys, the what ifs and the could bes. They research and study programs and team histories; they KNOW the game. One of the things Pelini told me himself in our interview last April was that there were sure a lot of people outside of his program who THOUGHT they knew everything.

Yes, that’s part of the job, and Pelini was the first to say that in our interview. Yes, he got paid a good salary, a GREAT salary, for that job. Still, quite an unenviable position to have tens of thousands of people criticize your EVERY. MOVE.

I KNOW I don’t know. Does ANYONE have all the answers for the success of Husker football?

From 1974 to 2003, Offensive Line Coach Milt Tenopir sure knew a lot.

“Here’s an example, the offensive line had zero, ZERO penalties,” said Tenopir of his 1995 team.

ZERO PENALTIES. ALL SEASON.

Milt Tenopir was the man behind that original Pipeline of sheer, impenetrable muscle. The coach who was often off camera, calling plays upstairs, looking down at the field inside Memorial Stadium. The role model who turned out hundreds of young men he says became beloved friends.

The 1994 Pipeline, an unbreakable Husker offensive line. 4 of the 5 starters that year went on to play pro ball. (Photo Courtesy Brenden Stai Golf Classic)

“I never demanded respect. I felt you had to earn respect whether you were a coach or whomever,” Tenopir told me last week. “If the kids believe in you and you believe in them, you’re going to develop a friendship. And we had a friendship, you know. There’s not many that would come through that door today that we wouldn’t hug, maybe shed a tear, because there was just a bond set up there.”

Tenopir was a players’ coach (“I beat ’em up if they didn’t say that,” he joked), but it wasn’t because he went easy on them. Tenopir says today’s players run 50-70 snaps, MAX, at practice. His players ran 110. ALL of his players, starting or not. THAT, he says, is how his Huskers dominated their opponents on the field.

“The reason for that success was we didn’t shoot ourselves in the foot. We didn’t have a bunch of jumps offsides, we didn’t have a bunch of chop blocks. We didn’t have a lot of holding stuff,” said Tenopir. “We beat everybody we should’ve beaten and a lot of times we beat people maybe we shouldn’t have beaten. We never lost a game that we were supposed to win.”

There were losses, of course, but not many. Tenopir credits his longtime head coach, Tom Osborne, who suffered two of those losses back to back at the start of his head coaching career.

“Coach Osborne was in our locker room before you could even get your clothes off to shower, he was not a happy camper,” remembers Tenopir. “He wanted change, and he got change. We ended up winning nine that year. The following game we played Colorado and we thumped ’em pretty good.”

That is one of the things Tenopir says bothers him about so many programs today; the inability to make adjustments, especially during a game. He says in 95% of Coach Osborne’s games, he brought a team back after halftime that performed better than in the first two quarters.

“When you look back at coaching 25 years, 255 wins, that’s an average of ten games a year. That says something,” said Tenopir. “Being in Coach’s presence made you all better people. He was just that type of a guy.”

There are other things Tenopir would like to see done differently at Nebraska. He’d like to see the Big Red get back to a run-first mentality. He says his coaching strategies, practice and consistency were not perfect but were proven.

“If they have repetition and the ability to make it second nature to them, then they’re going to be better. I see that as an area of change that needs to be done,” said Tenopir. “You’ve got a red N on your hat and that means something. It means you don’t ever give up. It means you try to be a perfectionist in everything you do.”

That red N might as well be tattooed onto Tenopir’s heart; though the 74-year old’s coaching days are over, he is still living by that Husker motto to keep fighting. Tenopir battled cancer and won, twice. (He is currently in remission, hoping he’ll be able to continue therapy at home in January.) This latest bout with leukemia, diagnosed in May, and the treatments that followed, drained Tenopir of his strength. When the 1994 National Championship team was honored during this season’s Nebraska vs Miami game, his fellow coaches pushed Tenopir onto the field in a wheelchair. On his lap, he held the ’94 trophy.

Photo Courtesy Huskers Illustrated

“It was heavy,” said Tenopir, smiling. “It was a thrill to me to be with those kids and the fact so many of them showed up. Rob Zatechka, Brenden Stai, Aaron Graham, Joel Wilks, Zach Wiegert, those were some pretty special kids.”

As for Tenopir’s favorite?

“Can’t tell you that, I coached so doggone many,” said Tenopir. “There’s not a kid I coached that I didn’t fall in love with.”

And from all accounts, the feeling is mutual. Even during our interview, Coach Tenopir stopped to wave back at people passing by, even hugging a woman working in the athletic department. 11 years out from his retirement from coaching and he’s still beloved in Husker Nation.

Something has been verified for me time and time again putting together these Throwback Thursday stories. To be a Husker is something very, very special, both to the players and to the fans. It’s not just a game in Nebraska. It’s tradition, it’s prominence, it’s a dynasty. It’s hard work, it’s adrenaline, it’s victory. It’s something we collectively look forward to and join together for. It’s more than the games, yet it IS the games, the players, the coaches that make all of this happen.

Will we ever have another coach like Milt Tenopir, like Tom Osborne, like Bob Devaney? Will Nebraska ever win another national title? Will ANY program see another team become a legacy like the 70-71 Huskers, or the 90’s powerhouse Nebraska teams?

Less than a week before Coach Bo Pelini would be dismissed, Coach Tenopir told me every head coach will take the blame for what goes wrong with his team. He added, you can’t put it all on one guy. In my interview with Coach Pelini, he was honest, down-to-earth, and seemed grounded by the things that are truly important; his family, and helping young men develop as players and people. KETV Sports Director Andy Kendeigh said it best tonight during our 10pm newscast: “He’s truly a good man.” Coach, I wish you the best.

For all of you who have followed this new Throwback Thursday Husker series, THANK YOU–I’ve really enjoyed following up with these players and coaches and sharing their stories. Ironically, as I close the door on this blog post and on the 2014 season, we are pursuing another developing story. Tomorrow, Husker Nation will welcome in new Head Football coach Mike Riley.

A new era of Nebraska Football is about to begin.

Paging Dr. Husker

Nov19

A few years ago, photojournalist Dave Hynek and I chronicled an AMAZING story about a father, donating a kidney to his young son. We followed their journey from start to finish, including in the moments leading up to the transplant. We interviewed a very brave Dad as his anesthesiologist inserted his IVs to prepare him for sedation.

You’d think I would’ve learned…

I don’t handle needles well. Like, I pass out when I see one. (Really. It’s not embarrassing AT ALL.)

So here I am, in the surgery preparation area of the Nebraska Medical Center, getting more and more lightheaded, trying to conduct an interview.

Right at the moment I feared I was going to lose my breakfast or crash head first into the floor, I STOOD UP AND LEFT THE ROOM MID-INTERVIEW. Dave finished it for me. Apparently, it was pretty obvious I was having ‘problems’. Dave came out of the area laughing, and noted that the anesthesiologist had noticed, too.

‘You know who that was, right?’ Dave asked me.

DR. ROB ZATECHKA. As in Husker legend turned doctor Rob Zatechka.

REALLY. Not embarrassing AT ALL.

Clearly, I was not destined for a career in medicine, but a lot of Huskers have been. ‘Dr. Rob’, Judd Davies, Sean Fisher… and now..

Dr. Mike Stuntz, Nebraska Free Safety (photo courtesy Nebraska Athletics!)

#16 permanently sealed his place in Nebraska Football history as a freshman, taking part in one of the most memorable plays in recent years. Nebraska versus Oklahoma in 2001, a key game in Nebraska’s journey to the national title game and Eric Crouch’s to the Heisman trophy. Out of nowhere in the 4th quarter, Crouch tosses the ball to Thunder Collins, who tosses the ball to Stuntz. Stuntz, just 18, delivers a rocket to Crouch downfield, who runs for a 63-yard touchdown. Nebraska beats the #2 team in the country, 20-10.

“I can’t think of one [play] that meant more to our team that I contributed to. I can’t think of one that people talk about with me more often than that one,” Stuntz told me in a recent interview. “We started practicing it early in the week. I knew about it, even starting that Monday, I think. We ran it throughout the week and it never really worked that well in practice. During the game, they told me even in the first half they were think about running it. Whey they finally called it, I was a little surprised, it was so late in the game and the game was so close.”

During what many might consider a nerve-rattling moment, Stuntz just ‘played the way he’d always played’.

“It’s almost one of those ‘ignorance is bliss’ things,” said Stuntz. “I didn’t really realize just how much people cared about Nebraska football, college football in general, how big of a game it was. You’re just kind of oblivious to all that when you’re 18 years old.”

You want to talk nerves, imagine this: HOLDING YOUR NEWBORN DAUGHTER FOR THE FIRST TIME.

Dads, do you remember that moment? Mike Stuntz does; it just happened a month ago when he and wife Natalie welcomed their first child, Blakely Autumn.

“I knew what I was doing on that play, I played football all the time. I’d never been a dad before,” said Stuntz. “So that was, definitely, without a question, more nerve wracking, the first time I saw Blakely.”

“He did use the football hold, though!” added Natalie with a smile.

Stuntz doesn’t just know football, he was pretty darn good at it. An incredibly versatile player, Stuntz saw time at free safety, split end, and reserve quarterback at Nebraska. Off the field, Stuntz also excelled in the classroom, a 9-time Academic Honor Roll member in the Big 12 and a 2005 First-Team Academic All-Big 12 student. His college major also attracted attention; Stuntz earned his degree in professional golf management.

This photo shows Stuntz golfing Lilongwe Golf Club in Malawi in 2011, his former career colliding with new. See, Stuntz told me he loved golf, but didn’t know if he had passion to pursue it for 40+ years. He discovered a new passion: medicine.

Natalie Stuntz is also a doctor, a pediatrician with CHI Health. Mike is in his first year of residency at the Nebraska Medical Center, specializing in ophthalmology. The two didn’t meet in medical circles, but certainly have A LOT in common professionally now, including the summer they spent together in Africa working at a Pediatric AIDS hospital.

They even found a Husker fan, thousands of miles away!

THAT is pretty normal for Dr. Mike Stuntz, still recognized nine years after hanging up his cleats, 13 years after that legendary play.

“I’ll be in the hospital or in the clinic or something like that, and it’ll be a patient and they’ll just say ‘aren’t you that guy?'” said Stuntz. “It happens much more often than I thought it would. I always enjoy talking about it.”

ESPECIALLY with his biggest fan. Miss Blakey is also his smallest.

“I come downstairs, and whether she’s awake or not she comes with me. We sit on the couch right here, we turn on the TV and we don’t move for the next 12 hours or so,” said Stuntz. “I’m pretty sure she’s very engrossed in the games, and then afterwards we have a nice group discussion about it. Her input is limited, but it’s growing.”

Stuntz’s message for today’s players is about the bigger world outside of football. Even when he bumps into his former teammates Dr. Judd Davies or Dr. Kyle Ringenberg, they talk about research and their goals in the hospital now, not what they used to be on the field.

And when Dr. Stuntz, Dr. Stuntz, and Lil Stuntz are at home, the focus is on family.

“I want to be Mom and Dad,” said Natalie. “When we’re at home, we leave work. We’re Mom and Dad, Mike and Natalie, and I want that for her.”

And when that little beauty opens up her gorgeous blue eyes to gaze up at her mom and dad, it’s easy to see why.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH KETV’S THROWBACK THURSDAY FEATURE ON MIKE STUNTZ!

For more on #16 Mike Stuntz check out his bio with Nebraska Athletics.

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Click here to Throwback to the Class of 2003, Brett Lindstrom!

Next week, A SPECIAL FINALE of the 2014 Throwback Thursday Series, Coach Milt Tenopir!

Representing Nebraska

Nov12

We are now in Week 12 of Husker football season, and Week 12 of our Huskers Throwback Thursday series on KETV. This has been one of my favorite assignments in recent memory, strolling down memory lane with different players representing different eras of Nebraska Football. With each player, I tailor my questions to who they are and what they’re doing now, but I also have a handful of questions I ask in every interview.

What was your favorite moment as a Husker?

Do you have any advice for today’s players?

Who is your favorite Husker on this year’s team?

The vote has been nearly unanimous; Husker alumni LOVE Ameer Abdullah. Their reasons are also similar; not only is he a tremendous player (many hope a Heisman contender!), he’s a great role model and representative for the University and the Nebraska football program.

This week’s Throwback Thursday Husker echoes those sentiments, and also hopes to be thought of as a terrific representative.. in a different way.

Class of 2003, Quarterback Brett Lindstrom

Lindstrom had an unenviable job at Nebraska, playing backup to first Eric Crouch and then to Jammal Lord. You may not have seen him much on the field, but he was always ready when his Huskers needed him, including helping the team get to the title game in 2001.

“Just the experience of going to the national championship game, the Rose Bowl in 2001, was probably one of the greatest experiences I had down there,” Lindstrom told me last week in a brief interview. There’s a reason why it was relatively quick; Lindstrom’s got a jam-packed schedule as Senator-Elect, just voted into the Nebraska Legislature November 4th to represent Northwest Omaha.

Lindstrom still laughs when called ‘Senator’.

“I’m not used to that quite yet,” said Lindstrom. “Got jokes from some of my friends, laying it on pretty thick. I still just like to be called Brett.”

2014-10-24 09.35.02

It probably feels good to laugh after several tough years of campaigning. Prior to his run for the District 18 seat, Lindstrom ran for the Republican nomination for Congress in District 2, going up against incumbent Lee Terry in 2012. He lost in the primary. Less than a year later (his son, just 2-weeks old at the time!) Lindstrom announced his bid for the Legislature. In 2012, Lindstrom told me it was his daughter that compelled him to run for public office. He was concerned for her future.

Lindstrom feeding 7-month old Barron while making campaign calls (pic from the Vote Lindstrom Facebook page)

Campaigning also brought Lindstrom back to his Husker roots.

“What’s interesting about the campaign trail, going door to door, I’ve actually run into some old players,” said Lindstrom. “I don’t know who I’ll meet when I go to the door. Lornell McPherson, I played with, he came to the door. Damon Benning, he came to a door. Probably half the doors I went to had a Husker rock, a Husker flag. Obviously it doesn’t hurt when you can go up there and say, ‘I played for the Cornhuskers.’ It at least gives you a shot, people give you an extra second to listen.”

It appears voters heard Lindstrom’s message about his goals for Nebraska. (Listen for yourself in Alex Hoffman’s profile of the District 18 race, or by checking out the KETV ‘In Their Own Words’ section featuring Lindstrom.) He won the election and a ticket to Lincoln in January, one of 17 incoming freshman senators. Lindstrom will represent an estimated 37,000 people from his district.

“There’s a huge responsibility that we have moving forward,” said Lindstrom. “It’s an exciting time. It’s a new start for a lot of us and a new start for the state.”

Lindstrom follows a handful of other Huskers who have entered the political arena. Coach Tom Osborne became a Congressman, Pat Ricketts (Lindstrom’s teammate) just won re-election to the Millard School Board, and Jim Pillen became a University of Nebraska Regent. Lindstrom says he’s surprised more Huskers haven’t become elected representatives.

“I think there’s a lot of correlation between athletics and politics,” said Lindstrom. “The competitiveness of it, the perseverance it takes to go through it, getting knocked down, getting back up.”

Lindstrom’s advice for todays players: staying committed to the team will pay dividends later in life. He hopes that still holds true as a Husker alumni planning to be in Lincoln a lot more for the next four years.

“I thought maybe I could give the University a call and see if I could go use the weight room if I have a little down time at the Capitol, to go workout,” said Lindstrom. “I don’t know if the Capitol has a workout area, I doubt they do! See if I can drop my 40 and get my vertical back up!”

Maybe Lindstrom will be running sprints alongside his favorite Husker representatives, Ameer Abdullah and Kenny Bell. Maybe they’ll call him ‘Senator Lindstrom’ in the weight room. As this Nebraska representative prepares for a busy four years as a husband, dad, financial advisor and now Senator-Elect, he puts this victory in sports terms.

“It was just nice to come home with a W.”

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT KETV’S THROWBACK THURSDAY FEATURE ON BRETT LINDSTROM!

For more information about #15 Brett Lindstrom, check out his bio via Nebraska Athletics, his professional profile with UBS Financial Services or his campaign website.

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Click here to Throwback to the Class of 1987, John McCormick!

Next week’s Throwback Thursday Husker.. the Class of 2005, Mike Stuntz!

Hail To The Chief

Nov6

One of the coolest things about this Throwback Thursday Husker series we’ve been sharing this football season is seeing how many different paths these former players have taken since leaving Lincoln. I’m not sure why I’m so surprised. Think of the people in your graduating classes from high school and college and ask yourself, where are they now? Of the 100+ players on the roster every season at Nebraska, there are bound to be any number of careers and futures these young men pursue.

Today’s featured Husker didn’t dream of or plan for the career he ended up in, but he calls it ‘great’, and has risen to one of the highest ranks in his department.

Assistant Fire Chief John McCormick (thanks to Nebraska Athletics for the photo!)

By our guess, there are seven or eight men on the Omaha Fire Department who played football at Nebraska. Ironically, the highest ranking member of that small club has kept his time as ‘Captain’ a secret at work.

“Most don’t know,” McCormick told me in a recent interview. “Most of the guys on the fire department weren’t even a twinkle in their dads’ eye when I played.”

CLICK HERE TO WATCH KETV’S THROWBACK THURSDAY SPECIAL ON JOHN MCCORMICK!

1987, John McCormick was in his senior season, his third year starting as Nebraska’s right guard. That year, he was named Team Co-Captain, First Team All-American, First Team All-Big 8 and an Academic All-Big 8 player. McCormick’s Huskers earned respect by playing some of the biggest names in football that season.

“Arizona State, UCLA, South Carolina, big power teams,” said McCormick. “But all the hype was usually around Oklahoma. That was always a big rivalry back then.”

Screen grab from our friend Jake Jacobsen at HuskerTapes.com; watch his clips of the 1987 NU vs OK game here!

McCormick, an Omaha native and graduate of Gross High School, is still passionate about today’s Huskers. His favorite: Nebraska’s star running back Ameer Abdullah.

“I think he’s a quality person, he has good character,” said McCormick. “And he’s a very good running back. I think he’s going to do well in his life.”

So has McCormick, who is now saving lives as an Omaha firefighter. A quick search of the KETV archives shows McCormick was one of the first responders at Molotov cocktail fires, at 2-alarm house fires, at scenes where firefighters risked their own lives to save strangers.

January 20, 2014 was no exception.

Then Battalion Chief John McCormick was one of the first firefighters to arrive at the International Nutrition plant minutes after the building collapsed, trapping workers inside.

“We had to rely on training and on our experience throughout our career to do the best we could,” said McCormick. “We were able to get a few people out. Sad that we couldn’t get everybody out.”

Two men died that day. Firefighters rescued at least nine others who were hurt, but survived. I remember anchoring our coverage that day while reporters Kyle Gravlin and Amanda Crawford reported from the field, and none of us knew how many were trapped or lost inside. We did know firefighters were inside, trying to find them, NOT knowing how stable the plant was or what could happen around them at any moment.

Just last month, seven of those firefighters were given Medals of Courage and/or Lifesaving Medals for their heroic efforts that day. At the same ceremony, Battalion Chief John McCormick was promoted to Assistant Chief.

“I consider it to be a lot like football in that it’s a team sport,” said McCormick. “It’s a team job. You need to accomplish a lot by using other people. The old cliché, you’re only as strong as your weakest link.”

And as the Huskers are hopefully gaining strength during this bye week, preparing for new Nebraska rival Wisconsin, McCormick offers this advice.

“This is such an important part of their life, but it’s only a short part of their life,” said McCormick, now a married father of eight in addition to his duties with the fire department. “Play hard, practice hard, prepare well and leave everything out on the field.”

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Click here to Throwback to the Class of 2003, Jammal Lord!

Next week’s Throwback Thursday Husker.. the Class of 2003, Brett Lindstrom!