Supporting Red & Blue

Nov1

Some weeks.. I just need a giant PAUSE button. Those times when my to-do list just gets longer and longer. Those nights when I’m lying awake, thinking of everything I need to get done the next day.

We have had one of the most exciting adventures of our careers in the last month here at KETV, moving into our new home at 7 Burlington Station. Along with planning, boxing up desks, and rehearsals in our new space, we were also keeping up (or trying to) with day-to-day news operations. YOWSA–I think I speak for all of us when I say we were READY to move in and get back to normal!!

I tell you all of this… because I did not give this week’s Throwback Thursday Husker his much-deserved blog post in association with his story. However, HE is so busy, I’m guessing he’s got more important things he’s focused on.. like keeping Omaha safe, and recruiting a new generation of heroes to do the same.

#44 Gregg Barrios, Nebraska Kicker, 1987-1990

Lieutenant Gregg Barrios is one of the highest ranking officers to serve with the Omaha Police Department. He’s active in his church and community, and he’s the father of eight children. Barrios is also known for the four years he played football for the Huskers.

“Some people, when they get my name, they’ll recognize it, or ‘are you related to that guy who used to kick for Nebraska?’ I get that once in a while,” Barrios told me recently. “Probably the most avid Nebraska fans, they can remember that far back.”

CLICK HERE TO WATCH KETV’S THROWBACK THURSDAY FEATURE ON #44 LT. GREGG BARRIOS!

Barrios is a Nebraska guy, born and raised. The Creighton Prep remembers listening to the Huskers as a kid, a boy with big dreams early on.

“Playing football in the backyard, listening to Lyell Bremser and all that, wishing that someday I could play for Nebraska,” said Barrios. He still remembers his first game, one he got to suit up for, a privilege allowed to a few, select freshmen.

“I’m nervous, some hot shot California upperclassmen is like, ‘what are you nervous for? You’re not even gonna play.’ Some Nebraska guy’s like, ‘you don’t get it,'” said Barrios. “I remember running on the field, it was a night game against Florida State. And at the end of the game, I ended up getting to play.”

Barrios’ favorite game came the following year, when #2 Nebraska played #10 Texas A&M to kick off the 1988 college season.

“I found out the night before I’d be starting. I was like ‘oh my gosh!'” said Barrios. “I’m put into the game, had a really good game. I kicked three field goals and there were three records for the Kickoff Classic, including longest field gal in a game. Then, we won, of course.”

Off the field, Barrios’ was interested in law enforcement, a curiosity sparked by having a dad in the military and by a professor specializing in criminal justice. He joined the Omaha Police Department in 1996.

“I started uniform patrol like everybody else did,” said Barrios. “I also worked in the warrants unit, working in training, worked in investigations, and now in backgrounds and recruiting. This department is one of the best in the Midwest, by far. We have a lot to offer for candidates.”

Barrios says there are many parallels between being a Husker football player and being a police officer (or firefighter, as his friend across the street, Asst Fire Chief John McCormick told me last year! Click here to read more!) We are living in post-Ferguson times when police officers nationwide are facing increased scrutiny; similarly, today’s 3-6 Huskers are criticized, insulted and coached from couches across Nebraska.

“There’s the whole expectation that we are role models in society and we need to live up to a certain standard,” said Barrios. But the Lieutenant is also quick to point out moments like Officer Kerrie Orozco’s funeral procession, when thousands of people in the Omaha metro area lined streets in the rain to pay their respects to Orozco and law enforcement officials everywhere. People have brought food to local precincts, have posted messages showing their support and have held countless fundraisers for not just Officer Orozco and her family, but for other officers when they need it.

“That’s what makes the job a really fulfilling job and rewarding,” said Barrios. “For the right person, it’s that service mentality. We get to go out, do a job and we get a lot in return for it.”

And no matter what Nebraska’s record is, Barrios wants today’s players to know fans will be on their side. He’s one of them.

“I will stick with them no matter what,” said Barrios. “No matter who the coach was the last few years, I try to be a fan the best I can.”

Photo courtesy CoachTomOsborne.com

Barrios remembers seeing Coach Tom Osborne’s reaction when other programs around the country rolled through coaches and administration every few years.

“He was frustrated by that because he saw it’s difficult to build a program, to build up your recruits and instill your game plan and everything you’re going to do with a program,” said Barrios. “I think over time, Nebraska will be back. It’s just going to take the right fit, the right recruits, to put it all together.”

Barrios’ advice for the 2015 Huskers is the same he gave his son, ALSO a collegiate kicker. (Russell Barrios graduated from Omaha Gross and is currently playing football for the Colorado School of Mines.)

“I always talked to him about something that kickers do, keep your head down, follow through,” said Barrios. “That’s something about life. Keep your head down, stay humble, keep focused on what you’re doing and follow through. You make a commitment, you stick with it.”

Editor’s note… this advice works for working mommas as well as football players. Deep breath. Shut out the noise. Head down and focus. Follow through.

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CLICK HERE for more information about becoming an officer with the Omaha Police Department!

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LAST WEEK.. Class of 2008, Zach Potter!

THIS WEEK.. Class of 2003, Curt Tomasevicz!

Zach Potter and the Sea of Red

Oct29

I’m going to let you in on a little secret..

the four main anchors at KETV are Harry Potter nerds.

Ok.. I’m probably the only NERD of the group. But both Bill and Andy know the stories after years of reading with their children, Rob is making his way through the JK Rowling stories right now.. and I’ve read them more times than I can count. I LOVE escaping into Rowling’s incredible world of magic, mayhem and muggles. Rowling lays out a scenario in the first book, symbolizing so much of what readers see in their hero throughout the series: Harry, the youngest seeker in a century, snags the coveted Golden Snitch in the opening Quidditch match of the season, winning the game for his team.

#NerdAlert.

Stick with me, folks! I’m heading somewhere with this!! Meet Nebraska’s Potter, who also made quite the name for himself as a young man on the field at Memorial Stadium.

#98 Zach Potter, Defensive End 2005-2008 (Photo courtesy Nebraska Athletics)

“Growing up in Nebraska, it helps you understand it, but at the same time, until you actually experience it, you walk out on that field and see 90,000 people every Saturday; it’s pretty special,” Potter recently told KETV photojournalist Tyler White. “The further you get from it, the further you are from playing, it’s that much more special to look back on those memories.”

Potter’s football memories have local roots; he is a Hall of Fame Creighton Prep graduate (inducted in 2014), where he where he helped the Junior Jays win a state football title, and vie for a state basketball title. The Lincoln Journal Star named Potter the co-Boys High School Athlete of the Year, and B’Nai B’rith’s Bert Rend Award as the state’s top male athlete.

Still, even the best of high school players don’t often make a name for themselves as true freshman in division one sports. Potter did.

Photo courtesy Nebraska Athletics

2005, Zach Potter played in all 12 games, arguably saving two of those games for the Huskers. Against Pittsburgh, Potter blocked an attempted filed goal and secured Nebraska’s 7-6 victory. Less than two months later, Potter blocked a Kansas State PAT, and Nebraska won 27-25. Potter grabbed the Golden Snitch for the Huskers, twice, in his first season on the field.

“My favorite playing memory,” said Potter. “Pretty fun to do, pretty exciting, big moments of the game.”

CLICK HERE to watch KETV’s Throwback Thursday feature on #98 Zach Potter! http://m.ketv.com/huskers/tbt-zach-potter/36144822

It was the start of an exciting four years for Potter, who also volunteered his time at local schools and facilities focused on kids, and excelled in the classroom. Potter was an Academic All-American and on the Honor Roll all four years.

Photo courtesy Nebraska Athletics

After graduation, he did what many athletes dream of, joining the National Football League in 2009.

“I enjoyed a nice 6-year career in the NFL, playing tight end for the Jets, the Jaguars, the Rams and the Texans,” said Potter.

Photo courtesy zimbio.com

And now, Potter has come full circle returning to where it all started, working as an Audio/Visual Integrator with CCS Presentation Systems in Omaha, Nebraska. Big Red Recipes recently reached out to Potter, asking him to contribute a favorite recipe for their cookbook collection from former Huskers. Each player that takes part gets to choose which charity will benefit. Just as he did in college, Potter once again thought of children he could help.

“My Dad’s been involved a lot [with the Ronald McDonald House], so I’ve taken part in some of the golf tournaments, kind of involved secondhand,” said Potter. “This was really my first chance to get into it and do it myself. It’s a great charity. They give back to many families who have children who need help here and gives a spot for their families to come to, to relax after a long day at the hospital.”

Thursday, October 15th, Zach Potter revealed another talent; cooking. Potter and a few assistants (including his beautiful wife and little girl!) made sweet potato casserole, meat balls, and bruschetta for the out-of-town families staying at the Ronald McDonald House, while their children receive medical treatment here in Omaha.

“Hopefully the guests here will enjoy it, and hopefully we don’t mess it up too much!” joked Potter. (Editor’s note: I didn’t get to try the feast.. but boy, it looked FANTASTIC.) “Myself, being here in Omaha, I wanted to be part of this and give back to a great fan base that obviously supported me through four years down in Lincoln.”

A quick history lesson.. not all of Potter’s years at Nebraska were ‘fun’. As I heard from his quarterback, Joe Ganz, these were also the seasons that saw an outcry from Husker nation after some rough losses and the firing of Head Coach Bill Callahan. Social media was also coming into play, allowing hundreds, if not thousands of fans, to connect directly with the players.

“I think the biggest thing now about social media is you get to see how crazy the fans are about Nebraska football,” said Potter. “You’ve got X number of followers on Facebook or Instagram or Twitter. You post one thing and people are just going nuts, asking questions, whether it’s good or bad. Advice for the players would be to not pay attention to the media. Put your head down, work hard. The results are going to come if you work hard.”

Potter told us despite the team not being where anyone wants them to be right now, he think Coach Riley and his staff will do a great job. He’s watching his former team, and hoping for the best.

You face hard times, you press on and you eventually come out of it. You look back on an adventure in your life, and the good stands out, not the bad.

“My favorite memory is still always going to be the friendships I created with the guys down there,” said Potter. “Obviously, we always wanted to win every, single game, but looking back now it’s those friendships you still have today you created back then.”

To end this, I’ll do what I do and tie it all together. In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Dumbledore tells Harry “it is our choices that show who we truly are, far more than our abilities.” Here’s a guy who had the physical makeup, had a gift for the game, and had opportunity. Zach Potter worked hard on and off the field, delivered under pressure, and even today, is trying to give back to the community who helped shape him. He’s also beginning a new phase of life as a daddy, welcoming his second child and first son the day our story aired on KETV.

Who knows.. we could be looking at another legendary Potter. Baby Beckett weighed in at 9 pounds, 9 ounces. No sign of any lightning bolts on his forehead, but word is, his black shirt is already on standby.

Photo courtesy zimbio.com

Click here to read Zach Potter’s full bio at Huskers.com!

Click here for more information on Big Red Recipes!

Click here for more information on Omaha’s Ronald McDonald House!

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LAST WEEK.. Class of 1990, Lt. Gregg Barrios!

NEXT WEEK.. Class of 2003, Curt Tomasevicz!

Doctor’s Orders

Oct15

It’s human nature. When something’s wrong, you instinctively want to fix it.

Nebraska Football is 2-4 for the first time since Eisenhower was President. (My thanks to hilarious columnist Brad Dickson for that bit of trivia..) Saturday night, I was in the audience at the Miss Omaha/Miss Douglas County pageant and my friend Grady nudged me, showed me the score and whispered ‘WHY CAN’T WE FINISH A GAME?!?!’

When we lost over the final play against BYU, it was heartbreaking. When we lost in OT against Miami, it was bad dejavu. When we lost in the final moments against Illinois, it was annoying. HOW DID IT HAPPEN AGAIN against Wisconsin?

If I’m frustrated as a fan, I CAN ONLY IMAGINE how guys like Tommy Armstrong and Coach Riley feel. Maybe that’s why at least one former player isn’t judging, isn’t making assumptions.. he’s just giving his full support.

#4 Judd Davies, Nebraska Fullback 1999-2003

“A lot of things go into having a new staff, I’m definitely sympathetic to that,” Davies told KETV in a recent interview. “It’s easy to become frustrated and upset once you start having difficult games, but they’ve played extremely well, they’ve played close games, they’ve only lost by a number of points total between wins and losses.”

A glass half-full statement from a guy who’s been a longtime model of composure and maturity. In the early 2000’s, Judd Davies was the hometown guy who delivered in Lincoln on and off the field. He headed to Nebraska along with several other Millard North Mustangs (including Pat Ricketts and Eric Crouch), and took the Huskers to the 2001 national championship game.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH KETV’S THROWBACK THURSDAY FEATURE ON #4 JUDD DAVIES!

As I wrote about last season (click here to read Brothers in Blue) I first met Davies through my longtime friend Jeff Nathan back when we were in college. (Part of the same group, I should mention, so excited about Judd’s Rose Bowl touchdown they fell on an elderly woman seated in front of them in the stadium.) I also had Davies in a speech class at UNL, where he presented an informative speech on how to run the option, and I found out that even at 245+ pounds of sheer muscle he was terrified of the movie Candyman. (Quoting Judd, “don’t even joke about that.”)

Back in those days, Judd Davies was a studious guy in the classroom, focused on his job as a student and his faith. (Quick story, when KETV photojournalist Tyler White arrived for our interview, Davies still remembered him as a fellow member of Omaha’s Christ Community Church many years ago.) Family and his close circle friends has also been priority for Davies, who married his longtime girlfriend, Tracy, the summer before his senior year at Nebraska. It was a busy time for the Nebraska Team Captain, an Academic All-American who also earned the 2002 Brook Berringer Citizenship Award for the time he spent volunteering in his community and across the state.

Davies taking part in a Special Olympics event, photo courtesy Nebraska Athletics.

12 years out, most of the stats, touchdowns and awards are a blur to Davies

“It’s really the relationships you remember as you get a little further out from it,” said Davies. “You remember the coaches, the guys you played the same position with because you were with those guys every single day.”

And Davies remembers his awareness that someday, his football days would come to an end. He was focused on his next step, medicine.

“I love it. I always wanted to do something with surgery that I thought I would be able to treat conditions, to cure conditions,” said Davies.

After graduating from Nebraska, Davies studied at Vanderbilt before returning to Omaha to open his own private practice and work with Nebraska Medicine. Dr. Judson Davies is now a respected urologist and surgeon across the Omaha area and beyond.

“Sometimes I sit down, people will look at me, look at my name on my jacket, then they’ll look back up and me and say ‘I swear, I remember you from somewhere,” said Davies. But he’s quick to say that football connection doesn’t give him any special insight into today’s team or coaches. When we first talked several weeks ago, hopes for the season were high with a new program, unknown to most Nebraska fans. When we circled back to Davies just last week, his opinions about the team were the same, even with a losing record.

“It’s about the process. Don’t worry about where they’re at now. You want to see improvement and the season is still very early,” said Davies. “There’s a lot of room for them to grow and improve and hopefully they will.”

And Davies is excited about the guy playing his old spot, Andy Janovich, another Nebraska native just like Davies (Janovich is from Gretna.)

Photo courtesy Nebraska Athletics

“I think he’s doing a great job!” said Davies. “If he would’ve played in a different era, in my era, he probably would’ve started ahead of me. So I’m glad he wasn’t there when I was there or I might not have ever played!”

To players EVERYWHERE, Huskers, Mustangs and everyone else, this doctor has some solid advice.

“GO TO CLASS!” said Davies, looking right into the camera before laughing. “But in all honesty, I’d say GO TO CLASS, GET A DEGREE.”

As for the 2015 Huskers, there may not be any universal fix. Dr. Davies suggested treatment and prescription for success.. to learn from the experience itself.

“Those lessons you learn day in and day out, how to handle adversity, how to deal with poor performance and improvement and critical feedback, those are extremely valuable,” said Davies. “You’re going to have lots of ups and downs in your career, business, personal and otherwise, but having the discipline to go through what they’ve gone through, you can’t duplicate that or replicate that anywhere else.”

Click here to read more about #4 Judd Davies via his bio from Nebraska Athletics.

Click here to visit Dr. Judson Davies’ website to learn more about his work with The Urology Center, PC.

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Note from the author:

THANK YOU to Dr. Davies, his staff, and Nebraska Medicine (especially Jenny Nowatzke) for facilitating TWO interviews due to technical difficulties on our end. Your patience and time are MUCH appreciated!

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WEEK SIX.. CLASS OF 1991 OFC. CURTIS COTTON!

NEXT WEEK.. CLASS OF 1990 LT. GREGG BARRIOS!

Father Knows Best

Oct7

It’s no small thing to be a collegiate athlete. It takes hard work, focus, and to a certain extent, some degree of innate physical ability and talent. One of my favorite quotes from my Superstar Co-Anchor Rob McCartney: ‘You can’t coach tall!’

(Side note.. Rob is a HUGE basketball fan and actually tried out for the Nebraska Cornhuskers as a walk-on ‘back in the day’. Additional side note.. I missed the part of his story where he said he didn’t make the team and for awhile, just told people Rob played basketball for Nebraska. Small mistake.)

A La Vista dad recognized early on in two of his children that his boys were gifted. He knows what athleticism looks like.. because he saw it in his own reflection in the locker room at Memorial Stadium.

Curtis Cotton, now a father and Papillion Police officer, is also a proud member of the Class of 1991 with the Nebraska Cornhuskers football team.

“I get that a lot,” Cotton said, when I asked him recently about being recognized as a Husker. “‘I remember you!’ That’s the first thing they say as soon as I tell them, ‘hi, I’m Officer Cotton.'”

CLICK HERE TO WATCH KETV’S THROWBACK THURSDAY HUSKER FEATURE ON #9 CURTIS COTTON!

It’s hard to see in this blurry image, but when Nebraska played Oklahoma in 1991, it was downright MISERABLE. Fans throughout the stadium wore ponchos and rain gear, rain pooled all over the turf and every players’ breath was visible in the cold, fall air. Still, THIS, was Cotton’s favorite game as a Husker.

“[It was] my senior year when we won a share of the Big Eight title,” said Cotton. “It was at home against Oklahoma. It was so cold and wet that day, but I don’t remember it after we sealed that win. It was a great time.”

Check out this video of the game thanks to ArenaTeam on YouTube. Players lifted Coach Tom Osborne onto their shoulders and carried him into the sea of fans rushing the field. ABC broadcasters kept the final score graphic up over a shot of Husker fans climbing and shaking the goal posts, trying to bring it down.

What a cool thing to watch, even via a grainy YouTube video. Kick up the volume, and it’s enough to give any Husker fan chills.

While those days are no doubt special to Cotton, his adrenaline rushes these days stem from a different vantage point.

“I think I get more nervous when I’m about to watch my kids perform,” said Cotton. “I get the butterflies in my stomach, my heart rate rises!”

Kenzo Cotton and KJ Cotton have both become something of high school legends in the Papillion-La Vista area. Kenzo became an 8-time state track and field champion, claiming the 200M title all four years he competed.

He chose the University of Arkansas, and just months ago, earned a national championship as part of the 4X100M relay team. Kenzo’s ultimate goal is to make the US Olympic team. (Click here to follow Kenzo Cotton’s athletic career on Twitter!)

Click here to watch Andy Kendeigh’s story with Kenzo and Curtis Cotton in May 2012!

Photo courtesy JPC Photography

Kurtis ‘KJ’ Cotton is now a junior at Papillion-La Vista High School, also competing in track and field and playing on the varsity football team. #9 (yes, wearing his dad’s number), has already made several highlight reels for the Monarchs this season with his speed and athleticism. No word yet where he’s looking at for college, or if he intends to play college football like his dad.

Click here to watch KJ Cotton’s touchdown run during Papio-LV’s FIRST game of the season!

Kenzo told us back in 2012 he wanted to be just like his dad. Curtis shared his parenting advice with us back then.

“I told him to try to stay humble,” he told KETV’s Andy Kendeigh. “Big dreams, that is what being young is all about. I remember those times when I dreamt the same way. Hopefully they can come true for him.”

Three years later, Curtis Cotton is not only thinking of the sons following in his footsteps, but of today’s Huskers in the midst of a 2-3 season.

“Keep fighting,” Cotton said. “[They] are going through a system change. They’re all trying to perform for their new coaches, if they are new coaches. They’re all trying to show they are worthy of being on the field. It’s difficult to watch when you know that they’re struggling and they’re giving the best that they can give out there on the field, but at the same time, you want to see them keep fighting through it. Man up, fight through it, get through it and don’t give up.”

Advice for anyone facing challenges, on or off the field. I guess what they say is true; father does know best.

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WEEK FIVE.. CLASS OF 1970 JERRY MURTAUGH!

NEXT WEEK.. CLASS OF 2003 DR. JUDD DAVIES!

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.

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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!

Big Things Come In Little Packages

May25

Earlier, I posted about an upcoming volleyball tournament I’m taking part in this weekend for my family member and friend, Missy and her husband Kyle. Kyle has battled Crohn’s Disease for 15 years, so this weekend, we are hammering Crohn’s for him and hopefully, raising money for the Frans family and their mounting medical bills. (Click here to read more about Kyle’s fight and how you can help in the battle against Crohn’s!)

I am NOT good at volleyball. It’s not for a lack of trying.. I played rec volleyball throughout junior high. I couldn’t spike, or set, or serve overhand… but I was never afraid to dive for a ball! At the end of one season, my coach gave a short speech on each of us when we got our medals, and when it was my turn, he said ‘big things come in little packages.’

THAT, is what comes to mind the more I learn about a promising young lady from Chadron, Nebraska.

MISS CHADRON’S OUTSTANDING TEEN 2015 SHELBY BLUNDELL

(Photo courtesy Jenn Cady Photography)

“I am Shelby Blundell. I am the shortest girl in my grade,” Shelby told me, turning 14 just last weekend. That height stat may make Shelby memorable in this year’s Miss Nebraska Outstanding Teen class, but it certainly doesn’t define her.

Shelby, shortly after winning her local title, alongside Miss Nebraska’s Outstanding Teen 2014 Morgan Holen

“I’m competing for the life skills that I am sure to develop through my reign as Miss Chadron and hopefully Miss Nebraska,” said Shelby. “Miss Nebraska is a great way for young women to develop much needed skills that will later become an advantage in the work place.”

Shelby already has an impressive skill set; based on her photos, she’s either ready for next month’s state pageant or to take over Katniss’s role in the Hunger Games. Fear?? What fear!

“I enjoy playing basketball, going fishing, riding my dirt bike, practice shooting and hunting,” said Shelby. This active lifestyle no doubt contributed to Shelby’s personal platform as Miss Chadron’s Outstanding Teen, ‘Commit To Be Fit’.

Shelby sharing her platform with Girl Scouts at the Scouting For The Cure event in Bridgeport in March

“This is committing to eat healthy, and keeping an active heart and mind,” said Shelby. “I really would like to show people that eating smaller portions is better for you.”

Shelby also notes something I’ve heard time and time again from the young women who take part in the Miss America or Miss America’s Outstanding Teen organization, that they love the bonds they’re forming off stage. Shelby’s cover photo on her Facebook page is the group shot taken of all the contestants and the Miss Nebraska’s Outstanding Teen directors at this year’s Crowns and Gowns weekend.

“My favorite part of competition is the friendships that I have and will form with my pageant sisters,” said Shelby. “I also like it because it has brought my mother and I closer together.”

I’d bet Shelby’s mom will be among her loudest supporters as her little girl takes the stage as one of the most remarkable teenagers in the state of Nebraska. Tiny she may be, but Shelby Blundell talks of confidence and independence; BIG thoughts and goals for a girl just barely 14-years old.

Someone once said, ‘God only lets things grow until they’re perfect. Some of us didn’t take as long as others!’ Shelby may forever be the shortest girl in the crowd, but remember, big things come in little packages. This girl, could also be Nebraska’s next Outstanding Teen.

(Photo courtesy Tami Fosher Photography)

Follow Miss Chadron’s Outstanding Teen 2015 Shelby Blundell and contact her for appearances and events on the Miss Chadron/Miss Northwest’s Outstanding Teen Facebook page.

Click here for a special feature on Shelby on the Miss Nebraska’s Outstanding Teen Facebook page!

For more information about how to become a contestant, contact Director Riki Hunter at 308-430-4355 or by email at maoteenchadron@gmail.com.

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The Miss Nebraska’s Outstanding Teen Pageant will take place June 5, 2015 in North Platte. Click here to visit the organization’s website or the Miss Nebraska’s Outstanding Teen Pageant on Facebook and on Twitter.

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PREVIOUS.. Miss Omaha’s Outstanding Teen 2015 Chelsea Arnold

NEXT.. Miss Northwest’s Outstanding Teen 2015 Cherokee Purviance

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