Football, Men's Athletics Records

The University of Nebraska football program officially began in 1890, although interest in football started as far back as 1883. Nebraska played their first game on November 27, 1890 in Omaha, Nebraska, against the Omaha Young Men's Christian Association (Y.M.C.A.). Nebraska prevailed 10-0. Langdon Frothingham lead the team and is the first football coach at the university. Frank Crawford became the first paid football coach. He arrived in 1893 following two seasons when volunteers or players lead the teams.

Through the years the program has been a member of several athletic conferences including: the Western Inter-State University Foot Ball Association, the Missouri Valley Conference, the Big Six Conference, the Big Seven Conference, the Big Eight Conference, and the Big Twelve Conference.

Most people know the Nebraska athletic programs as the Cornhuskers or Huskers, but before that nickname stuck the team went by some lesser known names such as the Nebraskans, the Old Gold Knights, the Antelopes, the Tree Planters, the Rattlesnake Boys, and the Bugeaters.

The first football game played at Nebraska's current venue, Memorial Stadium, pitted the team against Oklahoma on October 13, 1923. Before Memorial Stadium, games were played at a few different locations. Prior to 1908 the northwest corner of the "old campus" served as the athletic field. In 1908 the university acquired land for a new athletic field just north of the "old campus," around 10th and T streets. Teams first used the "new" Nebraska Athletic Field in the 1909-1910 season. In the interim, the 1908-1909 season's games were played at the Antelope Baseball Park in Lincoln.

For more detailed online histories of the Football program, see the University of Nebraska Athletic Department's Football History and Nebraska Public Media's "Husker Century 1890-1972 The First 82 Years."