Jump to content


The Prayer


Recommended Posts

Im looking for an official, word for word, version of the Husker prayer. My wife is going to paint it on our wall in our basement and I don't want the wrong words up there.

 

The main parts I'm wondering about are the blanks in these parts "a chance to equal our ______" and "________ can't be beat, won't be beat"

 

I've heard "stride" and "stripes" for the first blank, and both "The team that" and "'Till we" for the second blank.

 

Anyone know of any place for something official? I know there have been threads on here before, but I can't recall anything 100% definite. I sent a message to epoc and hopefully he'll help me out but thought I would also ask the board. Thanks

Link to comment

Dont know how official this website is but this is the way I have always said it

 

Dear Lord, the battles we go through life,

We ask for a chance that's fair

A chance to equal our stride,

A chance to do or dare

 

If we should win, let it be by the code,

Faith and Honor held high

 

If we should lose, we'll stand by the road,

And cheer as the winners go by

 

Day by Day, we get better and better!

Til' we can't be beat...

WONT BE BEAT!

 

LINK

Link to comment

Found this post on HuskerMax, I knew what stripes meant, but used this guys interpretation so I didn't have to retype it. Cory Ross says it wrong in the video and we say it wrong every week, but I have chosen to leave it alone. Choose your battles I always say. If you listen to old versions in videos from the 1997 season you can hear Wistrom/Peter say it this way...

 

If you read Jason Peter's book "Hero of the Underground" around pg. 65 or so, he has the prayer written and it states "A chance to equal all your stripes, a chance to do or dare."

 

Not to say that Jason is the authority but he was there during the prayer's rise to fame and I would bet that he said it a few times. :-)

 

The way he has it written in his book is as follows:

 

"Dear Lord,"

"In the battle we go through life, we ask for a chance that's fair."

"A chance to equal all your stripes, a chance to do or dare."

"If we shall win, let it be by the code, with our faith and honor held high,"

"If we shall lose, let us stand by the road and cheer the winners as they go by."

"Day by day,"

"Getting better and better."

 

"A team that can't be beat, Won't be beat!"

 

Since this is a prayer, I would take the Biblical interpretation here as "stripes." Starting with the opening "Dear Lord" followed by the line that says "a chance to equal all your stripes" would seem to me a reference to Christ's suffering prior to and during his crucifixion and then his subsequent resurrection. For the players to have "a chance to equal all your stripes" would seem to mean then for them to endure some sort of hardship or pain but overcome that hardship or pain to emerge victorious, much as Christ overcame death and was resurrected. Refer to I Peter 2:24 "who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed." Also reference Isaiah 53:5 "But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed." But of course this is just my .

Link to comment

Found this post on HuskerMax, I knew what stripes meant, but used this guys interpretation so I didn't have to retype it. Cory Ross says it wrong in the video and we say it wrong every week, but I have chosen to leave it alone. Choose your battles I always say. If you listen to old versions in videos from the 1997 season you can hear Wistrom/Peter say it this way...

 

If you read Jason Peter's book "Hero of the Underground" around pg. 65 or so, he has the prayer written and it states "A chance to equal all your stripes, a chance to do or dare."

 

Not to say that Jason is the authority but he was there during the prayer's rise to fame and I would bet that he said it a few times. :-)

 

The way he has it written in his book is as follows:

 

"Dear Lord,"

"In the battle we go through life, we ask for a chance that's fair."

"A chance to equal all your stripes, a chance to do or dare."

"If we shall win, let it be by the code, with our faith and honor held high,"

"If we shall lose, let us stand by the road and cheer the winners as they go by."

"Day by day,"

"Getting better and better."

 

"A team that can't be beat, Won't be beat!"

 

Since this is a prayer, I would take the Biblical interpretation here as "stripes." Starting with the opening "Dear Lord" followed by the line that says "a chance to equal all your stripes" would seem to me a reference to Christ's suffering prior to and during his crucifixion and then his subsequent resurrection. For the players to have "a chance to equal all your stripes" would seem to mean then for them to endure some sort of hardship or pain but overcome that hardship or pain to emerge victorious, much as Christ overcame death and was resurrected. Refer to I Peter 2:24 "who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed." Also reference Isaiah 53:5 "But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed." But of course this is just my .

 

There is no "canon" version. It's not like this thing is etched in stone somewhere. The words vary from year to year. Who's to say Ross' version is wrong and Peters' is right? JP wrote his book ten years after he played at Nebraska. Memory fades.

 

None of these versions are accurate according to the source of this "prayer," which is a poem by Berton Braley titled The Prayer of the Sportsman. That goes:

 

Dear Lord, in the battle that goes on through life,

I ask but a field that is fair,

A chance that is equal with all in the strife,

A courage to strive and to dare:

And if I should win, let it be by the code

With my faith and my honor held high;

And if I should lose, let me stand by the road

And cheer as the winners go by.

 

And Lord, may my shouts be ungrudging and clear,

A tribute that comes from the heart,

And let me not cherish a snarl or a sneer

Or play any sniveling part;

Let me take off my hat to the warriors who strode

To victory splendid and high;

Yes, teach me to stand by the side of the road

And cheer as the winners go by.

Link to comment

Found this post on HuskerMax, I knew what stripes meant, but used this guys interpretation so I didn't have to retype it. Cory Ross says it wrong in the video and we say it wrong every week, but I have chosen to leave it alone. Choose your battles I always say. If you listen to old versions in videos from the 1997 season you can hear Wistrom/Peter say it this way...

 

If you read Jason Peter's book "Hero of the Underground" around pg. 65 or so, he has the prayer written and it states "A chance to equal all your stripes, a chance to do or dare."

 

Not to say that Jason is the authority but he was there during the prayer's rise to fame and I would bet that he said it a few times. :-)

 

The way he has it written in his book is as follows:

 

"Dear Lord,"

"In the battle we go through life, we ask for a chance that's fair."

"A chance to equal all your stripes, a chance to do or dare."

"If we shall win, let it be by the code, with our faith and honor held high,"

"If we shall lose, let us stand by the road and cheer the winners as they go by."

"Day by day,"

"Getting better and better."

 

"A team that can't be beat, Won't be beat!"

 

Since this is a prayer, I would take the Biblical interpretation here as "stripes." Starting with the opening "Dear Lord" followed by the line that says "a chance to equal all your stripes" would seem to me a reference to Christ's suffering prior to and during his crucifixion and then his subsequent resurrection. For the players to have "a chance to equal all your stripes" would seem to mean then for them to endure some sort of hardship or pain but overcome that hardship or pain to emerge victorious, much as Christ overcame death and was resurrected. Refer to I Peter 2:24 "who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed." Also reference Isaiah 53:5 "But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed." But of course this is just my .

 

There is no "canon" version. It's not like this thing is etched in stone somewhere. The words vary from year to year. Who's to say Ross' version is wrong and Peters' is right? JP wrote his book ten years after he played at Nebraska. Memory fades.

 

None of these versions are accurate according to the source of this "prayer," which is a poem by Berton Braley titled The Prayer of the Sportsman. That goes:

 

Dear Lord, in the battle that goes on through life,

I ask but a field that is fair,

A chance that is equal with all in the strife,

A courage to strive and to dare:

And if I should win, let it be by the code

With my faith and my honor held high;

And if I should lose, let me stand by the road

And cheer as the winners go by.

 

And Lord, may my shouts be ungrudging and clear,

A tribute that comes from the heart,

And let me not cherish a snarl or a sneer

Or play any sniveling part;

Let me take off my hat to the warriors who strode

To victory splendid and high;

Yes, teach me to stand by the side of the road

And cheer as the winners go by.

 

I suppose this is a solid point, however as a Christian stripes has always made sense yet aggravated me at the same time. None of us can ever expect to equal the "stripes" Christ earned and bore for us...anyway don't want to get all preachy.

 

I like that prayer a lot, however. Thanks for posting that knapplc...

Link to comment

I like that prayer a lot, however. Thanks for posting that knapplc...

 

No problem. I had never heard about that poem and thought the Husker Prayer was a purely Nebraska invention until someone posted the poem here earlier this year. Way to go, HuskerBoard!

 

I've also found references to Knute Rockne having used this prayer

 

"Dear Lord, in the struggle that goes on through life

We ask for a field that is fair,

A chance that is equal with all the strife,

The courage to strive and to dare;

And if we should win, let it be by the code,

With our faith and our honor held high;

And if we should lose, let us stand by the road

And cheer as the winners go by.”

 

- Knute Rockne, Prayer to Play Fair in the Game of Life

 

 

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

Visit the Sports Illustrated Husker site



×
×
  • Create New...