Haters and Husker fans. Can we be our own worst enemy?

[QMany]

The success of the 90's plays a big part in how we feel today. We got accustomed to winning big and winning championships. Until we see that dominance again, fans will not be satisfied with the wins.

We are not going to ever see that dominance again. So I will choose to be happy with the great things we are doing.

 

[In the Deed the Glory]

Hold on before you hammer me on using his name...

Dirk Chatelain wrote an article about this:

The success of the 90's plays a big part in how we feel today. We got accustomed to winning big and winning championships. Until we see that dominance again, fans will not be satisfied with the wins.

He said people that were in Jr High to College during that run, so people between the ages of 30-40 (me included) now, are the ones hanging on to those expectations because that was when we "fell in love" with Nebraska Football.

I think he is right, and I think he has a lot of that in his writing.

I also think many of the "older, more seasoned" fans (i.e. knapp ...) are correct. We need to find a healthy balance and come to understand and appreciate the 90s for what it was.

The Greatest Single Era in College Football History.

Nobody will ever duplicate it, and if they do, we won't believe they did. We have to start to understand that this is not the norm. Not to compare every team to those teams. There is nothing wrong with EXPECTATIONS of B1G Champ game appearences fairly regularly, I do as well. However, expecting teams on par with the 90s is crazy talk.

I think things might be better if we don't treat this as a religion. If we just treat it for what it is. A bunch of college kids trying their a$$ off for the entire STATE of Nebraska.

Now if someone can help me follow my own advice, that would be nice...

 

[StPaulHusker]

Hold on before you hammer me on using his name...

Dirk Chatelain wrote an article about this:

The success of the 90's plays a big part in how we feel today. We got accustomed to winning big and winning championships. Until we see that dominance again, fans will not be satisfied with the wins.

He said people that were in Jr High to College during that run, so people between the ages of 30-40 (me included) now, are the ones hanging on to those expectations because that was when we "fell in love" with Nebraska Football.

I think he is right, and I think he has a lot of that in his writing.

I also think many of the "older, more seasoned" fans (i.e. knapp ...) are correct. We need to find a healthy balance and come to understand and appreciate the 90s for what it was.

The Greatest Single Era in College Football History.

Nobody will ever duplicate it, and if they do, we won't believe they did. We have to start to understand that this is not the norm. Not to compare every team to those teams. There is nothing wrong with EXPECTATIONS of B1G Champ game appearences fairly regularly, I do as well. However, expecting teams on par with the 90s is crazy talk.

I think things might be better if we don't treat this as a religion. If we just treat it for what it is. A bunch of college kids trying their a$$ off for the entire STATE of Nebraska.

Now if someone can help me follow my own advice, that would be nice...

Well said

 

[Count 'Bility]

Hold on before you hammer me on using his name...

Dirk Chatelain wrote an article about this:

The success of the 90's plays a big part in how we feel today. We got accustomed to winning big and winning championships. Until we see that dominance again, fans will not be satisfied with the wins.

He said people that were in Jr High to College during that run, so people between the ages of 30-40 (me included) now, are the ones hanging on to those expectations because that was when we "fell in love" with Nebraska Football.

I think he is right, and I think he has a lot of that in his writing.

I also think many of the "older, more seasoned" fans (i.e. knapp ...) are correct. We need to find a healthy balance and come to understand and appreciate the 90s for what it was.

The Greatest Single Era in College Football History.

Nobody will ever duplicate it, and if they do, we won't believe they did. We have to start to understand that this is not the norm. Not to compare every team to those teams. There is nothing wrong with EXPECTATIONS of B1G Champ game appearences fairly regularly, I do as well. However, expecting teams on par with the 90s is crazy talk.

I think things might be better if we don't treat this as a religion. If we just treat it for what it is. A bunch of college kids trying their a$$ off for the entire STATE of Nebraska.

Now if someone can help me follow my own advice, that would be nice...

100% accurate. I am 29 now. I was probably a little ahead of the curve for my age when it comes to how intensely i followed the Huskers. I can list off specific moments and their significance going back to '91. I was so depressed from the end of '01 and on, but lately I find myself at peace over the last 5-6 years, becuase I've gained an understanding that that is never happening again. Bama now, yes, theyre there, but like you said, it will never be topped in our eyes. They need to go unbeaten (at home at least) in a championship year. As each year ticks by, that run gains more and more significance as a complete anomoly.

It's not just the 3 titles in four years. It's going 11-1 and being 1 second and 10 feet away from a 4th in 5. And one bad game and 10 points from a 5th in 6. A couple fumbles from a 6th in 8. Bamas 3 titles in 4 years is what's being compared to our 3 in 4, but we have a run of jaw dropping dominance from 1993 through 1999. You maybe could even put 2000 and most of '01 in there, but nothing of substance was won in those years, so I dont. We lost an 8 measly games in a 7 year stretch. When will that ever be topped? We lost ONE home game in that run. Bama's lost a home game in EACH of their last 2 title runs.

 

[Ulty]

The success of the 90's plays a big part in how we feel today. We got accustomed to winning big and winning championships. Until we see that dominance again, fans will not be satisfied with the wins.

On the flipside of that, the Callahan years helped me realize that there was more to life than whether or not the Huskers win or lose football games. At one time, any loss was incomprehensible, and even close wins were cause for grumpiness. But after Callahan, I learned to shrug off a loss and get on with the rest of my day, and I enjoy football games for the overall entertainment value.

Part of me mourns the loss of the passion I once had and the dominance that used to be on display in the 90s, but mostly I can appreciate the magic that was captured during those times and still enjoy what we get to see today without having a loss ruin my weekend. Still a diehard fan, but I gotta admit, I like it better this way. It's healthier!

 

[In the Deed the Glory]

Hold on before you hammer me on using his name...

Dirk Chatelain wrote an article about this:

The success of the 90's plays a big part in how we feel today. We got accustomed to winning big and winning championships. Until we see that dominance again, fans will not be satisfied with the wins.

He said people that were in Jr High to College during that run, so people between the ages of 30-40 (me included) now, are the ones hanging on to those expectations because that was when we "fell in love" with Nebraska Football.

I think he is right, and I think he has a lot of that in his writing.

I also think many of the "older, more seasoned" fans (i.e. knapp ...) are correct. We need to find a healthy balance and come to understand and appreciate the 90s for what it was.

The Greatest Single Era in College Football History.

Nobody will ever duplicate it, and if they do, we won't believe they did. We have to start to understand that this is not the norm. Not to compare every team to those teams. There is nothing wrong with EXPECTATIONS of B1G Champ game appearences fairly regularly, I do as well. However, expecting teams on par with the 90s is crazy talk.

I think things might be better if we don't treat this as a religion. If we just treat it for what it is. A bunch of college kids trying their a$$ off for the entire STATE of Nebraska.

Now if someone can help me follow my own advice, that would be nice...

100% accurate. I am 29 now. I was probably a little ahead of the curve for my age when it comes to how intensely i followed the Huskers. I can list off specific moments and their significance going back to '91. I was so depressed from the end of '01 and on, but lately I find myself at peace over the last 5-6 years, becuase I've gained an understanding that that is never happening again. Bama now, yes, theyre there, but like you said, it will never be topped in our eyes. They need to go unbeaten (at home at least) in a championship year. As each year ticks by, that run gains more and more significance as a complete anomoly.

It's not just the 3 titles in four years. It's going 11-1 and being 1 second and 10 feet away from a 4th in 5. And one bad game and 10 points from a 5th in 6. A couple fumbles from a 6th in 8. Bamas 3 titles in 4 years is what's being compared to our 3 in 4, but we have a run of jaw dropping dominance from 1993 through 1999. You maybe could even put 2000 and most of '01 in there, but nothing of substance was won in those years, so I dont. We lost an 8 measly games in a 7 year stretch. When will that ever be topped? We lost ONE home game in that run. Bama's lost a home game in EACH of their last 2 title runs.

I agree. 1994, 1995, and 1997 are important number to a Husker fan, but I think there is a better number to show dominance. 60-3

Just a few things that should help us realize the rarity and appreciate this era a little more...

From 1990 thru 2001 (12 seasons) The University of Nebraska compiled:

A record of 134-20-1 (86.4 winning percentage) (81-8 and 91% 1993-1999)

7 Conference Championships

3 National Championships

24 1st Team All-Americans

Heisman Trophy winner

2 Outland winners

Johhny Unitas Golden arm winner

Walter Camp Player of the Year winner

Lombardi Award Winner

Rimington Award Winner

Butkus Award Winner

That is incredible.

Has to be one of the greatest eras in the history of any program, and will almost certainly be ours.

GO BIG RED, BABY!

 

[kchusker_chris]

Haters often times jump on my Huskers with their various rants, but sometimes I think there is a tendency for Husker fans to minimize wins and success and maximise losses and failures more than any hater could freaking dream up.

I don't visit many other boards, but this board seems to take as much...if not more...of an interest in other fans' perception of "their" Huskers as they do in the Huskers themselves. Maybe it's just the off season, but most of the conversations (this one included) are targeted at the "haters" or at the "sunshine pumpers". It's why I've only got a handful of posts in the last month or so. The conversation isn't Huskers, it's pissing matches between members. But I guess that's all we've got.

As for the statement above...minimizing wins and maximizing losses...look at our season. Our wins were often times just squeaked out at the last second with a call here, or a great play there. We didn't really have an MSU/Iowa domination like 2011. There were some great comebacks, but most of us left the game/bar thankful to have pulled out a win, not discussing the dominance of a superior team over an inferior one. On the other hand, our losses (a couple in the biggest games of the year)...were epic embarrassments at a magnitude we as Husker fans haven't experienced but a handful of times in the last 40 years. What would you expect the reaction to be? Those weren't just losses. It wasn't like Georgia, or Northwestern. In the last 2 years we have lost 8 games. 4 of them have been among the most embarrassing games I've watched in a long, long time. 1 or 2 others might crack that top 15 list as well. We "haters" aren't maximizing the losses...the Huskers are with their performance - we're just witnessing it from afar.

 

[tmfr15]

Haters often times jump on my Huskers with their various rants, but sometimes I think there is a tendency for Husker fans to minimize wins and success and maximise losses and failures more than any hater could freaking dream up.

I don't visit many other boards, but this board seems to take as much...if not more...of an interest in other fans' perception of "their" Huskers as they do in the Huskers themselves. Maybe it's just the off season, but most of the conversations (this one included) are targeted at the "haters" or at the "sunshine pumpers". It's why I've only got a handful of posts in the last month or so. The conversation isn't Huskers, it's pissing matches between members. But I guess that's all we've got.

As for the statement above...minimizing wins and maximizing losses...look at our season. Our wins were often times just squeaked out at the last second with a call here, or a great play there. We didn't really have an MSU/Iowa domination like 2011. There were some great comebacks, but most of us left the game/bar thankful to have pulled out a win, not discussing the dominance of a superior team over an inferior one. On the other hand, our losses (a couple in the biggest games of the year)...were epic embarrassments at a magnitude we as Husker fans haven't experienced but a handful of times in the last 40 years. What would you expect the reaction to be? Those weren't just losses. It wasn't like Georgia, or Northwestern. In the last 2 years we have lost 8 games. 4 of them have been among the most embarrassing games I've watched in a long, long time. 1 or 2 others might crack that top 15 list as well. We "haters" aren't maximizing the losses...the Huskers are with their performance - we're just witnessing it from afar.

Just to be clear, this was a post that applied to me as much or more than it applied to anybody else. I flat couldn't watch the second half of the Wisky CCG because I was so disgusted with the way it went. And I spent most of the night convinced that the loss not only prevented us from breaking the CCG drought, but also stripped any significance from the wininng streak that we had been riding going into the dang game. I hardly looked forward to the Cap One Bowl and yet was still disgusted when it didn't turn out the way I wanted it to. Haters can hate. And they often do. Sometimes they even come to our board and talk about how great their team is and blah, blah, blah. But no hater, none of them, or maybe all of them combined would be more appropriate, can do as much damage to a Husker fans' pshyce as we can do to our own. On the plus side, this thread confirms that I am not alone in my tendency to slant toward the negative all the dang time. I hope to change that this fall and just kick back and enjoy whatever success Big Red can pump out. Wish me luck in this regard. Cause I am gonna need it.

 

[kchusker_chris]

Just to be clear, this was a post that applied to me as much or more than it applied to anybody else. I flat couldn't watch the second half of the Wisky CCG because I was so disgusted with the way it went. And I spent most of the night convinced that the loss not only prevented us from breaking the CCG drought, but also stripped any significance from the wininng streak that we had been riding going into the dang game. I hardly looked forward to the Cap One Bowl and yet was still disgusted when it didn't turn out the way I wanted it to. Haters can hate. And they often do. Sometimes they even come to our board and talk about how great their team is and blah, blah, blah. But no hater, none of them, or maybe all of them combined would be more appropriate, can do as much damage to a Husker fans' pshyce as we can do to our own. On the plus side, this thread confirms that I am not alone in my tendency to slant toward the negative all the dang time. I hope to change that this fall and just kick back and enjoy whatever success Big Red can pump out. Wish me luck in this regard. Cause I am gonna need it.

All it takes is one game to get everyone going and the hope to magically reappear. Remember after the Southern Miss. game? That was against a team that had won 12 games the prior year. We were expecting to win, but may of us thought it might be a good test. The WRs were snatching everything thrown near em. The offense clicked. The defense was coming along. Everyone was pumped. We knew we could outscore anyone on the schedule at that point.

So who is going to be our Southern Miss this year? Won't be Wyoming, that's an easy win. Won't be Southern Miss 2013...they're coming off an 0-12 campaign, we're supposed to dominate them. Maybe we go out and just decimate UCLA, then take care of business against SD? I'd say the first 2 games will be pretty ho-hum, and the UCLA game will be a season defining moment. Win by 10+ and you'll be able to skate through the next 3-4 games w/ all the optimism in the world.

 

[tmfr15]

I hear that. I don't need much encouragement. Just need one game of dominance, or some other fan's positive comment, or some news source, or what have you, to play the part of Kool Aid vendor. Then I am like, time to drink UP... OH YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[NUinID]

Hold on before you hammer me on using his name...

Dirk Chatelain wrote an article about this:

The success of the 90's plays a big part in how we feel today. We got accustomed to winning big and winning championships. Until we see that dominance again, fans will not be satisfied with the wins.

He said people that were in Jr High to College during that run, so people between the ages of 30-40 (me included) now, are the ones hanging on to those expectations because that was when we "fell in love" with Nebraska Football.

I think he is right, and I think he has a lot of that in his writing.

I also think many of the "older, more seasoned" fans (i.e. knapp ...) are correct. We need to find a healthy balance and come to understand and appreciate the 90s for what it was.

The Greatest Single Era in College Football History.

Nobody will ever duplicate it, and if they do, we won't believe they did. We have to start to understand that this is not the norm. Not to compare every team to those teams. There is nothing wrong with EXPECTATIONS of B1G Champ game appearences fairly regularly, I do as well. However, expecting teams on par with the 90s is crazy talk.

I think things might be better if we don't treat this as a religion. If we just treat it for what it is. A bunch of college kids trying their a$$ off for the entire STATE of Nebraska.

Now if someone can help me follow my own advice, that would be nice...

Its not just the success of the 90's its also the success of the early 70's. My oldest brother was 18-22 years old during the early 70's run and had the same view. Heck up intil TO won his first National title he basically wanted him fired becuase he wasn't Deveney. I do agree that guys that really came of age during the 90's think that it should always be that way and that we better get back there pretty soon. TO always put a good product on the field and had good teams, not all of them were great.

I am sorry but most of that time the big 8 was a terrible FB conference. Oklahoma and Nebraska were it. The 80's were terrible for the big 8. NU basically had Boise St. Schedual every year. Two to three tough games and 8-9 easy ones. It truely was like playing Minn or Ark St that many times a year.

I am not down grading TO accomplishments because I still think he is top 3 of coaches all time. I am just stating my opinion. But, you can go back and look at the records of the other teams in the big 8 in the 80's and see how crappy they really were.

College football in general is a better product that it was in the past. The scholarship limits have helped a lot. There is also way better coaching from top to bottom. Every kid lifts and eats well. The money to be made in CFB is to great everyone wants some. The margin between a 10-2 team and a 6-6 team is not all that big anymore.

 

[Chaddyboxer]

In 2008 after the Va Tech loss I was scowling and pissy the rest of the night. After that game, I realized that I was quite literally worshiping Nebraska Football and that wasn't okay. So I took a few steps back and reminded myself that it is sport and that I have no right to any sort of expectations.

Since that time, I have really enjoyed being a fan. Finding joy in success and still finding joy in defeat, not letting wins and losses dictate your spirit is a really freeing thing.

Ha! My buddy had a kegger for that game and I threw my beer across his living room after the O'hanlon mess-up. It was a pretty douschey move and I apologized...but damn, was I pissed. I still get pretty fired up from time to time....but once the loss happens....it doesn't take me too long to get over it. USUALLY.....

 

[AllNRed]

Took some time today and was watching the Capitol One Bowl, Huskers vs. South Carolina. Early in the game, Nebraska scored on a very nice pass from Taylor to Kenny. Moments later, the Huskers had the PAT blocked and returned for two points.

It occurred to me that when I was watching the game live back then, the blocked PAT almost cancelled out the joy of the scoring pass.

Granted the PAT block and return sucked. Heck the ultimate result of the game was not pleasant, but sometimes, and this is just me, I think that I need to work on enjoying what the Huskers do well as much as I hate what they do poorly.

Has anyone ever gotten to the point where they are their own best negator? Like thinking, cool, we beat Arky State, followed by, yea, but they were just Arky State. Better shore up this and that and this and that or we are going to get killed by this team or that team.

Haters often times jump on my Huskers with their various rants, but sometimes I think there is a tendency for Husker fans to minimize wins and success and maximise losses and failures more than any hater could freaking dream up.

It just sucks that we wait so freaking long for the season, then spend a bunch of it not really enjoying what the Big Red has to offer because of a tendency to dwell on the negative.

At times, I have wondered whether I should even watch if I can't just wear the red, cheer and be happy when they win and a bit less of an insufferable douche when the lose.

Does any of that make sense or is it just a long rant of psychobabble BULLSH**T?!

Great post and I totally agree. Depending on the experience of the fan with the Huskers, you often, subconsciously, compare everything to the great years of the past. I remember many complaining about TO's 7 bowl game losing streak before beating Miami for his first national title. What about the fact it took him 7 years to finally beat Oklahoma only to lose to them in the Orange Bowl that same year and get beat by them two more years following.

Obviously our history spoils us, but we don't realize it because it being elite became the norm. NU is far from the bottom of the barrow, we are still a top 25 caliber team, but we don't value it because of our history. I feel like our program is 1-2 great players on both sides of the ball (in the same year) from being back to a top 5 program. But I still take pride in the fact that we get to the top the RIGHT WAY. None of our season wins were taken away due to violations. Not all of history's elite programs can make that same claim.

 

[AllNRed]

It makes complete sense. Just read the "What 2012 season would you rather have". Wisconsin is good because they lost close games, including a blown lead at Nebraska. Nebraska is bad because they had to squeak out wins and got lucky against Wisconsin. The psychology of Husker fandom is a complicated area

THIS

 

[BigRedBuster]

I lived out of state for 15 years. It just so happened that the 90s run was during that 15 years. In 2006, I moved back to Nebraska and one of the biggest things I was looking forward to was being able to sit around and talk about Husker football with other people who loved it as much as I did.

Problem is, at this point, there are one hell of a lot of them that I really don't enjoy talking about Husker Football with. It is as though they don't think they are true fans if they aren't fixated on negatives towards the team and certain players.

I am usually a very optimistic person. I deal with negativity all the time at work. I really have no desire to have my entertainment filled with it also. Amazingly, I have found that I really don't talk about Husker football with a lot of people in real life.