How does having a big walk-on program help the team in terms of wins and losses??

[cb1954]

I know it's a big tradition but I'm trying to piece together and figure out in my mind, how does having a bunch of Div II talent on the sidelines help Nebraska become a championship team. Or does it not. It's just a sentimental thing for some small town kid to where a jersey but would probably never get to see the field. He's just a punching bag for the 4 star lineman from Texas or something.

 

They are much more than just players on the sidelines.

 

"With a travel squand of 60, we averaged about 23 walk-ons per year on the travel squad" - Tom Osborne in the book The Nebraska Way by Jonathan Crowl

 

 

In the March 2008 Huskers Illustrated Magazine there is a small article that lists All Conference Walk-ons from when Tom Osborne was head coach.

 

It lists 26 first team All Conference players, some more than one year.

Also listed are 4 players as being All American

 

But maybe what is most important of walk-ons to the Husker program is their work ethic, pride, spirit, and determination.

 

One of the players in this photo started as a walkon.

 

 

[junior4949]

Well the walk-on program has placed nearly 50 players into the NFL.

 

I think TO recruited players for HIS system, they matured and developed and became on the average a one maybe two year starter.

It worked back then, will it work today, only time will tell.

I like the walk-on program if for nothing else the repetitions the younger players get against similar talent levels providing key depth, even if they don't materialize into starters. That has been severly lacking the last five years.

 

 

I think the first sentence here speaks volumes and completely answers the question. I'm not going to research the validity of 50 walk-ons making the NFL as I assume the original poster did. Coaches don't have the time to research every team out there playing high school football in the 4 or 5 states we get walk-ons from. If we didn't have the walk-on program, Schlesinger doesn't play for NU. He was vital in the 94' NC game. Without the walk-on program, neither of the Mackovickas play for NU. One thing overlooked by many is how many walk-on players actually play a big part in the special teams. They are fresh legs that play a vital part to the program.

[SOCALHUSKER]

I know it's a big tradition but I'm trying to piece together and figure out in my mind, how does having a bunch of Div II talent on the sidelines help Nebraska become a championship team. Or does it not. It's just a sentimental thing for some small town kid to where a jersey but would probably never get to see the field. He's just a punching bag for the 4 star lineman from Texas or something.

 

They are much more than just players on the sidelines.

 

"With a travel squand of 60, we averaged about 23 walk-ons per year on the travel squad" - Tom Osborne in the book The Nebraska Way by Jonathan Crowl

 

 

In the March 2008 Huskers Illustrated Magazine there is a small article that lists All Conference Walk-ons from when Tom Osborne was head coach.

 

It lists 26 first team All Conference players, some more than one year.

Also listed are 4 players as being All American

 

But maybe what is most important of walk-ons to the Husker program is their work ethic, pride, spirit, and determination.

 

One of the players in this photo started as a walkon.

 

 

 

That's a sick photo dude, I love it!! That was one badass d-line!!

[Axl_sued_me]

I know it's a big tradition but I'm trying to piece together and figure out in my mind, how does having a bunch of Div II talent on the sidelines help Nebraska become a championship team. Or does it not. It's just a sentimental thing for some small town kid to where a jersey but would probably never get to see the field. He's just a punching bag for the 4 star lineman from Texas or something.

 

They are much more than just players on the sidelines.

 

"With a travel squand of 60, we averaged about 23 walk-ons per year on the travel squad" - Tom Osborne in the book The Nebraska Way by Jonathan Crowl

 

 

In the March 2008 Huskers Illustrated Magazine there is a small article that lists All Conference Walk-ons from when Tom Osborne was head coach.

 

It lists 26 first team All Conference players, some more than one year.

Also listed are 4 players as being All American

 

But maybe what is most important of walk-ons to the Husker program is their work ethic, pride, spirit, and determination.

 

One of the players in this photo started as a walkon.

 

 

 

That's a sick photo dude, I love it!! That was one badass d-line!!

 

 

Yeah, but if one didn't know any better, they'd think these guys were members of the Aryan Nation.

[sarge87]

I know it's a big tradition but I'm trying to piece together and figure out in my mind, how does having a bunch of Div II talent on the sidelines help Nebraska become a championship team. Or does it not. It's just a sentimental thing for some small town kid to where a jersey but would probably never get to see the field. He's just a punching bag for the 4 star lineman from Texas or something.

 

They are much more than just players on the sidelines.

 

"With a travel squand of 60, we averaged about 23 walk-ons per year on the travel squad" - Tom Osborne in the book The Nebraska Way by Jonathan Crowl

 

 

In the March 2008 Huskers Illustrated Magazine there is a small article that lists All Conference Walk-ons from when Tom Osborne was head coach.

 

It lists 26 first team All Conference players, some more than one year.

Also listed are 4 players as being All American

 

But maybe what is most important of walk-ons to the Husker program is their work ethic, pride, spirit, and determination.

 

One of the players in this photo started as a walkon.

 

 

 

That's a sick photo dude, I love it!! That was one badass d-line!!

 

 

Yeah, but if one didn't know any better, they'd think these guys were members of the Aryan Nation.

Summer practices---in Nebraska---with long hair---mashed in a hot helmet.

[hack]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yeah, but if one didn't know any better, they'd think these guys were members of the Aryan Nation.

 

remember, kids: it's okay to defame and belittle people if you perceive them of being part of a majority.

[rkhufu7]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yeah, but if one didn't know any better, they'd think these guys were members of the Aryan Nation.

 

remember, kids: it's okay to defame and belittle people if you perceive them of being part of a majority.

Majority talk, but prisons are loaded with the minorities! They could also be in boot camp, recent NU defenders have longer hair again.

[Axl_sued_me]

Has there ever been a walk-on who had a impact at skill position like cornerback?

[AR Husker Fan]

Has there ever been a walk-on who had a impact at skill position like cornerback?

Well, running back is considered a skill position, so with the history there (fullbacks, Hipp, etc.), I'd have to say yes.

[HUSKER 37]

Has there ever been a walk-on who had a impact at skill position like cornerback?

Is there anything considered a Non-skill position anymore?

 

Off the top of my head..

 

I.M.Hipp (IB)

Todd Brown (SE) 3 yr starter.

Joel Makovicka (FB)

Jeff Makovicka (FB)

 

Then there's

Monte Cristo (QB) Started a game or two..

Jared Tomich (DE)

Mitch Krenk (TE) and Jim Murphy (DB) the "Lowest of the walkons"

 

Nebraska All-Americans Mike Rozier and Irving Fryer remember laughing at the skinny walk-ons they saw report as freshmen. By the time they were seniors and preparing for their last home game, they weren’t laughing anymore. “Irving and I watched how hard those guys worked,” the Heisman Trophy-winning Rozier said. “We figured if we worked as hard as they did, how much better would we be? Walk-ons set the tone for everyone, including me.”

 

Murphy smiles when he hears the story. “I remember a story about Irving,” he recalls. “One time in practice, Tim Holbrook, another walk-on from my hometown (Lexington), fought through a crack-back block and just decked Irving in practice. Irving looked at our receivers coach (Gene Huey) for sympathy, and Coach Huey looked back at him and said: ‘Irving, welcome to the Big Eight!’”

 

Old article: Chasing a Dream

The University of Nebraska long has had a storied tradition of winning. Since 1969, the program has won at least nine games a season. The Cornhuskers opened a record run of 39 winning seasons — including last fall — in 1962.

 

One of the reasons the Cornhuskers have been so good — so consistent — for so long, is their unique walk-on system. Each year, the coaching staff recruits players from the state to come to the university, not offering scholarships, but instead offering the chance to suit up for the legendary Big 12 program.

 

"When you're growing up in the state of Nebraska, the only (Division I) college team you can root for in the area is the University of Nebraska," said Brian Washington, a defensive graduate assistant for the Cornhuskers. "For some, it would be a dream come true to be part of this program.

 

"We happen to have a lot of guys who would do anything to be part of the Nebraska program. It so happens that these guys are very talented football players. "They would rather walk on here than go play at a Division II or Division III school."

 

The majority of Nebraska's walk-on players don't just show up and ask for a jersey — most are recruited to walk on, and some even sign a letter of intent to play with the Cornhuskers. That, coupled with the 30 to 35 freshmen that show up in the summer, makes for an expansive program with many players eager to shine in the red and white.

 

To get closer to Title IX requirements, Nebraska Athletic Director Bill Byrne has added more sports on the women's side, much as other schools have in the past decade. Of all the schools in the Big 12, Nebraska currently fields the most women's programs.

 

One of Nebraska's best known recent walk-ons is Joel Makovicka, who played extensively for the NFL's Arizona Cardinals in 1999 and 2000, starting the majority of games at fullback. Makovicka wanted to be a Cornhusker, regardless of offers from other schools.

 

Makovicka followed his brother, Jeff, in becoming a Cornhusker. Jeff made the team as a walk-on in 1992, and, partially because of his success, the younger sibling Joel received offers from Division I schools. Still, Joel said he wanted to become a Cornhusker. He walked on, and earned a scholarship after 1995, his first year with the team.

 

"There was always this feeling when you're growing up in Nebraska that if you played good football and would always compete, you would get the chance to play in front of all those people in Lincoln," Makovicka said in a teleconference call from Tempe, Ariz.

 

That is what makes the walk-on program so appealing, according to Washington.

 

"With the knowledge of our coaching staff, if you're fortunate enough to get some playing time as a walk-on, you have a very excellent chance at earning a scholarship," he said.

 

"We usually take 25 who might see action in the games, but some years we've had anywhere from 50 to 75 who see action on the scout team and help out in practice."

 

Perhaps the greatest advantage of the walk-on program is not simply landing players like the Makovickas, who turn out to be stars. The dozens of other walk-ons often make terrific scout team players and help make practices spirited.

 

It's not glamorous.

 

There's the grueling hours of practice and the lonely time spent in the weight room, improving strength that may be useful only when pretending to be the opponent in an arena without fans. For all the glory that a few walk-ons get the opportunity to experience, there are countless who may grow tired of the thankless effort.

 

Tight Competition

 

A quarter-century ago, teams such as Nebraska and Southern Cal would stockpile scholarship athletes and dominate opponents. Scholarship limitations and, to an extent, Title IX helped bring about more parity in big-time college football.

 

Teams such as Virginia Tech and Oregon State have started to flex their muscles.

 

"Right now it's very competitive because you've gone down to 85 scholarships," Curley said. "The talent pool for top people is tight. You've got a lot of schools chasing those people.

 

"As for the parity element, I think it dates back 20 years. When the scholarship limit was gradually reduced, opportunities opened up for schools to improve quickly because other programs had fewer scholarship programs. I think we're seeing that now."

 

But even with the tighter competition, Curley said the opportunities to earn playing time as a walk-on — barring roster cap limitations — may be easier today then several years ago.

 

"In the old days you had 105 scholarships," he said. "It was probably a little harder then because you had 105 guys on scholarships. Now you have 85 scholarship athletes, and somebody that's non-scholarship is going to make the team. It's a little easier with the numbers now because of the limit of 85."

 

One of the reasons walk-ons may have to be limited in football and other men's programs is because of a lack of female walk-ons in their respective sports, which Northwestern's Taylor said seems to be a national trend.

 

"We see it in our intramural programs," he said. "Probably for every 10 guys that go out for something, we probably only have one girl."

 

[father5]

I read an interview with Doug Coleman once who talked about the energy the walk-ons brought to the team. He said for him personally he was in awe of the guys who paid their own way and busted tail day in and day out just to have a chance. He said it really made him work harder to do what he could with his own talent knowing that those guys worked so hard and very few of them actually got significant playing time. The way he talked about it reminded me of how guys looked at Rudy in the movie. That might be sappy, but if he felt that way then that work ethic must have worn off on some of the other guys too.

 

Also, lots of guys who started as walk-ons made their way into starting line-ups and even all conference and all american teams. Some guys just go underappreciated and blossom in college. If you don't have a walk on program like that then you miss out on those few that do hit.

 

It also promotes the team in the far Western part of the state. Cities out there have a better chance of getting hometown boys as walk-ons than as scholarship players. It keeps those smaller towns N.

[DeathCultArmaggedon]

Has there ever been a walk-on who had a impact at skill position like cornerback?

Pat Ricketts was a walk-on who ended up as a permanent fixture on the defense at nickel back. I heard he turned down a scholarship offer after his sophomore year so that someone else could have it because his family is well off and was able to afford tuition easily.

[rkhufu7]

Has there ever been a walk-on who had a impact at skill position like cornerback?

Pat Ricketts was a walk-on who ended up as a permanent fixture on the defense at nickel back. I heard he turned down a scholarship offer after his sophomore year so that someone else could have it because his family is well off and was able to afford tuition easily.

IM Hipp, Matt Turman. You must be a new NU fan, I noticed the "new" guys down the walkon program and emphasize recruiting rankings. NU never had great top 10 classes as a foundation of success.