Well you know it was going to happen sometime

[cubhusker23]

I hear Lawrence Phillips will be there, and he's gonna punch a girl in the face, just for old times sake.

[formerfan]

Maybe these guys could suit up????

 

I would love to be there just to see that tribute, and OU week is as good as any

[Eric the Red]

1995 Huskers still amaze former NU assistants

 

BY BRIAN CHRISTOPHERSON / Lincoln Journal Star

Friday, Oct 28, 2005 - 02:04:42 am CDT

 

Many Saturdays have passed, but Charlie McBride can occasionally still hear Christian screaming.

 

Screaming foul words. Loving words. Words that penetrated walls and bounded through sweat-scented stadium hallways. Christian Peter could make the most stalwart men cry with his words.

 

“Sometimes, Tom (Osborne) and I would stand outside the locker room and have to plug our ears,” McBride says. “I’ll leave it at that.”

 

All these Saturdays gone and Milt Tenopir still remembers the Mexican food.

 

Standing on a football field in Arizona, Tenopir was wondering if his boys maybe ate too many enchiladas before the biggest game of their lives.

 

It’s funny now. But just before Nebraska kicked the alligator skin off of Florida for a national championship, the Husker offensive line coach’s pressing thought was this: Are my guys too fat?

 

Each of his linemen had gained about 10 pounds in the weeks leading up to the Fiesta Bowl.

 

“When they came to me stretching, all lathered up, I didn’t know if they might make it through a quarter,” Tenopir says.

 

All the enchiladas in Arizona couldn’t have slowed down the Nebraska football team in 1995. Every now and again, a team reaches a plateau of dominance rarely visited. That was the Huskers 10 years ago.

 

“One of the best defenses I’ve ever been around,” says McBride, the team’s defensive coordinator. “It wasn’t one guy making a tackle. It was five or six guys all the time. And our offensive line, whew. …”

 

Adds Tenopir: “Those kids were just tougher than hell.”

 

Those kids are now men, with families, 9-to-5 jobs, receding hairlines and potbellies.

 

During Saturday’s game against Oklahoma, as part of the team’s 10-year reunion, they’ll step on the Memorial Stadium field again and hear the crowd roar.

 

If they wanted a full re-enactment of how it was, they’d line up the first-teamers and have them go at it until someone is screaming, bleeding, or both.

 

“That year, every practice was the game,” McBride says. “Tom would have to sometimes come running across the field saying, ‘Let’s slow this down’. Pro scouts who came around would say they’ve never seen people practice as physical as we did.”

 

The scouts might have been talking about the coaches as much as the players.

 

Tenopir laughs. “Charlie and I had to be separated a few times.”

 

Such tenacity produced football magic even in the presence of some self-inflicted off-field distractions. The closest game the Huskers had in ’95 was 14 points against Washington State.

 

To Husker fans it was great, if not a bit haunting. Nebraska might win another national championship some day, but it likely will never win one with such dominance.

 

Tenopir and McBride, of course, are no longer on the Husker coaching staff. New minds with new coaching philosophies are deciding Nebraska’s fortunes.

 

These days, Tenopir watches the home games casually from the Memorial Stadium press box and McBride from his recliner in Arizona.

 

Even all those miles away, McBride says the butterflies still find their way to his stomach as kickoff approaches.

 

“I know those coaches there well enough that I’m concerned about them,” McBride says. “I know how it was when I was there. Sometimes it can be rough. Sometimes it can be tough on your family. When you’re winning, it’s not so bad. But if you’re not. ...”

 

McBride and Tenopir have been vocal supporters of the new coaching staff, especially second-year head coach Bill Callahan, who is 10-8 while in charge of the Huskers.

 

“Bill’s done a heckuva job,” Tenopir says. “What were our 5- and 6-yard runs are their 5-yard passes. And what were our no gains are their incompletions. It’s a different deal and people have a hard time accepting the fact that it’s a new regime, but they’re going to move the ball the new way. I love the hell out of (Bill).”

 

McBride gives equally glowing comments for the defense despite its lackluster showing in a 41-24 loss to Missouri last week.

 

“I think in (Bill’s) first year you had some players who were maybe complacent and not sure about things with the changes and all that crazy stuff,” McBride says. “But it’s a whole new can of worms this year. They’re really a team. You can sense it. They’re working as hard in their practices as we did back in ’95.”

 

Tenopir believes the Huskers are just two or three players away from stepping closer to where they were 10 years ago.

 

“It took the Christian Peters and Grant Wistroms of the world, the Zach Wiegerts and Brenden Stais. They gave each other tremendous competition,” Tenopir says of those Huskers of yesteryear. “There was a tremendous amount of pride with those guys and there’s pride involved at Nebraska right now. I see it.

 

“You just have to have some kids take things by the horns and say, ‘Dammit, this is Nebraska.’ ”

 

Reach Brian Christopherson at 473-7438 or bchristopherson@journalstar.com.

[formerfan]

1995 Huskers still amaze former NU assistants

 

BY BRIAN CHRISTOPHERSON / Lincoln Journal Star

Friday, Oct 28, 2005 - 02:04:42 am CDT 

 

Many Saturdays have passed, but Charlie McBride can occasionally still hear Christian screaming.

 

Screaming foul words. Loving words. Words that penetrated walls and bounded through sweat-scented stadium hallways. Christian Peter could make the most stalwart men cry with his words.

 

“Sometimes, Tom (Osborne) and I would stand outside the locker room and have to plug our ears,” McBride says. “I’ll leave it at that.”

 

All these Saturdays gone and Milt Tenopir still remembers the Mexican food.

 

Standing on a football field in Arizona, Tenopir was wondering if his boys maybe ate too many enchiladas before the biggest game of their lives.

 

It’s funny now. But just before Nebraska kicked the alligator skin off of Florida for a national championship, the Husker offensive line coach’s pressing thought was this: Are my guys too fat?

 

Each of his linemen had gained about 10 pounds in the weeks leading up to the Fiesta Bowl.

 

“When they came to me stretching, all lathered up, I didn’t know if they might make it through a quarter,” Tenopir says.

 

All the enchiladas in Arizona couldn’t have slowed down the Nebraska football team in 1995. Every now and again, a team reaches a plateau of dominance rarely visited. That was the Huskers 10 years ago.

 

“One of the best defenses I’ve ever been around,” says McBride, the team’s defensive coordinator. “It wasn’t one guy making a tackle. It was five or six guys all the time. And our offensive line, whew. …”

 

Adds Tenopir: “Those kids were just tougher than hell.”

 

Those kids are now men, with families, 9-to-5 jobs, receding hairlines and potbellies.

 

During Saturday’s  game against Oklahoma, as part of the team’s 10-year reunion, they’ll step on the Memorial Stadium field again and hear the crowd roar.

 

If they wanted a full re-enactment of how it was, they’d line up the first-teamers and have them go at it until someone is screaming, bleeding, or both.

 

“That year, every practice was the game,” McBride says. “Tom would have to sometimes come running across the field saying, ‘Let’s slow this down’. Pro scouts who came around would say they’ve never seen people practice as physical as we did.”

 

The scouts might have been talking about the coaches as much as the players.

 

Tenopir laughs. “Charlie and I had to be separated a few times.”

 

Such tenacity produced football magic even in the presence of some self-inflicted off-field distractions. The closest game the Huskers had in ’95 was 14 points against Washington State.

 

To Husker fans it was great, if not a bit haunting. Nebraska might win another national championship some day, but it likely will never win one with such dominance.

 

Tenopir and McBride, of course, are no longer on the Husker coaching staff. New minds with new coaching philosophies are deciding Nebraska’s fortunes.

 

These days, Tenopir watches the home games casually from the Memorial Stadium press box and McBride from his recliner in Arizona.

 

Even all those miles away, McBride says the butterflies still find their way to his stomach as kickoff approaches.

 

“I know those coaches there well enough that I’m concerned about them,” McBride says. “I know how it was when I was there. Sometimes it can be rough. Sometimes it can be tough on your family. When you’re winning, it’s not so bad. But if you’re not. ...”

 

McBride and Tenopir have been vocal supporters of the new coaching staff, especially second-year head coach Bill Callahan, who is 10-8 while in charge of the Huskers.

 

“Bill’s done a heckuva job,” Tenopir says. “What were our 5- and 6-yard runs are their 5-yard passes. And what were our no gains are their incompletions. It’s a different deal and people have a hard time accepting the fact that it’s a new regime, but they’re going to move the ball the new way. I love the hell out of (Bill).”

 

McBride gives equally glowing comments for the defense despite its lackluster showing in a 41-24 loss to Missouri last week.

 

“I think in (Bill’s) first year you had some players who were maybe complacent and not sure about things with the changes and all that crazy stuff,” McBride says. “But it’s a whole new can of worms this year. They’re really a team. You can sense it. They’re working as hard in their practices as we did back in ’95.”

 

Tenopir believes the Huskers are just two or three players away from stepping closer to where they were 10 years ago.

 

“It took the Christian Peters and Grant Wistroms of the world, the Zach Wiegerts and Brenden Stais. They gave each other tremendous competition,” Tenopir says of those Huskers of yesteryear. “There was a tremendous amount of pride with those guys and there’s pride involved at Nebraska right now. I see it.

 

“You just have to have some kids take things by the horns and say, ‘Dammit, this is Nebraska.’ ”

 

Reach Brian Christopherson at 473-7438 or bchristopherson@journalstar.com.

Damn, gave me chills just reading about the 95 Huskers, and how much pride and heart they had, truly awesome!!!!!!!

[chuckd]

I hear Lawrence Phillips will be there, and he's gonna punch a girl in the face, just for old times sake.

 

That shouldn't be so funny...but it is. Lawrence could have been a great rb in the NFL, just couldn't keep his head on straight. Now he has resorted to playing pick up games with teenagers and then running them over. This dude has issues. But dang could he run.

[Eric the Red]

Did they show anything on tv about the '95 team. An interview with any of the players?? Osborne??

[nu4everfan15]

they had a lil clip on the ketv website i saw...

[Pedro Guerrero]

Old Christian sure had lost a lot of weight since he stopped playing. I didn't know Abdul Muhumad(sp) was out of jail but they announced his name. Out of all the highlights they showed there wasn't a single one of LP. There were a few Farrely though.

[DJR313]

Old Christian sure had lost a lot of weight since he stopped playing. I didn't know Abdul Muhumad(sp) was out of jail but they announced his name. Out of all the highlights they showed there wasn't a single one of LP. There were a few Farrely though.

I didn't think Abdul Muhammad was on the 95 team, i thought he was just on the 94 team? I didn't remember hearing his name.

[ghubbster]

I love the fact they had the tribute to the 95 team, wish I could have been there to see it. I think they 95 could have been a distraction to the players. I mean think of it, your playing now, you see the awsome team higlights of 95, and then you think for a moment... We have lost every record the previous two decades of Husker players produced. I am not intending to knock our players this year, I just am thinking of it form their perspective. THe Seniors have been on a team that has plummeted in standing and ability. It has to be frustrating for them. I just don't think they will be able to look back on their Husker careers with the same pride as previous teams. It is really sad for them. THese kids do have a lot of heart though they keep fighting, they just need a lot more talent and speed.