Dirk Article - This Generation needs a signature season

When I moved to Wisconsin in the mid-80s, the Packers were pretty much at their lowest ebb. It's probably the closest comparison I have. By this point they were 15-20 years removed from Lombardi and becoming something of a joke. There was always a lot of talk about the storied history and folklore around them, but they were an on field mess for a very long time. There were a lot of very sad middle aged people and their kids who went to school with me were becoming Bears fans. People can go on about Favre endlessly, but he pretty much did save them from irrelevance.

Obviously the NFL is different, but that's a fan base that really lives/dies with their team and certainly mediocrity was something they had trouble getting used to.

I came up with the 80s Huskers at the same time, so I only knew winning..... but I also only knew losing to Oklahoma and losing bowl games for a long time. I remember thinking THAT was frustrating.... I'd take one of those 10-2 years with a Sugar Bowl or Fiesta Bowl appearance in a heartbeat these days.

 
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Good article by Dirk. I think he pretty much hits the nail on the head. But it's not only the 25 and under crowd I'm worried about, even if they are the most important to get re-engaged to the football program. Hell I'm 53 and just started paying attention in the early 70's when we had our first 2 titles. I lived through the can't beat Oklahoma, can't beat the Florida teams, can't win the big one disappointments. I attended UNL during the scoring explosion years. And I, someone who experienced all of the greatness of this program, am beginning to get disinterested. Imagine how hard it is for a 30 year old who has never experienced the dominance we used to show on the field. 2 or 3 losses in a season is about the worst this program ever knew from 1970 until 2001. During that time though we were always in the picture, one big game away from something special, or at the pinnacle or waiting to get over the hump. We were relevant.

And then the debacle in Boulder. That was absolutely the turning point for this program. I know it was for me because I was at that game and I've never been the same since. Our mojo evaporated like spit on a hot tin roof and it has not returned in 15 years. The hope is still there but it fades a little further with every season of irrelevance that passes. Dirk couldn't be more right, this program needs a signature season, hell a signature win, more than it ever has in the last 50 years. I fear that it is getting dreadfully close to not being able to be resurrected. There is a reason Minnesota (as an example) is Minnesota. They lost a generation or more of fans. We're getting scarily close.

 
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