Oh, sure, there was some golf played Friday when more than 150 former Nebraska football players got together for a tournament at HiMark Golf Course.
But matching every good shot was probably at least one story. A story about your family, about the team you played with and the one playing at Memorial Stadium on Saturday.
A few guys looked the part of a golfer well (Barrett Ruud), while others admitted this annual tournament before the Spring Game is only time they play.
The golfers spanned several decades, from Larry Frost (letterman from 1967 to 1969) to Cory Ross (2002-05) to Joe Ganz (2006-08).
Tom Osborne was there, and Bo Pelini worked through the crowd, shaking hands with players of all ages and sharing laughs.
Steve Runty from Omaha, who lettered at quarterback, says former players feel welcome around the program. Runty’s son, Jay, also played quarterback at Nebraska before transferring to UNO.
Seeing old teammates and those from other teams brings back memories. Runty came to Nebraska as a walk-on from Ogallala and played at Nebraska from 1969 to 73, when NU won two national titles.
Runty was the scout team quarterback his first few years, and says he got pretty good at running the wishbone offense that Oklahoma brought to town. In his final game, Runty came off the bench to help NU beat Texas in the 1974 Cotton Bowl.
A neat moment came when Runty went on scholarship after his sophomore year.
“My dad was a school teacher, and the only thing I remember is when I called home and said, “Hey, Dad, they just told me they’re going to pay for school,’ and the other end was silent,” Runty said. “He couldn’t even get the words out.”
Another fond memory for Runty is when he got to start at quarterback the opening game of his senior year, which also happened to be Osborne’s first game as head coach.
“I was playing behind Dave Humm, and he got hurt three days before our first game,” Runty said. “UCLA came in and they were supposed to kick our butts; they had such a great team, but we beat them 40-13, and I’m standing on the sidelines and this guy sticks a microphone in my face and says, ‘You’ve just been named player of the game.’ My dad was standing there and tears were just coming down his eyes.”
Some of the more recent players were discussing the news this week that Omaha will have a team this fall in the United Football League, which touts itself as a developmental league for the NFL.
Receiver Nate Swift, who was on the Jacksonville Jaguars’ practice squad part of last season, says he made the decision three weeks ago to quit playing and will probably stick with that. He’s looking for jobs in Lincoln in the construction and pharmaceutical fields.
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