The 25 best players in Nebraska football history

One of Nebraska’s first true collegiate sports stars, Francis was the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy in 1936. Thanks to his talent for running the football, Francis helped the Cornhuskers win two Big Six championships during his time in Lincoln and was also honored as an All-American. Francis, who also excelled in the shot put for the Cornhuskers track and field program, earned induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1977. 

The first of three Cornhuskers to have his uniform number (No. 60) retired by the school, Novak is the only four-time all-conference selection in the history of the Nebraska program. Nicknamed “Train Wreck,” Novak was a star on both sides of the ball for the Cornhuskers, playing both center and fullback, at times, on offense. His 11 career interceptions are tied for fifth-most in school history and a record for Cornhuskers linebackers. Novak recorded five of those picks during the 1948 campaign.

Also known as “Mr. Touchdown.” A Heisman Trophy finalist in 1950, when he ran for 1,357 yards (ninth-most in school history for a season) and recorded 19 rushing touchdowns (tied for fourth-most), Reynolds remains one of the most popular figures in the history of Nebraska football. While some health issues hampered his final two seasons for the Cornhuskers, Reynolds’s 2,196 career rushing yards still rank among the top 30 in school history. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1984.

Brown joins Tom Novak as another Cornhusker to have his jersey number (No. 64) retired by the school. A unanimous All-American in 1963, Brown was a huge physical presence for the time, checking in at 6-foot-5, 260 pounds. While he’s long been considered one of the great offensive guards of his era, Brown also played some linebacker at Nebraska, recording 49 tackles and an interception. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1993.

While Bob Brown was a dominant fixture on the Nebraska offensive in the 1960s, Newton was the man in the later portion of the decade and into the 1970s. After spending his first two years at a California junior college, Newton landed in Lincoln. With the Cornhuskers, he made an immediate impact up front. In his final 1970 season, Newton was named a first-team All-American by The Associated Press and helped Nebraska, backed by an offense that averaged 421.1 total yards, win its first national championship.

The undisputed star of Nebraska’s “Blackshirts” defense that helped the Cornhuskers win back-to-back national championships in 1970 and ’71. The two-time All-American was the first Nebraska player to win the Outland Trophy (1971), presented to the nation’s top interior lineman, when he recorded 73 tackles, including 28 solos and 12 tackles for loss. That came a season after Jacobson posted 49 tackles, 33 solos, with nine tackles and three fumble recoveries.

In 1972, Glover became the first Nebraska player to win both the Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award, initially given to the country’s top lineman, but since has included all positions. He also finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting that season while recording 100 tackles, including 52 solos, and nine for loss. A teammate of Larry Jacobson, Glover was also an All-American and the defensive heart and soul of the Cornhuskers’ 1971 and ’72 national title squads. In 1971, in a 35-31 victory over rival Oklahoma, known as the famed “Game of the Century,” Glover was credited with 22 tackles.  For his career, the College Football Hall of Famer recorded 211 tackles, 25 for loss.

Another defensive standout for those dominant Cornhuskers teams of the early 1970s. Harper earned various All-American honors in both 1971 and ’72 after he was named Big 8 Conference Sophomore Lineman of the Year in ’70. For this stellar collegiate career in Lincoln, Harper totaled 182 tackles, including 93 solos and 41 that went for a loss. Entering the 2022 season, Harper’s tackle-for-loss career total tied for sixth-most at Nebraska. 

Rodgers has a spot on the Mount Rushmore of Nebraska football and is considered among the greatest offensive players in college football history. The pride of Omaha, the versatile Rodgers was Nebraska’s first Heisman Trophy winner. He won it in 1972, when he caught 58 passes for 1,013 yards and nine touchdowns and also ran 73 times for 348 with 10 scores. During the Cornhuskers’ 40-6 rout of Notre Dame in Orange Bowl to conclude that season, Rodgers had three rushing TDs, recorded a 50-yard touchdown reception, and threw a 54-yard touchdown pass. Rodgers ranks second in school history with 5,586 career all-purpose yards, is Nebraska’s leader with 25 career receiving touchdowns and No. 1 with 10 all-time 100-yard receiving games. Rodgers, also one of the nation’s top return men as his 72-yard punt-return touchdown in the 1971 “Game of the Century” can attest,” is a College Football Hall of Famer, who joined Tom Novak and Bob Brown as the only Cornhuskers to have their numbers retired.

Rimington was the second Cornhusker to win both the Lombardi Award and Outland Trophy, In fact, Rimington won the Outland Trophy in 1981 and ’82. Rimington and Orlando Pace are the only players in college football history to win the two awards a combined three times. He was also named UPI Lineman of the Year in ’82 when he finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy race. Rimington’s perfect combination of size, strength, and intelligence has many college football historians and analysts believing he is the greatest center in the history of the sport. Currently, the honor given to the nation’s top center is the Rimington Trophy. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1997.

Nebraska has traditionally been a run-first program, but when the Cornhuskers were throwing the ball during the early 1980s, notably by Turner Gill, it was usually headed in Fryar’s direction. He was a consensus All-American in 1983 while setting career highs of 40 receptions, 780 receiving yards, and eight touchdowns. For his career, Fryar totaled 67 catches for 1,196 yards with 11 touchdowns. He also ran for 603 career yards and five touchdowns before being drafted No. 1 overall by the New England Patriots in the 1984 NFL Draft.

Another winner of both the Lombardi Award and Outland Trophy, Steinkuhler received both in 1983, when he was also named UPI Lineman of the Year. At 6-foot-3 and playing in the neighborhood of 275 pounds, Steinkuhler’s work on the inside of the Cornhuskers’ offensive line was a big reason running back Mike Rozier ran for more than 2,100 yards and won the Heisman Trophy in ’83. When playing alongside the aforementioned Dave Rimington, there still might not be a better O-line tandem in college football history. And yes, the College Football Hall of Famer was the Cornhusker who picked up quarterback Turner Gill’s intentional fumble and rambled 19 yards for a touchdown against Miami, Fla., during the 1984 Orange Bowl, better known as the “Fumblerooski.”

There’s certainly a case to be made that Rozier is the greatest player in the storied history of Nebraska football. Rozier, who played his freshman season at a Kansas junior college, is the school’s all-time leading rusher with 4,780 yards. He ran up 2,148 of those yards during his Heisman Trophy-winning season of 1983 when the consensus All-American also ran for a school-record 29 touchdowns. Rozier’s 49 career rushing touchdowns rank second all-time in Nebraska history. However, Rozier never won a national title with the Cornhuskers, but was injured during their 31-30 loss to Miami, Fla., in the 1984 Orange Bowl, which was for the championship.

Shields carried the Nebraska tradition of great offensive linemen into the 1990s and was the fifth Nebraska player to win the Outland Trophy, doing so in 1992. He’s also one of six Cornhuskers linemen to be named a three-time All-Conference performer. After making an impact in nine games as a true freshman, a big deal at Nebraska, Shields was the first Cornhuskers sophomore since Dave Rimington be earn first-team All-Big Eight honors. He was inducted into the College Hall of Fame in 2011.

Before Alberts became the athletic director at Nebraska in 2021, he was one of college football’s all-time great defensive players. He’s the only Cornhusker to win the Butkus Award, presented annually to the nation’s top linebacker. That came in 1993 when he was a consensus All-American while recording 15 sacks — tying a school single-season record — and 21 tackles for loss. The College Football Hall of Famer is the school’s all-time leader with 29 1/2 sacks and ranks fourth with 45 tackles for loss.

Another Outland Trophy winner for the Huskers and a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. A three-year starter at right tackle, Wiegert allowed just one sack during his 46-game career with the Cornhuskers. During his 1994 Outland-winning season, the three-time All-Big Eight performer was credited with 113 pancake blocks en route to also claiming UPI Lineman of the Year honors. He was a consensus All-American and had his jersey retired by the school.

Frazier joined Jerry Tagge as the only quarterbacks in school history (and among five total all-time nationally since the 1950s) to lead his team to back-to-back national championships. Frazier accomplished that feat in his final two collegiate seasons. Despite dealing with health issues in 1994, he rallied the Cornhuskers to beat the Miami, Fla., in the Orange Bowl to claim the title. The next season, Frazier was a Heisman Trophy finalist, throwing for 1,362 yards with 17 touchdowns and four interceptions while gaining 604 on the ground with 14 scores, while earning consensus All-American and Big Eight Offensive Player of the Year honors. Frazier, who threw for more than 3,500 yards — with 43 TDs — and ran for nearly 2,000 in his career, is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and had his Nebraska jersey retired.

In 1997, Taylor became the seventh different Nebraska lineman to win the Outland Trophy. Taylor also earned All-American recognition in 1996 and ’97. The College Football Hall of Famer is the only Cornhusker to earn such an honor at two different positions. Taylor started his career began at left guard as a sophomore before accepting the task of playing center in the next season, then moving back to guard for his senior campaign. During Taylor’s collegiate career, Nebraska went 49-2 and was recognized as national champion in 1994, ’95, and ’97. 

Wistrom made dominating opposing blockers look easy. One of the greats in the game, and a College Football Hall of Famer, Wistrom was a major part of those three Nebraska national championship teams from 1994, ’95, and ’97. In addition to winning the Lombardi Award in 1997, Wistrom was a two-time consensus All-American and Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year — both in 1996 and ’97. He’s the Cornhuskers’ all-time leader with 58 1/2 tackles or loss and ranks second with 26 1/2 sacks.

Raiola is the first, and as of the 2022 season, the only Nebraska player to win the Rimington Trophy (from 2000), honoring the country’s top collegiate center and named for the Cornhuskers legend. Raiola was the first true Nebraska freshman offensive lineman to start since 1991. When his time at Nebraska came to an end, Raiola was a two-time, first-team All-Big 12 selection and consensus All-American. He was also a finalist for both the Lombardi Award and Outland Trophy in 2000.

Nebraska’s most recent Heisman Trophy winner, Crouch claimed the coveted award in 2001, when he threw for 1,510 yards and ran for 1,115 with 18 touchdowns — 11 more TDs than he threw that season. For his career, Crouch ran for 3,434 yards, the most by any Nebraska quarterback and the fourth-highest total in school history. His 59 career rushing touchdowns are also the most by any Cornhusker at any position. Crouch’s 7,915 total yards of offense ranks fourth among all Cornhuskers. A two-time Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year (1999, 2001), Crouch was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2020.

When it comes to finding the ball carrier, nobody at Nebraska has made more tackles than Ruud’s 432 for a career. Ruud might not be as decorated as others on this list, but the effort he gave as a Cornhusker won’t soon be forgotten. A first-team All-Big Ten performer in 2004, Ruud ranks first in school history with 218 solo tackles, and his 16 against Kansas State are still a single-game high. Ruud is also among the school’s all-time leaders with 50 tackles for loss.

When it comes to memorable individual seasons in the history of college football, the 2009 performance from Suh remains one of the ages. Suh led the Cornhuskers in tackles (85), tackles for loss (24) and sacks (12). He also blocked three kicks and broke up 10 passes as the most dominant defender in the college game at the time. He was named College Football Player of the Year by The Associated Press and won just about every major national defensive award. For his career at Nebraska, Suh is second in school history with 57 tackles for loss and tied for fourth with 24 sacks.

After David’s collegiate career began at Fort Scott Community College in Kansas, he made the most of his two seasons with the Cornhuskers. David recorded 285 career tackles, the fourth-most in school history. Of those tackles, 149 were of the solo variety (sixth-mouth at Nebraska) 28 went for a loss. In 2010, David was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year when he posted a school-record 152 tackles. Then, after the Cornhuskers switched conferences, he was tabbed Big Ten Linebacker of the Year one season later. 

Abdullah never received the national accolades like most others on this list, but he certainly left his mark on the Cornhuskers’ football program. He ranks second in Nebraska history with 4,588 rushing yards, joining Mike Rozier as the only Cornhuskers to top the 4,000-yard mark. His 39 rushing TDs also rank fifth in school history. An All-Big Ten first-teamer, Abdullah twice ran for more than 1,600 yards in a season (2013, ’14) and averaged 24.9 yards per punt return and 10.2 per kick return while returning two for touchdowns during his career.