Book Description

Go Big Red covers Nebraska football in a way no other publication has, with personality profiles, anecdotes, and original research, as well as questions of fact and trivia, some of which will test even the most devoted and knowledgeable Cornhusker fans. Nebraska has enjoyed thirty-six consecutive winning seasons, made twenty-nine consecutive bowl appearances, and won five national championships. During that time, the Cornhuskers have had just two head coaches, Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne. Without question, this is the golden era of Cornhusker football, and Go Big Red is a celebration of that indisputable fact. It is much more than a trivia book--it goes beyond the hefty and comprehensive media guides published each season by the Nebraska Sports Information Office. There is a section devoted to the best of Broderick Thomas, the loquacious outside linebacker. And there are also some things you won't remember, or things you might not have known. Can you name all of the assistant coaches on Osborne's first staff in 1973? Can you list Nebraska's starters for the 1941 Rose Bowl game? Do you know how the "Blackshirt" tradition began? Devaney was a master storyteller, and the book includes a humorous story or two of his. The program became a haven for walk-ons under Osborne, and the book includes an all-walk-on team. Cornhusker football was king long ago. And this book offers insight into that past glory, achieved by the likes of "Jumbo" Stiehm, Ed Weir, and Guy Chamberlin. All-American Trev Albert, the Butkus Award winner in 1993, has expressed the meaning of Cornhusker football in the introduction, which is an integral part of the book's experience. Reading Go Big Red isn't the same as sitting in Memorial Stadium, awash in red on game day. But it's the next best thing.