1997 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team

American college football season February 2026 August 2023 1997 Nebraska Cornhuskers football Nebraska Cornhuskers logo, 1992–2003.svg 150 Big 12 Conference North Division Big 12 1 2 13–0 8–0 Tom Osborne 25th I formation Charlie McBride 17th 4–3 Memorial Stadium Coaches Poll national championBig 12 championBig 12 North Division championOrange Bowl champion Big 12 Championship Game W 54–15 vs. Texas A&M Orange Bowl (BA NCG) W 42–17 vs. Tennessee The 1997 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the 1997 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was led by 25th-year head coach Tom Osborne and played their home games in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska. The Cornhuskers competed as members of the Big 12 Conference in the league's second year of existence. The Cornhuskers compiled a perfect 13–0 record and claimed their third national championship in four years. Nebraska was ranked first in the final Coaches Poll of the year, but was ranked second behind Michigan (also undefeated, at 12–0) in the final AP Poll. Of the 20 official championship selectors designated by the NCAA, 13 selected Nebraska as national champions, six selected Michigan, and one declared them co-champions.http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2017/FBS.pdf 2017 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records The National Collegiate Athletic Association July 2017 Indianapolis June 11, 2019 115 It remains one of the most hotly contested national championship debates in college football history.https://bleacherreport.com/articles/227560-1997-the-great-debate 1997 The Great Debate Bleacher Report Tim Ogden July 30, 2009 Nebraska secured their first Big 12 Conference championship by defeating Texas A&M by a score of 54–15 in the Big 12 Championship Game. Nebraska had been upset by Texas in the inaugural Big 12 Championship Game in 1996. The season ended with a 42–17 victory over No. 3 Tennessee in the 1998 Orange Bowl for their fourth consecutive major bowl victory. The Nebraska offense, which led the country in scoring, was led by quarterback Scott Frost and running back Ahman Green. Frost became just the tenth player in college football history to both pass and run for 1,000 yards. Green finished second in the country in rushing yards with 1,877 yards, and tied for third in touchdowns with 22.https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/years/1997.html 1997 College Football Year Summary Sports-Reference.com June 11, 2019 Offensive lineman Aaron Taylor was named a consensus All-American and was the recipient of the Outland Trophy. The Cornhusker defense was anchored by All-American defensive linemen Jason Peter and Grant Wistrom, winner of the Lombardi Award. Head coach Tom Osborne announced after the regular season that the Orange Bowl would be his final game as head coach. He retired as Nebraska's all-time winningest coach, and was sixth in wins all-time in major college football history at the time of his retirement.https://www.nytimes.com/1997/12/11/sports/college-football-after-25-seasons-osborne-to-retire.html After 25 seasons, Osborne to retire Malcolm Moran December 11, 1997 The New York Times Schedule 1997 AP Central August 30 1:00 pm w y 6 Akron Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE 59–14 75,124 September 13 12:30 pm w y 6 UCF Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE 38–24 75,327 September 20 2:30 pm w y y 7 Washington 2 Husky Stadium Seattle, WA ABC 27–14 74,023 October 4 6:00 pm w 3 Kansas State 17 Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE rivalry FSN 56–26 75,856 October 11 6:00 pm w y 3 Baylor Floyd Casey Stadium Waco, TX 49–21 38,175 October 18 12:30 pm w y 2 Texas Tech Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE 29–0 75,764 October 25 6:00 pm w y 1 Kansas Memorial Stadium Lawrence, KS rivalry FSN 35–0 42,000 November 1 2:30 pm w 1 Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE rivalry ABC 69–7 75,926 November 8 2:30 pm w y 1 Missouri Faurot Field Columbia, MO Flea Kicker, rivalry ABC 45–38 OT 66,846 November 15 11:30 am w 3 Iowa State Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE rivalry FSN 77–14 75,613 November 28, 1997 1:30 pm w y 2 Colorado Folsom Field Boulder, CO rivalry ABC 27–24 52,738 December 6 3:30 pm w y 2 Texas A&M 14 Alamodome San Antonio, TX Big 12 Championship Game ABC 54–15 64,824 January 2, 1998, 1998 7:00 pm w y y 2 Tennessee 3 Pro Player Stadium Miami Gardens, Florida Orange Bowl, College GameDay CBS 42–17 74,002 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-kansas-city-star-tie-tle-huskers-m/152117833/ The Kansas City Star Tie-tle; Huskers, Michigan are co-champions January 3, 1998 July 27, 2024 Newspapers.com Rankings 1997 NCAA Division I-A football rankings AP 0 17 6 6 6 6 7 3 3 3 2 1 1 1 3 3 2 2 2 2 Coaches 0 17 6 6 5 6 3 3 3 2 1 1 1 3 3 2 2 2 1 Game summaries Akron Akron at Nebraska Akron Nebraska 0 0 7 7 14 24 14 7 1997-08-30 Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska CST 75,126 UCF UCF at Nebraska UCF Nebraska 7 10 0 7 0 14 17 7 1997-09-13 Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska CST 75,327 Washington Nebraska at Washington Nebraska Washington 14 7 0 6 0 7 7 0 1997-09-20 Husky Stadium, Seattle CST 74,023 Kansas State Kansas State at Nebraska Kansas State Nebraska 6 0 6 14 10 10 21 15 1997-10-04 Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska CST 75,856 Baylor Nebraska at Baylor Nebraska Baylor 14 28 7 0 7 0 0 14 1997-10-11 Floyd Casey Stadium, Waco, Texas CST 38,175 Texas Tech Texas Tech at Nebraska Texas Tech Nebraska 0 0 0 0 3 10 9 7 1997-10-18 Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska CST 75,764 Kansas Nebraska at Kansas Nebraska Kansas 7 14 0 14 0 0 0 0 1997-10-25 University of Kansas Memorial Stadium, Lawrence, Kansas CST 75,764 Oklahoma Oklahoma at Nebraska Oklahoma Nebraska 0 0 7 0 20 14 21 14 1997-11-01 Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska CST 75,926 Missouri Nebraska at Missouri Nebraska Missouri 14 7 7 10 7 7 17 7 7 0 1997-11-08 Faurot Field, Columbia, Missouri CST 66,846 Iowa State Iowa State at Nebraska Iowa State Nebraska 7 0 0 7 35 28 7 7 1997-11-15 Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska CST 75,613 Colorado Nebraska at Colorado Nebraska Colorado 3 7 17 0 0 3 7 14 1997-11-28 Folsom Field, Boulder, Colorado CST 52,738 Texas A&M Texas A&M vs Nebraska Texas A&M Nebraska 0 3 0 12 16 21 3 14 1997-12-06 Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas CST 64,824 Tennessee Tennessee vs Nebraska Tennessee Nebraska 0 3 6 8 7 7 21 7 1998-01-02 Pro Player Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida CST 72,385 Personnel Roster 1997 Nebraska Cornhuskers y Dan Alexander 38 IB RF y Dan Alexander (Arena football) Steve Altstadt OL F Eric Anderson 70 OT S Travis Antholz 94 TE SO Sean Applegate 82 WB SO Matt Baldwin 52 C SO Sasho Becvarovski 76 OG RF Tom Beveridge 20 SE RF Lance Brown 14 WB J Correll Buckhalter 36 IB F y Tim Carpenter 90 TE S Kenny Cheatham 6 SE J Monte Christo 9 QB J Jeff Clausen 68 OT SO Josh Cobb 42 FB J Ben Cornelsen WB F Tyler Cotten 92 WB F Eric Crouch 11 QB F y Matt Davison 3 SE F T.J. DeBates 85 TE SO Luke Denney 26 SE F Billy Diekmann 55 OT RF J.R. Edwards 2 SE SO DeAngelo Evans 4 IB SO Demond Finister 12 WB SO Craig Fischer 83 SE SO Pat Friesen 29 SE F Scott Frost 7 QB S y Paul Fujan 84 WB F Lonnie Fulton 74 OT SO Mike Gentile 10 SE RF Ben Gessford 72 OG J John Gibson 8 WB RF Marcus Giles 27 IB F Nick Gragert 46 FB F Ahman Green 30 IB J y Mike Green 46 OL F Billy Haafke 80 SE J Aaron Havlovic 78 OG SO Kyle Henson 51 OT J Josh Heskew 59 C J Russ Hochstein 75 OG RF y Matt Hoskinson 62 OG S Sheldon Jackson 88 TE J Vershan Jackson 34 TE S Marcus Johnson 56 OG SO Nate Johnson 18 SE F Jordan Jones WB F Adam Julch 69 OT SO Ben Kingston 22 FB SO Chad Kobus 87 TE SO Kyle Kollmorgen 76 OL F Jeff (Robert) Lake 89 SE S Billy Legate 40 FB J Frankie London 1 QB SO Joel Makovicka 45 FB J y Jake McKee 41 TE RF Willie Miller 32 FB RF John Murphy 81 TE F Bobby Newcombe 12 QB/WB F Jason Olnes 37 IB SO Hank Piening 36 IB RF Fred Pollack 73 OT S Ryan Preister 57 OT F Dominic Raiola 58 C F y Buck Rasmussen OL F Dorrick Roy 86 TE J Jay Runty 16 QB RF Jon Rutherford 50 OG F Chris Saalfeld 79 OG RF Matt Schoening 21 FB RF Jason Schwab 65 OT SO Doug Seaman 54 C S James Sherman 63 OG SO James Sims 31 IB S Travis Soucie 25 IB RF Jeremy Stanislav 43 FB RF Jim Tansey 95 OT SO Aaron Taylor 67 OG S Mike Van Cleave 71 OT S Casey Vanderhoef 26 WB F Dave Volk 57 OL F Brandt Wade 61 OG J Dan White 24 IB F Sean Wieting 33 WB S Shevin Wiggins 5 WB SO Chad Wiles 3 QB RF Tracey Wistrom 81 TE F Jon Zatechka 64 OG S Derek Allen 95 DT SO Luis Almanzar 89 DT RF Josh Anderson 28 CB RF Erick Arens 40 WLB SO Rod Baker 36 WLB F Chris Bassett 87 RE S Jason Benes 24 CB S Mic Boettner 7 DB F Dion Booker 14 DB F Mike Brown 21 ROV SO y Mike Brown (safety) Ralph Brown 22 CB SO y Ralph Brown (cornerback) Ben Buettenback 39 MLB SO Grant Bunton 56 LB F Jamie Burrow 48 LB F Jon Coyne 15 LB F Chris Deitloff 54 SLB F Damian Demps DB F George Dittrick 17 ROV RF Brandon Drum 58 DT J Jason Dush 61 DT RF Mitch Ebke 33 FS F John Eisenberg FS SO Clint Finley 19 FS RF y Eric Fischer 5 FS RF Jay Foreman 44 MLB J y Jay Foreman (American football) Russell Froehlich 34 SLB J Jay Gates 18 CB S Bobby Gill 77 DT SO Matt Grummert 75 RE F Chris Gustafson 53 LB F Brad Hamik 45 FS RF Brandon Harrison 2 CB J Quint Hogrefe 49 SLB J Matt Ickes 27 DB F Julius Jackson 50 WLB SO Eric Johnson 1 WLB J y Eric Johnson (defensive back, born 1976) Dave Jones 88 DT S Loran Kaiser 91 DT RF Chad Kelsay 57 RE J Josh Kohl 47 WLB SO Curt Lenners 82 RE S Gregg List 29 ROV SO Kalin Makaiwi 6 ROV J Glen Matthews 97 DT J Jason McCullough 86 DT J Octavious McFarlin 4 WLB S Matt McGinn 76 DT F Greg McGraw 26 FS SO Levi Mehl 38 LB F Tom Milius 78 DT SO Brandon Mooberry 93 RE RF Tony Ortiz 37 SLB SO Jon Penny 41 LB F Jason Peter 55 DT S y Jerome Peterson 11 CB SO Carlos Polk 13 MLB RF y Brandon Quindt 10 ROV RF Steve Raymond 23 SLB SO Khari Reynolds 9 CB RF Brandon Roth 34 LB F Mike Rucker 84 RE J y Eric Ryan 80 RE SO Brian Shaw 46 SLB SO Scott Siebenborn 76 RE RF Ryan Svoboda 35 LB F Erwin Swiney 16 CB F y Nick Terrio 31 LB F Ross Tessendorf 79 DT J Alik Tillery 20 DB F Travis Toline 92 RE J Arion Turner 12 DB F Chad Tuttle 48 MLB RF Noland Urban 56 MLB RF Simon Van Boening 83 LB F Kyle Vanden Bosch 83 RE F y Mark Vedral 52 LB F Joe Walker 27 CB F Brian Walters 94 DT F Eric Walther 32 FS J Brandon Wardyn 90 RE F Eric Warfield 3 FS S y Steve Warren 96 DT SO y Troy Watchorn 42 ROV RF J.P. (John Paul) Wichmann 85 LB F Aaron Wills 81 RE SO Jason Wiltz 99 DT J Grant Wistrom 98 RE S y Wes Woodward 10 DB F Brendan Zahl 38 RE S Kris Brown 35 PK J y Dan Hadenfeldt 12 PK SO Jesse Kosch 19 P S Bill Lafleur 23 P J y Chace Long 28 PK F Brian Morro 9 P J Ted Retzlaff 13 PK S Chuck Tack 16 P/PK F http://www.huskers.com/SportSelect.dbml?SPSID=4&SPID=22&DB_OEM_ID=100&Q_SEASON=1997 2011-01-17 Tom Osborne   25th season   34th year at Nebraska   Alma mater: Hastings College Charlie McBride   17th season as DC/DL coach   21st year at Nebraska   Alma mater: Colorado Turner Gill   6th season as QB coach   6th year at Nebraska   Alma mater: Nebraska Craig Bohl   3rd season as LB coach   6th year at Nebraska   Alma mater: Nebraska Ron Brown   11th season as WR/TE coach   11th year at Nebraska   Alma mater: Brown Dan Young   15th season as OL/K coach   15th year at Nebraska   Alma mater: Reed Milt Tenopir   24th season as OL coach   24th year at Nebraska   Alma mater: Sterling Nelson Barnes   1st season as RE coach   1st year at Nebraska   Alma mater: North Texas George Darlington   DB coach   25th year at Nebraska   Alma mater: Rutgers Frank Solich   15th season as RB coach   19th year at Nebraska   Alma mater: Nebraska Boyd Epley   29th season as S&C coach   29th year at Nebraska   Alma mater: Nebraska Depth chart Pro-Set 4–3 Yes No Yes Scott Frost Frankie London Monte Christo Ahman Green Correll Buckhalter James Sims Dan Alexander Joel Machovicka Billy Legate Willie Miller Josh Cobb Kenny Cheatham Jeff Lake Matt Davison Billy Haafke Lance Brown Bobby Newcombe Shevin Wiggins Sean Applegate Vershan Jackson Tim Carpenter Sheldon Jackson T.J DeBates Fred Pollack Adam Julch Mike V Cleave Aaron Taylor Matt Hoskinson James Sherman Brandt Wade Josh Heskew Matt Hoskinson Matt Baldwin Jon Zatechka Matt Hoskinson Ben Gessford Russ Hochstein Eric Anderson Jason Schwab Jeff Clausen Octavious McFarlin Eric Johnson Juiles Jackson WILL Jay Foreman Carlos Polk Ben Buettenback MIKE Brian Shaw Tony Ortiz Quint Hogrefe SAM Eric Warfield Clint Finley Eric Walther Mike Brown Brandon Quindt Gregg List ROVER Erwin Swiney Joe Walker Brandon Harrison Ralph Brown Jerome Peterson Khari Reynolds Grant Wistrom Travis Toline Aaron Wills Jason Peter Brandon Drum Loran Kaiser Jason Wiltz Steve Warren Derek Allen Chad Kelsay Mike Rucker Kyle Vanden Bosch Brandon Mooberry Kris Brown Jesse Kosch Shevin Wiggins Joe Walker Bobby Newcombe 110 86 No Statistics QB Scott Frost: 88/159 (55.3%) for 1,237 yards (7.80) with 5 TD vs. 4 INT (2.52%). 176 carries for 1,095 yards (6.22) and 19 TD. RB Ahman Green: 278 carries for 1,877 yards (6.75) with 22 TD. 16 catches for 151 yards and 0 TD. FB Joel Makovicka: 105 carries for 685 yards (6.52) and 9 TD. RB Correll Buckhalter: 54 carries for 311 yards (5.76) and 6 TD. WR Lance Brown: 12 catches for 226 yards (18.83) and 0 TD. WR Matt Davison: 10 catches for 219 yards (21.90) and 1 TD. After the season Nebraska Head Coach Tom Osborne announced his retirement just prior to the 1998 Orange bowl, capping a remarkable career of success. The #2 Cornhuskers handily defeated the #3 Tennessee Volunteers 42–17, while #1 Michigan defeated #7 Washington State team 21–16. In postgame coverage on the field, Nebraska quarterback Scott Frost openly lobbied Coaches Poll voters for support based on performance comparisons between Nebraska and Michigan.Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qy1M0kncB1I Scott Frost Nebraska Head Coach YouTube November 12, 2017 The voters apparently agreed, as Nebraska was ranked #1 in the final Coaches Poll, while Michigan retained their pre-bowl #1 ranking in the AP Poll, creating a split National Championship. The 1997 Huskers set an NCAA record that still stands by scoring an average of 5.5 rushing touchdowns per game (66 rushing touchdowns in twelve games, not including the six scored in the Orange Bowl).Football Bowl Subdivision Records http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/DI/2010/2010FBS.pdf NCAA 2010 Awards 1997 Husker Honors Award Name(s) Lombardi Award Grant Wistrom Outland Trophy Aaron Taylor Big 12 Male Athlete of the Year Grant Wistrom All-America 1st team Jason Peter, Aaron Taylor, Grant Wistrom All-America 2nd team Ahman Green All-America 3rd team Eric Anderson All-Big 12 1st team Eric Anderson, Mike Brown, Ralph Brown, Scott Frost, Ahman Green, Jason Peter, Aaron Taylor, Grant Wistrom All-Big 12 2nd team Jay Foreman All-Big 12 3rd team Josh Heskew, Chad Kelsay, Eric Warfield, Jon Zatechka All-Big 12 honorable mention Kris Brown, Jesse Kosch, Joel Makovicka, Fred Pollack, Mike Rucker, Jason Wiltz NFL and pro players The following Nebraska players who participated in the 1997 season later moved on to the next level and joined a professional or semi-pro team as draftees or free agents.All Time NFL Huskers http://nflhuskers.com/alltime.html https://web.archive.org/web/20090815013540/http://nflhuskers.com/alltime.html 2009-08-15 live 2009-05-21 Name Team Dan Alexander Tennessee Titans Eric Anderson Amsterdam Admirals Kris Brown Pittsburgh Steelers Mike Brown Chicago Bears Ralph Brown New York Giants Correll Buckhalter Philadelphia Eagles Eric Crouch St. Louis Rams Clint Finley Kansas City Chiefs Jay Foreman Buffalo Bills Scott Frost New York Jets Ahman Green Seattle Seahawks Russ Hochstein Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sheldon Jackson Buffalo Bills Vershan Jackson Kansas City Chiefs Eric Johnson Oakland Raiders Chad Kelsay Pittsburgh Steelers Bill Lafleur Barcelona Dragons Joel Makovicka Arizona Cardinals Bobby Newcombe Montreal Alouettes Tony Ortiz Scottish Claymores Jason Peter Carolina Panthers Carlos Polk San Diego Chargers Dominic Raiola Detroit Lions Mike Rucker Carolina Panthers Erwin Swiney Green Bay Packers Larry Townsend Berlin Thunder Kyle Vanden Bosch Arizona Cardinals Joe Walker Tennessee Titans Eric Warfield Kansas City Chiefs Steve Warren Green Bay Packers Jason Wiltz New York Jets Grant Wistrom St. Louis Rams Jon Zatechka Berlin Thunder References Nebraska Category:Nebraska Cornhuskers football seasons Category:College football national champions Category:Big 12 Conference football champion seasons Category:Orange Bowl champion seasons Category:College football undefeated seasons Nebraska Cornhuskers football