Nebraska football: What is a Cornhusker?

Explaining to you what a Cornhusker is when it comes to the Nebraska football program.

While Nebraska football fans have not had a lot to cheer about since firing Bo Pelini, they do have a passionate fanbase, as well as one of the most unique nicknames in college sports: Cornhusker.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is well-known across the country for having a tremendous athletic program. Although Nebraska is one of the least populated states for its size in the nation, the football program had long been its cornerstone. The football team has claimed five national championships in their history under the two iconic head coaches Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne.

But for those who aren’t sure why the team rallies behind the Cornhusker moniker, let’s explain.

Nebraska football mascot, explained: What is a Cornhusker?

To put it simply, a Cornhusker is a person who harvests corn by removing the husk. Prior to advances in farming technology people used to do this by hand. Agriculture is a very important part of the Nebraska economy. Overtime, the nickname Cornhusker has become synonymous with people hailing from Nebraska, similar to people from the State of Indiana being called Hoosiers.

When it comes to the university adopting this as its nickname, there were a ton of interesting predecessors before it. Previous nicknames included the Antelopes, the Old Gold Knights, the Bugeaters and the Mankilling Mastodons. Although University of Nebraska at Kearney has adopted the Antelopes moniker, just imagine if UNL went by the Bugeaters or the Mastodons!

While both of those nicknames are downright hilarious, the Cornhuskers fits perfectly. It first came about from a newspaper article headline after an upset win over Iowa in 1893: “We Have Met The Cornhuskers And They Are Ours”. It was first applied by Cy Sherman of the Nebraska State Journal in 1899. The nickname was officially adopted by the university the following season in 1900.

As far as on-field mascots are concerned, they used to have an absolutely terrifying thing known as Corncob Man in the 1950s. Over time, Corncob Man was replaced by essentially Herbie Husker and a bit later, he was accompanied by Lil Red. While Herbie Husker was thought to be replaced by the forever popular Lil Red, they have happily coexisted as the two Nebraska mascots since 1994.

Eventually, this college football blue-blood is going to return to glory, no matter how long it takes…

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