Editorial, 9/20: Another historic first for fans and for football
On Nov. 3, 1962, Bob Devaney led his Nebraska Cornhuskers into Memorial Stadium to face Missouri in front of a sold-out crowd of 36,501 fans, energized by the turnaround the first-year coach brought to the storied football program.
Friday, second-year Nebraska coach Matt Rhule will lead the Huskers into Memorial Stadium to face Illinois in front of a crowd that will number more than 86,000 in an NCAA record 400th consecutive sellout — a 62-year streak that began with the Missouri game that the Huskers lost 16-7.
As the attendance numbers dramatically illustrate, the stadium has been expanded several times since the sellout streak began, the first in 1964 when seats in the south end zone raised the capacity to 48,000.
And things have also regularly changed in the stadium, from the first-in-the-nation installation of video replay boards in a college-only stadium in 1994, the installation of permanent lighting for night games in 1999, construction of luxury boxes and a new larger press box and, on the field, creating an unmatched atmosphere with pyro, video and drones that earns rave reviews from visitors and media.
There have also been smaller changes that affect the fan experience this year — going cashless in the stadium and installing new security monitors at each of the entrances, both of which appear to be going smoothly.
This year also marked the return of the balloon release the first time Nebraska scores. That tradition appeared to have ended because of concerns over the damage the balloons create to animals and the environment and a helium shortage. The balloons should only return, if at all, on a very limited basis.
The Illinois game will be unusual in Lincoln because it's on a Friday night. Aside from the traditional Black Friday games the Huskers have played for decades, the last Nebraska weekday game in Memorial Stadium was against Rice on Sept. 20, 2001, a game moved back five days following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Friday's game was, essentially, set by television, slotted in as the first 2024 game in Fox's Big Ten Friday night series.
That weekday scheduling, which was long resisted by Nebraska, will almost certainly wreak some havoc downtown as many businesses, government offices and, notably, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln will be in full operation, taking up parking and filling already congested streets as employees get off work or causing early dismissal or free days off for workers and students.
But it won't deter the fans who flock to the stadium from across the state and, with a night game, fill the city's hotels and generate plenty of business for restaurants and bars — one of the primary reasons that the sellout streak is of great importance to Lincoln.
The best omen for the Huskers going into Friday's game? Nebraska has won each of the milestone games on the way to the 400th sellout, defeating Penn State 42-17 in sellout No. 100 in 1979, knocking of second-ranked Colorado 24-7 in 1994 in sellout No. 200 and shutting out Louisiana-Lafayette 55-0 in 2009 in sellout No. 300.
A Nebraska win would cap what should be a celebration of Husker fans and the stadium that they've loyally filled for 62 years.
