The Sellout Streak

Nothing defines what is great about Nebraska football more than the sellout streak. Heading into the 2013 season, the Huskers have sold out an NCAA-record 325 consecutive games at Memorial Stadium. The streak dates all the way back to November 3, 1962 when the Huskers took on Missouri in front of a crowd of 36,501 during Bob Devaney's first season.

On September 29, 1979, NU reached the 100-consecutive sellout mark when it played Penn State. The Huskers hit the 200 mark on October 29, 1994 against Colorado and 300 straight on September 26, 2009 when they played Louisiana-Lafayette. They are on target to hit 400 consecutive sellouts some time in 2024.

Each milestone was a celebration — a celebration of the greatest fans in college football. The sellout streak is a true testament to Nebraska fans. The sellout streak is what bridges the past and the present together.

The amazing thing about the streak is Memorial Stadium will have a seating capacity in 2013 of just more than 91,000. On Husker football Saturdays, Memorial Stadium is the third largest city in the state. Nebraska's population is just 1.86 million, which means one out of every 20.4 people is in Memorial Stadium on gameday. "The greatest fans in football history," former rival and Oklahoma head coach Barry Switzer said in Memorial Stadium during NU's 300th consecutive sellout. Added legendary ABC broadcaster Keith Jackson: "The whole nation of college football stands in admiration."

Former head coach and fullback Frank Solich even commended Huskers fans during the 300th consecutive sellout. It was the first time Solich had done anything like that since being fired from NU in 2003. "Keep filling up Memorial Stadium, keep winning football games and championships, and go Huskers," Solich said. Through the streak NU has seen their stadium capacity increase by big numbers. Memorial Stadium went from a seating capacity of 31,000 in 1962 to nearly 74,000 by 1972. The original stadium only had seating on the east and west sides. A four-series project that began in 1964 enhanced the stadium by adding seats above the north and south end zones, which brought the capacity to 74,000.

In 1999 NU added skyboxes and club seating on the west side to bring the capacity to 78,000. In 2006 Nebraska expanded its seating in the north end zone and added more skyboxes to bring the capacity to more than 85,000. In 2013 NU added skyboxes, club seating, and another balcony to bring the stadium capacity to 91,000.

Very few teams can continue to expand their stadium at a rapid pace like the Big Red. When schools like Florida State or Florida play lower profile games, you will see thousands of empty seats. The fans just don't care. "It's easy to be a fan when you are winning national championships. Anybody can be a fan," Husker fan and Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas said. "I've been to some Southeast Conference games, and the thing that really jumps out to me is just how empty the stadiums are when people aren't interested. The thing I love about the Huskers is we could be playing a high school, and we show up."

The challenge for NU in keeping their sellout streak alive is to continue to evolve the gameday atmosphere. "The social aspect of Nebraska football is vital to our success in keeping the sellout streak," associate athletic director Paul Meyers said. "You have to make sure your ticket is in high demand. Otherwise people start cherry-picking games."

As for growing the stadium to more than 100,000, Meyers doesn't see that day coming any time soon especially if it would put the sellout streak at risk. "You'd have to really convince me to go higher," Meyers said. "We've done a lot of homework on that number and we're pushing it to the limits to go where we are at. I suspect you'll see that number for a long time."

Putting the Streak into Perspective

Here are some fun facts to chew on about Nebraska's sellout streak, which began on November 3, 1962.

• There have been 10 U.S. Presidents since 1962. John F. Kennedy was in office when the Nebraska sellout streak began.

• In 1962 actress Marilyn Monroe died of a drug overdose at the age of 36.

• The price of gas in 1962 was 28 cents per gallon. A postage stamp cost four cents.

• The sellout streak began just one day after the Cuban Missile Crisis was resolved, which took the U.S. and the Soviet Union to the brink of nuclear war.

• The average price of a house in the U.S. was $12,500.

Heading into 2013 Nebraska's home record over its 325 straight sellouts is 282–43 (.868 winning percentage).

Tom Osborne

To say retired Nebraska head coach and athletic director Tom Osborne had an illustrious career is to put it mildly.

Osborne was part of all five of Nebraska's national championship teams and captured three as a head coach in 1994, 1995, and 1997. He won 255 games in 25 years and finished with a .836 winning percentage. He reached both 200 and 250 wins faster than any other coach in college football history. His teams captured 13 conference championships and appeared in 25 straight bowl games, including 17 major bowls. Over his 25 years, Osborne never had a season with less than nine wins. Under Osborne's watch the Huskers won 11 national rushing titles, six Outland Trophies, three Lombardis, one Heisman, one Butkus, and one Johnny Unitas Award.

As an administrator Osborne helped restore stability to the athletic department when he took over in 2007. He hired head coach Bo Pelini and played an instrumental role in getting the Huskers an invite to join the Big Ten in 2010.

When you talk to Osborne about his career at Nebraska, however, it's not the individual achievements or team accomplishments he remembers the most. It's the relationships he's made with so many of his former players and the process of developing young men for life. Osborne said he cherishes those friendships and relationships more than any championship ring. "I would say not a week goes by where I don't hear from three to 10 players, and so those relationships continue," Osborne said at his retirement party in March of 2013. "People forget about the championships and the wins and the losses. If you were to name the Heisman Trophy winner 10 years ago or the national champion 15 years ago, it would probably be pretty hard to name them, but the relationships persist. I guess that's one of the great things about coaching I'll always appreciate."

Osborne even shared a story at both his retirement party and the 2013 Nebraska Coaches Clinic about being with former head coach Bob Devaney during his death in 1997.

As Devaney and Osborne shared their final words together, they didn't talk about football. Instead they talked about family, and Devaney asked Osborne to say a prayer for him as a tear rolled down Osborne's cheek. "We didn't talk about games or championships or awards. We talked about relationships," Osborne said. "At the end of things, that's really what it all comes down to and whatever impact it might have had on players. So often times players will bring up stuff that seemed to be really important to them that they still remember from 20 to 30 years ago, and I have no recollection of that conversation or that comment, but it tends to stick with them, and I guess that's important."

What former defensive coordinator Charlie McBride remembers most about Osborne...