A couple Nebraska tid bits. First, the idea of traveling with the team originated in the sixies when former Husker Bobby Reynolds opened a Travel Agency in Lincoln. Devaney contacted the two major retailers Gold's and Miller & Payne about carring Red hats, sweatshirts, jackets. That an a long run of Bowl games did the trick. Bobby had everyone booking trips as soon as the harvest was in. Later it was booked before they planted. The destination other than a Bowl game was Las Vegas not Kansas City. Reynolds made a boodle.
My second note is the rivalry is long standing. I believe the games in the thirties during Minnesota's National Championships were close and Nebraska got a win one year. Travel at the time was by train, and they ran extra sections during the season. Both the Burlington and Chicago Northwestern offered service to Minneapolis. I think they left on Friday got to Minneapolis in the evening, played the game and returned arriving late on Saturday Night or early Sunday. These stories were always told by my Grandfather and my Aunt who was the first Homecoming Queen at Nebraska.
Once the interstate was complete trips to Ames, Boulder, Columbia, Kansas, and Kansas State were more or less manditory. And the big game was down Intertate 35 in Norman. The sales of red cars, trucks, motorhomes was amazing.
Now with the cutoff from Omaha through Worthington complete, its about 6 hours.
But the biggest thing that happened was when signs in Memorial Stadium read Californians for Nebraska it began to dawn that alumni, retireees, people who moved still supported the team. So if Nebraska is playing Arizona State they can muster 20,000 fans in red. Many travel, but they have a ready fan base wherever they go.
