Reusse: Glory days of Nebraska football, and Husker Nation's decline, detailed by a 'Minnesota Twin'

[BleedGopher]

Per Pat:

The Gophers and Nebraska were regular football opponents long before the Cornhuskers joined the Big Ten in 2011. There were 33 nonconference games between the teams in the 43 seasons from 1932 to 1974.

That era of expecting Nebraska on the first or second Saturday of a season started when the Gophers were all-powerful with coach Bernie Bierman, and wound up with the Cornhuskers riding the all-time sudden turn to greatness with coach Bob Devaney, and continued by Tom Osborne.

The Gophers lost 10 straight from 1963 to 1974, and the last three of those were by a total margin of 151-7. The next time they met was in 1983, and the Huskers nudged the Gophers, 84-13.

The middle linebackers in the Huskers' 5-2 defense that allowed Cal Stoll's Gophers almost nothing from 1972 to 1974 were Tom Ruud from Bloomington and Bob Nelson from Stillwater, known in Huskers lore as the "Minnesota Twins."

Patrick Reusse: Glory days of Nebraska football, and Husker Nation's decline, detailed by a 'Minnesota Twin'

Minnesotans Tom Ruud and Bob Nelson were standout linebackers for Nebraska football teams of the 1970s. Ruud recognizes the program's current tough times but won't say the Huskers can't be great again.

www.startribune.com

Go Gophers!!

 

[Iceland12]

Per Pat:

The Gophers and Nebraska were regular football opponents long before the Cornhuskers joined the Big Ten in 2011. There were 33 nonconference games between the teams in the 43 seasons from 1932 to 1974.

That era of expecting Nebraska on the first or second Saturday of a season started when the Gophers were all-powerful with coach Bernie Bierman, and wound up with the Cornhuskers riding the all-time sudden turn to greatness with coach Bob Devaney, and continued by Tom Osborne.

The Gophers lost 10 straight from 1963 to 1974, and the last three of those were by a total margin of 151-7. The next time they met was in 1983, and the Huskers nudged the Gophers, 84-13.

The middle linebackers in the Huskers' 5-2 defense that allowed Cal Stoll's Gophers almost nothing from 1972 to 1974 were Tom Ruud from Bloomington and Bob Nelson from Stillwater, known in Huskers lore as the "Minnesota Twins."

Patrick Reusse: Glory days of Nebraska football, and Husker Nation's decline, detailed by a 'Minnesota Twin'

Minnesotans Tom Ruud and Bob Nelson were standout linebackers for Nebraska football teams of the 1970s. Ruud recognizes the program's current tough times but won't say the Huskers can't be great again.

www.startribune.com

Go Gophers!!

Wonder why Patrick didn't ask Grandpa Rudd about his Huskers losing 4 in a row and 5 out of 6 to the Gophers?

 

[highwayman]

Wonder why Patrick didn't ask Grandpa Rudd about his Huskers losing 4 in a row and 5 out of 6 to the Gophers?

Or ask him how Davaney invented NIL before NIL was NIL?

 

[GVLCGopherFan]

Why can’t he write stuff like that about our team?

 

[Gophergrandpa]

Why can’t he write stuff like that about our team?

You want Ruesse to write a story about the Gophers' decline? I think he has done that a few times already ...

 

[GVLCGopherFan]

You want Ruesse to write a story about the Gophers' decline? I think he has done that a few times already ...

Hah. I’m guessing you didn’t bother to read the entire article.

 

[Gophergrandpa]

Hah. I’m guessing you didn’t bother to read the entire article.

You got me there ... In my defense, I can only say that I never read an entire article by Ruesse.

 

[fan of Ray Williams]

Didn’t like the article. Much too cozy with players that decided not to go to the U
Was hoping the Gophers pummel them, now I hope they destroy them.