This is a celluloid plastic doll that was sold as a souvenir during the 1941 Rose Bowl game.  Nebraska lost to the Stanford Indians by the score of 21-13 in the Cornhuskers' first ever bowl game.

     The dolls were made in Japan (a little irony there?) as they are marked on the back of the neck.  The doll features plastic face, helmet, hands, feet, and football.  The uniform is cloth, stuffed with sawdust.  They are 8" tall.  The dolls do not have numbers or names on the jerseys, so they could probably have represented either team since the schools had the same colors. I have seen others that were adorned with a Nebraska pinback or ribbon.

    These dolls were evidently made as early as in the 1930s and outfitted with uniform colors for just about every team that vendors would purchase them for, and sold into at least the early 1980s.  Some can still be found with a pin or ribbon with their school name or mascot.

    Thanks to 'Bama fan Chad Miller for the info

in the last paragraph.  He also sent in the other examples below to show the variance in colors between dolls, including one of his Alabama Crimson Tide dolls.  He also sent the photo at bottom from outside the Alabama stadium showing a vendor selling similar dolls. They are located on the lower edge of the display board.