Retired Jersey #79 1972 Lombardi Award Winner 1972 Outland Trophy Winner
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1972: Rich Glover, Middle Guard (1970-1972) Jersey City, NJ
One of the finest defensive players in Nebraska and college football history, Rich Glover anchored the Husker defense during the early 1970s, helping Nebraska capture back-to-back national titles in 1970 and 1971 under Coach Bob Devaney. A 1995 inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame, Glover was a three-year letter winner, who earned consensus All-America honors in 1971 and 1972 and finished third in Heisman Trophy voting in 1972. The 6-foot-1, 235-pound middle guard is one of only 10 players in college football history to win both the Lombardi and Outland Trophies, the awards that are given to the top interior player and top lineman in the country, respectively, in the same season, sweeping the awards in 1972. His jersey (No. 79) was retired following the 1972 season. As a senior, Glover earned Big Eight Defensive Player-of-the-Year honors, helping the Huskers to a 9-2-1 record and a 40-6 victory over Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl. He finished the season with 100 tackles, including 52 solos, and nine tackles for 41 yards lost, as the Huskers led the Big Eight in total defense and ranked in the top 10 nationally in total defense, scoring defense and pass defense. A Jersey City, N.J., native, Glover played an instrumental part in the Huskers? 1971 national championship, earning All-Big Eight and All-America honors as Nebraska won its second straight national title with a 13-0 record. He is best remembered for his performance against Oklahoma in the ?Game of the Century? when he made 22 stops in the Huskers? 35-31 victory over the second-ranked Sooners. In 1971, Glover led Nebraska with 92 tackles, including 46 solo stops, and 13 tackles for 73 yards lost. He saw limited action in 1970 as a sophomore, recording 19 tackles and three tackles for 13 yards lost. Following his collegiate career, he was drafted in the third round (No. 69 overall) of the 1973 NFL Draft by the New York Giants. He played with the Giants for one season before joining the Shreveport Steamers of the World Football League in 1974. He finished his career with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1975 and 1976. Currently, he is an assistant coach at New Mexico State under former Husker Tony Samuel.
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Retired Jersey #50 1981 and 1982 Outland Trophy Winner 1982 Lombardi Award Winner
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1981: Dave Rimington, Center (1979-1982) Omaha, NE
The only player ever to win the Outland Trophy in consecutive years (1981 and 1982), Dave Rimington is one of the most decorated offensive linemen in college football history. The 6-foot-3, 290-pound center was a two-time first-team All-American in 1981 and 1982 and is one of just 13 Huskers to have his jersey retired. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1997, while his No. 50 jersey was retired by Nebraska in 1982. A three-time first-team All-Big Eight choice from 1980 to 1982, Rimington was named the Big Eight Offensive Player of the Year in 1981, marking the only time in conference history that a lineman has earned the prestigious honor. During his career, the Omaha South grad helped the Huskers win back-to-back Big Eight titles in 1981 and 1982, as Nebraska led the nation in rushing during his senior season. A four-year letterman and three-year starter, Rimington was named team captain and capped his senior season by winning the 1982 Lombardi Award. Also, a two-time first-team academic All-American, Rimington was honored by the NCAA as a Top-Five Student-Athlete and was selected as a National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame Scholar-Athlete in 1982. He was also a three-time first-team academic All-Big Eight choice from 1980 to 1982. In 1999, he was selected to the Walter Camp All-Century team. A first-round draft choice of the Cincinnati Bengals in 1983, Rimington played five seasons with the Bengals, and played two seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles before retiring in 1989. Rimington is the president of the Boomer Esiason Foundation and resides in New York. In 2000, the first Rimington Award sponsored by the Boomer Esiason Foundation to honor college football's center of the year was presented to Nebraska center Dominic Raiola, whose jersey No. 54 will be retired in 2002. |
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Retried Jersey #71 1983 Lombardi Award Winner 1983 Outland Trophy Winner
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1983: Dean Steinkuhler, Offensive Guard (1981-1983) Burr, NE
Among the top offensive linemen ever to play at Nebraska, Dean Steinkuhler anchored a line that paved the way for the nation's leading rushing offense in 1983 before sweeping the top awards presented to linemen. As a senior that season, Steinkuhler won both the Lombardi Award and Outland Trophy, awarded to the outstanding interior player and top lineman in the country, respectively. He helped create holes for Heisman Trophy winner Mike Rozier, who became only the second player in NCAA history to rush for 2,000 yards in a season in 1983. Steinkuhler's No. 71 jersey, along with Rozier's No. 30 jersey, was retired following the 1983 season, in which the Huskers ran for an average of 401.7 yards-per game, while also leading the nation in scoring, averaging 52.0 points per contest. Steinkuhler was named to nearly every All-American list in 1983, giving his hometown of Burr (population 110) the distinction of being the smallest town at the time to ever produce a consensus All-American. As a junior in 1982, Steinkuhler played side-by-side with three All-Big Eight selections (Dave Rimington, Mike Mandelko and Randy Theiss) before earning the honor himself the following year. Following a stellar senior season, Steinkuhler became the highest-drafted Husker linemen ever, when the Houston Oilers selected him as the second pick in the 1984 NFL Draft. Steinkuhler played eight seasons with the Houston Oilers before retiring following the 1991 season. Steinkuhler followed fellow Husker Irving Fryar in the draft, marking only the second time in NFL history, and the first since 1967, that the top two players were from the same school. Steinkuhler now resides in Burr, NE. |
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1997 Lombardi Award Winner
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1997: Grant Wistrom, Rush End (1994-1997) Webb City, MO
One of the most feared defenders in school history, Grant Wistrom was the anchor of the Husker defense during one of the most successful eras in college football. During his career, the Huskers compiled a 49-2 record from 1994 to 1997, winning three national titles in that span (1994, 1995 and 1997), becoming only the second program in Division I history to win three national titles in a four-year period. A two-time first-team All-American, Wistrom became Nebraska's fourth Lombardi Award winner as the nation's top lineman following the 1997 season. Wistrom, who holds the school record for tackles for loss with 58.5 for 260 yards and ranks second with 26.5 sacks, had his No. 98 retired during the 1998 season. As a senior captain, the 6-foot-5 inch, 255-pound rush end from Webb City, Mo., finished with 51 tackles, including 8.5 sacks and 17 tackles for loss, leading the Blackshirts in both categories en route to earning Big 12 Defensive Player-of-the-Year honors. A finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Defensive Player of the Year, Wistrom helped the Huskers rank fifth nationally in total defense and second nationally against the run. He led Nebraska to a perfect 13-0 record and a share of the national title with Michigan. In 1996, Wistrom was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, helping NU to top-10 rankings in all four major defensive categories. A first-team All-American and finalist for the Nagurski Award, Wistrom finished third on the team in tackles with 75, while leading the Huskers in both sacks (9.5-48 yards lost) and tackles for loss (20-74). A third-team All-American as a sophomore, Wistrom recorded 44 stops, including a team-leading 15 tackles for loss, as Nebraska went 12-0 and repeated as national champions. He also had four sacks, earning first-team All-Big Eight honors as NU ranked second nationally against the rush, fourth in points allowed and 13th in total defense. During his freshman campaign, Wistrom made his presence known, earning Big 12 Newcomer-of-the-Year honors in helping the Huskers to their first national title since 1971. He played in all 13 games, recording 36 stops and 4.5 sacks, as one of only two true Husker freshmen to see time. Wistrom was a two-time first-team GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-American and became the 13th Husker to win the NCAA's highest honor, the NCAA Top Eight Award, in 1997. He also earned the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame Postgraduate Scholarship following his senior campaign and was the Big 12 Male Athlete of the Year for the 1997-98 season. A first-round selection (No. 6 overall) by the St. Louis Rams in the 1998 NFL Draft, Wistrom played a reserve role as a rookie before earning a starting position in helping the Rams win the Super Bowl in 2000.
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