A fair amount of actual news today...

Nebraska coaches and our athletic director, Bill Moos, have been touring the state. As they been touring, they are answering questions from people and talking about topics that pertain to our beloved Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Our new defensive coordinator, Eric Chinander, stated that he would no longer be "handing out Blackshirts like they are M&Ms". This was related to around 100 people who attended a session in Fremont. Apparently Chinander studied the Blackshirt tradition at length as well as talked to several people including Charlie McBride and former Husker players. They believe that the Blackshirts should be awarded on a performance basis.

I believe the same.

Imagine my surprise when I logged on twitter yesterday and saw the results of this poll:

I replied to Peterson that I was surprised that anyone could believe that Blackshirts would not be given out based on performance. It led to quite an exchange.

Of course, our Husker Mike had to point out how right he is...

Husker historian Mike Babcock explains the Blackshirt tradition in this article at Hail Varsity. Note that even in the beginning it was about performance, not to just give the defensive starters a different colored jersey. Babcock's history lesson walks a fine line, but it's important that the flexible nature is acknowledged - that black shirts were handed out before each practice and picked up afterwards - at the beginning of this tradition.

If you are a coach, especially one in this situation where you are taking over for a failed coaching regime that went 4 – 8 last season and the first thing you want to install is culture, there's no way you can make this tradition about anything but performance.

The entire discussion on twitter led to radio host John Bishop creating this "Blackshirt Constitution". I will let this community discuss what they think the Blackshirt tradition is supposed to mean and how the Blackshirts should be awarded.

Have at it.

When you’re established, you hate everything new and work to make innovation regulated more heavily or flat out illegal.

He then went on to complain about avocado toast, craft beer, awareness campaigns, and that he hates electric cars because he can’t hear them coming.

Nebraska gets a walk-on that was going to Iowa. Connor Ruth’s uncles are Jeff & Joel Mackovicka. He’s a fullback from Seward, Nebraska.

Then there’s this guy, Corbin Ruth, Connor’s brother. Corbin is a defensive back. Or at least he was. He might be a wide receiver.

All I know is the Ruth Bros are coming to play for Nebraska!

HuskerOnline.com - Moos says NU will boost roster to 150, one way or another

From the day Scott Frost returned to Nebraska as its new head coach, he hinted at wanting to expand Nebraska’s football roster to as many as 150 players.

150 players? Holy shit!

Can you imagine how much food these guys will consume on a daily basis?

Reading that article, Moos is thinking they’ll have to do some Title IX shuffling to provide more athletic opportunities to women. That could involve cutting men’s sports, or perhaps adding a women’s sport, like LaCrosse.

This isn’t a new topic. It came up earlier, and Steve Rosen from HuskerOnline did a bit about it in February 2018 where they analyzed costs:

That adds up to a total benefits package valued at $23,340 per walk-on. That amount does not include equipment, Adidas apparel, gifts from post-season participation and complimentary admission -- four tickets to each home and away contest, and six to a bowl game, the athletic department said. In this regard, non-scholarship athletes receive the same benefits as athletes on scholarship.

By using $23,340 as a baseline, the total financial commitment for adding 20 walk-ons comes to $466,800. That does not include any additions or subtractions from other men’s and women’s sports to meet Title IX requirements.

I realize Frost would like that many players to increase practice reps. That’s not what occurred to me this time around.

Remember the “county scholarships“ crap that was propagated by Nebraska opponents years ago? Here‘s an article from 1984 by Sports Illustrated that talks about walk-on programs, and the bullshit that was slung at our program, in this case, by a very well-known coach:

Many coaches bad-mouth the Cornhuskers’ walk-on program by spreading tales about so-called “county scholarships” in Nebraska. Says former Indiana coach Sam Wyche, who’s now coaching the Cincinnati Bengals, “What happens is that a great player gets his county’s nonathletic scholarship, which frees up a football scholarship for someone else.” In fact, county scholarships do not exist in Nebraska, and the university’s office of financial aid is at a loss to explain how such a rumor got started.

Rick Neuheisel complained about Nebraska’s unfair advantage of county scholarships when he was coaching at the University of Colorado. As the SI article states, they never existed.

I mean... as if Nebraska could get away with that, as if we’d found some magic loophole that NO ONE ELSE ever discovered.

News

Maryland OT Jordan McNair dies at age 19 - Testudo Times

After weeks in the hospital, the redshirt freshman has passed away.

This is incredibly tragic new out of Maryland.

Manning, Snyder Named Freestyle Coaches of the Year - Huskers.com - Nebraska Athletics Official Web Site
Nebraska Head Coach Mark Manning and Associate Head Coach Bryan Snyder have been named winners of the 2017 Terry McCann Freestyle Co-Coaches of the Year by USA Wrestling after guiding Jordan Burroughs to a world title and James Green to a world silver medal last year.

Nebraska Cornhuskers football quarterback Adrian Martinez exactly what Huskers had hoped
Zach Duval’s program is paying off for Martinez as it had for quarterbacks like McKenzie Milton, Noah Vedral and others before him. He's stronger, he's heavier, but according to Verduzco, he looks better than he ever has before.

Hankins Brings NCAA, Big Ten Success to Husker Men’s Golf Program - Huskers.com - Nebraska Athletics Official Web Site
Mark Hankins was announced as the new head men’s golf coach at the University of Nebraska by Athletic Director Bill Moos on Wednesday, June 13.

Maymi to Lead Husker Men's Tennis Program - Huskers.com - Nebraska Athletics Official Web Site
A rising star in collegiate coaching with strong connections to the Big Ten, Florida and California, Sean Maymi was announced as the new men’s tennis coach at the University of Nebraska by Athletic Director Bill Moos on Wednesday, June 13.

Maymi (pronounced MY-mee) has extensive ties to the Big Ten Conference in two successful stints as the associate head coach at Michigan. He helped the Wolverines to eight NCAA Tournament appearances in his nine seasons as an assistant in Ann Arbor.

Then There’s This

Husband Wanted | History Nebraska

Both the young ladies are willing to submit photographs and recommendations, and give their names, which we are prepared to furnish to the right parties, but trust no one will trifle with their affections. We feel assured that they are good girls who are simply lost in a wilderness of other girls in a manless community, and our sympathies and assistance are on tap for them.

No one will trifle with their affections?

I wonder how this all worked out for them.