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Butch Furse
Just after NU spring football is over and the quarterback and several other team position questions have been answered, another topic has surfaced. The topic: “Let’s make the student section a factor in the game and move it from the ‘poor seating’ of the southeast corner of the stadium to let their enthusiasm jump start Husker winning again”.
A week ago readers responded to a Tom Shatel Omaha World-Herald sports column with a host of suggestions for new locations from behind team benches on east and west sides of the stadium; north or south end zone seats; or renovate the stadium making student seating more of a factor to match other Big Ten schools where student seating sections are more visible and active. There were critics who also sided with the theory that winning again will see a return of the strong home-team atmosphere to the stadium, but alumni and “blue-hairs” also need to do their part.
If we remember when we were an NU student (1956-60) our seats were in the Number One section in the northeast stadium where a fraternity block of tickets cost about $6 per seat for each game. Seating was not a problem because Husker wins were infrequent and we were required by the fraternity to sit through the first half before we could leave. Incidentally one of those four years we recalled staying for the full game when the Huskers upset Oklahoma.
Because of our possible outdated experience we now have to side that a winning team is a strong factor in an active student section.
Just like a team effort in a football game it will need to be a team effort between us “blue-hairs” and the students to work out a future solution for better student seating.
Oh yes! After my college witness of the upset of Oklahoma I rushed from my Section One seating to the field and Oklahoma bench where I grabbed a souvenir bench towel while the goal posts were coming down. I tucked it under my jacket and later found out imprinted on the towel were in black letters, “Property of the University of Nebraska.”
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“Money Talks” and it appears that’s evident particularly in the political arena. After the past 100 days in office our country has become the oasis of the “free lunch.”
RL Furse is publisher emeritus of the News-Register
