Overview:

Is Nebraska football merely a game? Is the sum total of Nebraska football more than the foot and the ball? Or is the Nebraska football program an extension of our pioneering spirit and a personification of our values as Nebraskans? Nebraska football is more than just a game, it is also a microcosm of what a Nebraskan is. A study of the historical development of Nebraska's football program suggests there is a story that contains many chapters (themes):

  • Racial issues are interwoven into the fabric of Nebraska football
  • Nebraska football is a product of early 20th century industrialization
  • Yellow journalism affects the Nebraska image
  • "Cornhusker" values reflect pioneer values
  • Literature and music inspire the "Huskers"

Intended Audience:

The primary audience is senior high school students (9th-12th grade) in the areas of Social Studies, English, music, art, and literature. Many of the activities are also appropriate for students at the middle school level.

Objectives:

  1. Analyze the implications racial issues have for the Nebraska football team, and how they are a reflection of an historical time period
  2. Encourage analysis of the impact industrialization of the early 20th century had on the Nebraska football team
  3. Assess the role "yellow journalism" has played in defining husker football
  4. Promote an understanding of the interrelationships between values considered important to pioneers in Nebraska history, and the values deemed important to the participants in Nebraska football
  5. Evaluate the role the humanities has played in motivating the performance of the "Huskers"

Lessons:

The Husker Century videotape contains the following five segments that assist the viewer in traveling from the first football game in 1890 to Nebraska's first appearance in a bowl game in 1941 at the Rose Bowl in California. The themes serve as a form of transportation that enables the viewer to traverse throughout "Husker Century."

Lesson 1: Bugeaters and Ax Murders
Overview and Objectives
Pre and Post Viewing Questions
Activities
Bibliography

Lesson 2: Cornhusker Century
Overview and Objectives
Pre and Post Viewing Questions
Activities
Bibliography

Lesson 3: Hedonistic Twenties
Overview and Objectives
Pre and Post Viewing Questions
Activities
Bibliography

Lesson 4: Thriving During Hard Times (1930s)
Overview and Objectives
Pre and Post Viewing Questions
Activities
Bibliography

Lesson 5: Rose Bowl
Overview and Objectives
Pre and Post Viewing Questions
Activities
Bibliography