More OU-Nebraska celebrations
Last autumn, Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione organized a reunion of the 1971 OU-Nebraska game, which the Sooners lost 35-31. But it was such a monumental competition, so gloriously played, that it is still revered not just in Nebraska, but in Oklahoma as well. Dozens of players convened on the OU campus the night before the OU-NU game to reminisce.
This year, Nebraska is returning the favor. Husker athletic director Tom Osborne has organized a celebration in Lincoln on Friday night. All major award winners were invited — Heisman Trophy, Outland, Lombardi, Butkus, etc.
Osborne said he expects about a dozen players from each school, along with Barry Switzer, at the dinner. In addition, 1972 Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Rodgers has organized a series of autograph sessions, in a couple of small Nebraska towns on Friday, in Lincoln on Saturday and in Omaha on Sunday. Rodgers hopes to include OU Heisman winners Steve Owens, Billy Sims and Jason White and fellow Nebraska Heisman winners Mike Rozier and Eric Crouch. Billy Vessels (OU’s 1952 Heisman winner) is deceased, and Sam Bradford is needed elsewhere.
Anyway, it should be a fun weekend of OU-Nebraska tradition.
“It was really nice of Joe Castiglione to invite the 1971 team last year,” said Osborne, Nebraska’s legendary coach from 1973-98, now its athletic director and an assistant coach on the ‘71 team. “I think it will be a neat deal.”
The award winners will be introduced at halftime of the game Saturday night.
Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel.
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well, you know ABC won’t carry any of the halftime. I hope the local channels here will have some footage of the halftime.