Top 10 Nebraska Sports Stories of 2006
10. IFOCE Eating Contest at the State Fair
-Well, actually there were two. The IFOCE is the International Federation of Competitive Eating. Competitive eating has been around for a while but has gained US popularity when the IFOCE oversaw the Nathans Hot Dog Eating Contest. It has gained even more popularity when Takeru “Tsunami” Kobayashi burst onto the scene in 2001 eating 50 hotdogs. Now competitive eating has taken the nation by storm and there are competitions every where. The Nebraska State Fair had a World Kolache Eating Championship and a Grilled Cheese Eating Contest. Tim Janus, otherwise known as Eater X, was the winner in the Grilled Cheese Contest as he downed 31 sandwiches in 10 minutes. Patrick Bertoletti won the Kolache championship as he wolfed down 44 of the sweets in 8 minutes.
9. Big new TV
-With the recent addition to North Stadium in Memorial Stadium it gave Nebraska a chance to once again lead the way in college video replay boards, and they didn’t dissapoint. The new big screen measures 117-feet wide by 33-feet-high. It is one of the biggest video replay boards in college and pro stadiums.
8. High School wrestling tournament moved out of Bob Devaney Sports Center
-The Nebraska State High School Wrestling tournament had been in the BDSC for 30 years and although I have never attended one, I was told it was an amazing atmosphere that was one of the best in Nebraska HS sports. The NSAA made a controversial decision though to move it out of the BDSC to the Qwest Center in Omaha. The one thing going against the BDSC was the size. The wrestling tournament had out grown the Bob. Facilities were limited for the wrestlers, floor space for the mats were starting to become a safety issue and tickets were hard to come by. So when the decision was made it was a very polarizing issue. Adding to the controversy, it was announced that although beer sales would not be allowed at the concession stands, alcohol would be allowed in the private suites. The NSAA was very disturbed that the consumption of alcohol would be allowed at a HS sporting event and if the practice continues, I’m guessing the wrestling tournament will be moved back to Lincoln.
7. January 7th, Mens Basketball win over Oklahoma
-Joe McCray drilled a 3 pointer with 5.6 seconds left to go and Nebraska dodged a bullet at the buzzer as Terrell Everett’s layup rolled off the rim as time expired to give Nebraska the upset victory over #12 Oklahoma. It was one of the two upsets that Nebraska pulled this year, the other one came against Oklahoma in the 2nd round the Big 12 championship.
6. Baseball Collapse
-The Nebraska baseball team came into the 06 season coming off their greatest season in school history. They started the year ranked as high as 3rd and after a series win on the road at Texas it seemed that a return trip to the CWS was expected. It all started to fall apart as the calender flipped to May. The Huskers lost the first two games of a series against Oklahoma St. and then were swept in their next Big 12 series against Baylor. In the Big 12 series finale Oklahoma took 2 of 3 from Nebraska at home. Limping into the Big 12 championship, Nebraska unexpectedly turned it around down in Oklahoma City winning 3 straight in the new team pool format including a win over the top seed, Texas Longhorns. But the high was quickly replaced with a low as they were bounced from the tourney by Kansas. The lowest of lows though came as Nebraska was named as a regional host and the #6 national seed in the NCAA tournament. Nebraska went 2 and out in their own regional. They lost to Manhattan College and San Francisco to limp out of the post season.
5. Barry Collier/Doc Sadler
-Barry Collier was brought to Nebraska from Butler after Danny Nee was fired. Collier had some bright spots at Nebraska but many fans became increasingly frustrated by Barry’s teams. Speculation about Barry’s job was at a fever pitch after the 04/05 season, but Athletic Director Steve Pederson stuck with Barry. The 06 season ended with Nebraska making it’s deepest run in the Big 12 tournament in school history. But it became increasingly clear that Steve Pederson was not happy with NIT appearances. Colliers contract expired after the 06/07 season and with no extension in the near future, Barry Collier left Nebraska back to where he came from, he became the AD of Butler. Doc Sadler was announced the new coach of the Nebraska basketball team on August 8th. And so far so good for coach Sadler. He has compiled a 9-3 record in this young season, including a 4-3 December where all but one of the games were on the road.
4. November 11th Football victory over Texas A&M
-Not only was this victory exciting because Nebraska had to come back and win with a 11 play 75-yard drive capped by a 9 yard touchdown catch by Maurice Purify. But this victory also propelled Nebraska back into the Big 12 championship game for the first time since 1999. It also marked another improvement from 3rd year head coach Bill Callahan. In his 3 years he has taken the Cornhuskers from 5-6 to 9-4, Big 12 North Champions and a New Years Day Bowl. There is little to no debate now that Coach Callahan is on the right track with Nebraska football.
3. Alamo Bowl victory over Michigan
-OK, I know, technically it was last year. But this game had many rippling effects into 2006. You remember the end right? Nebraska was back at the top of all the sports highlight shows for about a week. Nebraska had beat a quality Michigan team that only a year later was contending for the National title. The 32-28 win over the Wolverines propelled Nebraska back onto the National scene and it made for high hopes coming into the 06 season.
2. December 9th - Volleyball comeback vs. Minnesota
-Battling the expectations all year of trying to qualify for the Final 4 in Omaha all year the volleyball team ran into the fight of their lives against Minnesota in the regional final against Minnesota. After losing games 1 and 2 the huskers were only one game away from dashing the hopes of thousands of Nebraska fans that had sold out the Qwest Center in anticipation of Nebraska going to the final 4. But a miraculous comeback started. Nebraska came out of the break on fire and took game 3 30-20. And then took control of the momentum with a 30-25 win in game 4. The Huskers capped off the comeback with a dominating 15-9 victory to propel Nebraska into the Final 4. Had this moment never happened, #1 would have never been possible....
#1 National Champions
-After their come from behind victory against Minnesota the crown was all but Nebraska’s. With 17 thousand Nebraska fans behind them, Nebraska took care of UCLA in 4 sets and that set the stage for the crowning achievement of the year and our number one Nebraska sports moment of 2006. Nebraska won their 3rd national championship in school history as they took care of the Stanford Cardinal in 4 sets. It capped off an amazing season for the ladies who had such high expectations put upon them after last seasons disappointment.
So there you have it, the top 10 Nebraska sports stories of 2006.
Agree? Disagree?
The Comments
foxspit January 1, 2007 at 10:52am
I would vote for including Lincoln Southwest High School’s legion team (Pinnacle Bank) making it to the American Legion World Series. Quite an accomplishment!
D.M.B. January 1, 2007 at 1:11pm
Ah, see I wasn’t aware of that one.