Nebraska is a fascinating state to delve into in regard to college sports history, as it has a burgeoning sports scene without the imposing influence of professional sports.
The University of Nebraska's Memorial Stadium has sold out since the 1960s. The College World Series takes place in Omaha. Nebraska women's volleyball holds the world record for attendance at a women's sporting event.
And it isn't just a matter of circumstance. The programs built the loyalty. The Tom Osborne Nebraska-Oklahoma-Barry Switzer football rivalry is the stuff of legend, the 1990s Cornhuskers are still spoken of in reverential tones. Creighton basketball went from Missouri Valley powerhouse to Big East staple. And Nebraska women's volleyball has one of the most passionate
followings among college sports as a whole.
From all of that loyalty is borne legendary figures. Across the state and across sports, Nebraska has the athletes to run with nearly any state in the country. Paring that list down to 10 proved to be an extremely difficult task. But here are the 10 Nebraska college athletes who managed to set themselves apart.
10 greatest college athletes in Nebraska
Tommie Frazier, Nebraska
Nebraska of the 1990s was dominant. And Tommie Frazier was one of the team's great players in the decade. After he got his feet wet as a freshman, Frazier came into his own as a sophomore. Though he rarely threw the ball in Tom Osborne's ruthless triple option offense, but he passed for 3,521 yards in his career and added 1,955 yards and 36 touchdowns on the ground. But Frazier's legacy defies stats: Nebraska won 36 of 37 games in his final three seasons. The lone loss came to Florida State at the end of the 1993 season in the Orange Bowl that was a matchup of two unbeatens. Frazier would then lead the Cornhuskers to back-to-back titles the next two season and finish runner-up to Eddie George in the voting for the 1995 Heisman Trophy.
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Bob Gibson, Creighton
Born in Omaha in 1935, Bob Gibson is one of the most dynamic pitchers in baseball history. His stuff is the stuff of legends, and he got his start with the Creighton Bluejays. A two-sport athlete, Gibson played baseball and basketball for his hometown university. He finished his career on the hardwood as the school's third-leading scorer at the time with 1,272 points. Unfortunately, his baseball stats are lost in the annals of history, it's known he was an outfielder and a pitcher for Creighton. Gibson had a legendary pitching career with the St. Louis Cardinals, and was named to Creighton's Hall of Fame in 1968.
Mike Rozier, Nebraska
When you think about hard-nosed Huskers, you think about Mike Rozier. After setting the single-season school record with 1,689 rushing yards as a junior in 1982, he shattered his own mark the following season as part of one of the greatest offenses in college history. Rozier put up an absurd 2,148 yards and an NCAA-record 29 touchdowns on the ground on his way to winning the 1983 Heisman Trophy. That Nebraska offense averaged over 50 points per game with Rozier serving as the focal point, and though it came up short of a national title with an Orange Bowl loss to Miami, it's remembered as one of the great seasons in Nebraska football.
PROGRAM RANKINGS: Top 25 | Big Ten | SEC | ACC | Big 12
Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska
Ask someone born in the '90s the most dominant defensive player they watched in college growing up, and dollars to donuts Ndamukong Suh's name is going to come up. One of the most overpowering linemen in history, Suh turned otherwise-stalwart offensive linemen into sleds. Suh's 2009 season is the stuff of college football legend: He finished fourth in Heisman Trophy voting, the best at the time for a solely defensive player since Steve Emtman in 1991 after logging 85 tackles with 20½ tackles for a loss and 12 sacks. Suh missing out on the Heisman was widely regarded as a death knell for the hopes of a solely defensive player winning the trophy, and he remains a Nebraska legend to this day.
Johnny Rodgers, Nebraska
Johnny Rodgers isn't just etched into the fabric of Nebraska. He's woven into the tapestry of college football. A receiver, running back, and return specialist, record after record fell before Rodgers' speed. A Walter Camp Player of the Year and Heisman Trophy winner in 1971, Rodgers finished his career with the two highest all-purpose yards seasons in Nebraska history, along with the record for most career all-purpose yards. He still holds the record for career receiving touchdowns and ended his time on the gridiron with the most points accounted for in Nebraska history. Often considered among the best return men in college football history, Rodgers was precursor for the athlete position in college sports.
Eric Crouch, Nebraska
Eric Crouch evokes one of the last gasps of an era of greatness for Nebraska football. Crouch led the Big 12 in rushing touchdowns in each of his final three seasons and posted a 35-7 record as a starter. He had a dominant senior campaign in 2001 to win the Heisman Trophy, edging out Florida quarterback Rex Grossman. For the season, Crouch rushed for 1,115 yards and 18 touchdowns and threw for 1,510 yards, while leading the Cornhuskers to the Bowl Championship Series title game in the Rose Bowl. Though Nebraska would lose to Miami (Fla.) in his final game, Crouch's legacy has endured as one of the most dynamic athletes in Cornhusker football history.
Sarah Pavan, Nebraska
While Nebraska football is a dynasty, Nebraska volleyball is an institution all of its own. The Cornhuskers are five-time national champions and have four championships since the turn of the century. Pavan is one of the most decorated volleyball players in Nebraska history. She was a four-time first-team All-American and set multiple records with the Cornhuskers while making Lincoln a destination for volleyball. Pavan helped Nebraska to a national championship in 2006 and four consecutive Big 12 titles. She is quintessentially Nebraska volleyball, and volleyball is quintessentially Nebraska.
Jordan Larson, Nebraska
Why wouldn't Nebraska get two volleyball players on this list? Joining Pavan is Jordan Larson, who was also part of the 2006 championship team. Larson was a three-time All-American and had over 1,000 kills and digs in her Nebraska career. Her best season was in 2008, when she earned multiple accolades before becoming an Olympic star as well, culminating in a gold medal win in Tokyo in the 2020 Summer Games.
Jordy Frahm, Nebraska
Fresh off her college career when she was a four-time first-team All-American, Frahm is already a Nebraska softball legend. Born in Papillion, Frahm started her career at Oklahoma, winning two national championships with a 44-2 record as the star pitcher for Sooners. Frahm transferred to Nebraska after her sophomore season, but was injured in her first game in 2024. She returned the following year to help Nebraska to the super regionals for the first time since 2014. Frahm was national player of the year as a senior, leading the Cornhuskers to their first Women's College World Series appearance since 2013,. A true two-way superstar, she posted a 47-14 record pitching over two seasons at Nebraska with an ERA of 1.44. She slugged 1.418 as a Cornhusker with 43 home runs.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: USA250: The 10 greatest college athletes from Nebraska
