Mike Babcock is in his 47th season covering Nebraska football. Babcock also covered most other Husker sports at some point in his journalism career. Mike earned his undergraduate degree in English from Cal State-Chico and Masters in English (teacher preparation) from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Babcock spent seven years teaching English and Introductory Literature at Parkland Community College. Mike wrote sports part-time at the Champaign-Urbana Courier as well as for Lincoln Journal and Star for 17 years for the sports department covering Nebraska as a sports columnist. Babcock then wrote for Huskers Illustrated before Hail Varsity and Hurrdat Sports.
Next up for Nebraska football, Tennessee ... uh, check that, Bowling Green. Tennessee was on the Huskers’ schedule until early 2025, when it was replaced by Bowling Green this season — and Miami (Ohio) next season, also at home. Nebraska wanted an eighth home game in...
Washington came to Lincoln in late September 1998 ranked ninth in the Associated Press poll. That’s right, ninth. The Huskies left 55-7 losers. Granted, Nebraska football had moved to second after three wins and an off-week, during which previously second-ranked...
Three can be better than one. Unless, of course, the one is Emmett Johnson for Nebraska football. His departure for the Kansas City Chiefs left questions about his replacement for Nebraska this season. Based on the play in the Huskers’ 49-21 victory against Ohio...
Nebraska opens Matt Rhule’s fourth season against Ohio at Memorial Stadium Saturday. So let’s start with, uh, Frank Solich. “I don’t think you can talk about a Nebraska-Ohio football game without talking about Coach Solich,” Rhule said Monday. “Coach is a wonderful...
Following Nebraska football's 24-3 victory at California on Sept. 12, 1998, Husker Coach Frank Solich said he knew quarterback Monte Christo, a senior walk-on, could get the job done — as long as he was healthy. Christo had dealt with injuries during his career. He...
Two games. Two first-time starting quarterbacks. That’s how Frank Solich’s time as Nebraska football’s head coach began. Oh yes, and two wins. Redshirt freshman Eric Crouch started the second game of the 1998 season at quarterback because sophomore Bobby Newcombe, the...
Hail Varsity Historical's next subject is the 1998 Nebraska football season, game-by-game, the first for Frank Solich as head coach. When Frank Solich ran onto the field before Nebraska’s 1998 opener against Louisiana Tech in the Nebraska Genuine Eddie Robinson...
A century ago, Ernie Bearg’s first game as head coach of Nebraska football was against Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. Legendary All-America running back Harold “Red” Grange, nicknamed “the Galloping Ghost,” led the Illini. Illinois won the previous two meetings. But...
As noted last week, George Flippin was the first Black athlete at Nebraska, playing for the football team in the 1891 game against Iowa. He was a groundbreaker beyond that. According to Arthur Ashe’s "A Hard Road to Glory: A History of the African American Athlete:...