| Year: | 1969 |
| Team: | Nebraska Cornhuskers |
| Sport: | football |
| Conference: | Big Eight Conference |
| Short Conf: | Big 8 |
| Coachrank: | 12 |
| Aprank: | 11 |
| Record: | 9–2 |
| Conf Record: | 6–1 |
| Head Coach: | Bob Devaney |
| Hc Year: | 8th |
| Off Coach: | Tom Osborne |
| Oc Year: | 1st |
| Off Scheme: | I formation |
| Def Coach: | Monte Kiffin |
| Dc Year: | 1st |
| Def Scheme: | 5–2 |
| Stadium: | Memorial Stadium |
| Champion: | Big 8 co-champion Sun Bowl champion |
| Bowl: | Sun Bowl |
| Bowl Result: | W 45–6 vs. Georgia |
The 1969 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska in the 1969 NCAA University Division football season. The team was led by eighth-year head coach Bob Devaney and played their home games in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln. In his first year as offensive coordinator, Tom Osborne instituted the I formation.
The Huskers lost the opener at home to fifth-ranked USC,[1] and were 2–2 after a loss in the conference opener at #7 Missouri.[2] They won their final six regular season games to tie for the Big Eight championship, were invited to the Sun Bowl in El Paso,[3] and decisively beat the Georgia Bulldogs to finish the season at 9–2.[4] [5]
The Huskers' strong finish in 1969 was followed by consecutive national championships in 1970 and 1971; after the rout of second-ranked Alabama in the 1972 Orange Bowl, Nebraska's unbeaten streak reached 32 games.
| Name | Title | First year in this position | Years at Nebraska | Alma mater | |
| Bob Devaney | 1962 | 1962–72 | Alma | ||
| Tom Osborne | Offensive coordinator | 1969 | 1964–97 | Hastings | |
| Cletus Fischer | Offensive Line | 1960–85 | Nebraska | ||
| Carl Selmer | Offensive Line | 1962–72 | |||
| Jim Ross | 1962–76 | ||||
| John Melton | Tight Ends. Wingbacks | 1973 | 1962–88 | Wyoming | |
| Mike Corgan | Running Backs | 1962 | 1962–82 | Notre Dame | |
| Monte Kiffin | Defensive coordinator | 1969 | 1967–76 | Nebraska | |
| Warren Powers | Defensive Backs | 1969–76 | Nebraska | ||
| Boyd Epley | Head Strength Coach | 1969 | 1969–2003 | Nebraska | |
| Bill Thornton | Graduate assistant | 1969 | 1969–72 | Nebraska | |
USC had a fight on their hands, despite jumping out to an early 14-0 lead. Nebraska scrambled back and drew up within 7 points in the 4th quarter with 3:40 to go. The Cornhuskers again got the ball back with enough time to score, but USC intercepted and converted the turnover into a field goal in the final seconds to decide the outcome.
The Cornhuskers put up a touchdown in each of the first two quarters before Texas A&M was somehow able to bottle them up, but the Blackshirts had already established that the Aggies would get nothing on the day, and the 14 Nebraska points were carried for the win.
Nebraska QB Jerry Tagge broke a record while taking apart Minnesota in Minneapolis. The 587 total Cornhusker yards was the second highest total in school history, and his 219 air yards and 82 ground yards rang up to 301 on the day, easily breaking the previous record of 264 yards set in 1951 and tied in 1967. The game started in doubt as Minnesota struck first and forced Nebraska to a 14-14 tie at the half, but there would be no further scoring from the Golden Gophers to answer the additional 28 Nebraska points posted after the half.
Nebraska attempted to bring a fight to Columbia to go along with their new #20 ranking, but after Missouri went up 7-0, it did not help that the Cornhuskers turned over a fumble to Missouri which was converted into 7 more points before the half. Nebraska managed to avoid the shutout with a 3rd-quarter touchdown but could not overcome Missouri's defense to score again, and subsequently fell back out of the polls.
The Cornhuskers did not lose again until their 1972 season opener at UCLA.
Nebraska PK Paul Rogers set a Nebraska and Big 8 record with a 55-yard 1st-quarter field goal to open the scoring. It was a fierce back-and-forth game, though Nebraska ran ahead by 14 only to have Kansas, which shared the 1968 Big Eight championship but plummeted to 1-9 in 1969, tie it up in the 3rd and pull ahead with a field goal in the 4th. The Cornhuskers came through, however, putting in the game-winning touchdown with just 1:22 left to play.
The defensive struggle of the day kept the scores low and the game in doubt late, as Nebraska held only a 10-point lead to start the 4th quarter, but the defenses held on both sides and the Cornhuskers got the win.
Nebraska's 13 point margin of victory was directly attributable to the school record 3 interceptions by Dana Stephenson, two of which were subsequently converted into touchdowns, giving Nebraska the upset win.
Iowa State was held to only 27 yards on the ground in front a Memorial Stadium homecoming crowd, as Nebraska held the Cyclones to just a 2nd-quarter field goal on their way to the win.
The Blackshirts allowed Kansas State a touchdown early on, but closed the door for the rest of the game. The Cornhusker offense needed that support, as they were not able to put up their own points until splitting the uprights with a field goal late in the 3rd, and very much needed the touchdown punched in about 10 minutes later to pull ahead for the victory.
Nebraska fought from behind to deliver Coach Devaney's first win in Norman, a convincing win in which the Blackshirts held the season's Heisman Trophy winner Steve Owens to just 71 yards with no touchdowns, breaking his 17-game touchdown streak.
Nebraska opened the day with four straight 1st-quarter field goals, setting new Nebraska and Big 8 records in the process, which was the beginning of Georgia being left far behind. By the time the Bulldogs found the scoreboard on a 4th-quarter touchdown, they merely closed the gap to 6-38, which the Cornhuskers then answered with one more touchdown before the final whistle.
See also: 1969 NCAA University Division football rankings.
| Award | Name(s) | |
|---|---|---|
| All-America 1st team | Jim McFarland, Dana Stephenson | |
| Big Eight Sophomore of the Year | Jeff Kinney | |
| All-Big Eight 1st team | Ken Geddes, Bob Liggett, Jim McFarland, Jerry Murtaugh, Dana Stephenson | |
| All-Big Eight 2nd team | Sherwin Jarmon | |
| All-Big Eight honorable mention | Carl Ashman, Van Brownson, Guy Ingles, Al Larson, Glenn Patterson, Jerry Tagge, Paul Topliff, Dave Walline, Mike Wynn |
The 1969 Nebraska Cornhuskers seniors selected in the 1970 NFL draft:[10]
| Player | Position | Round | Pick | Franchise | |
| Jim McFarland | 7 | 164 | St. Louis Cardinals | ||
| 7 | 175 | Detroit Lions | |||
| Dana Stephenson | 8 | 183 | Chicago Bears | ||
| Mike Wynn | 8 | 206 | Oakland Raiders | ||
| 10 | 251 | Green Bay Packers | |||
| Bob Liggett | 15 | 390 | Kansas City Chiefs | ||
| Mike Green | 16 | 406 | San Diego Chargers | ||
| Glenn Patterson | 17 | 439 | Dallas Cowboys |
The 1969 Nebraska Cornhuskers juniors selected in the following year's 1971 NFL draft:[11]
| Player | Position | Round | Pick | Franchise | |
| Joe Orduna | 2 | 49 | San Francisco 49ers | ||
| 3 | 71 | Chicago Bears | |||
| Paul Rogers | 8 | 190 | Pittsburgh Steelers | ||
| Dan Schneiss | 11 | 261 | Boston Patriots |
The 1969 Nebraska Cornhuskers sophomores selected in the 1972 NFL draft:[12]
| Player | Position | Round | Pick | Franchise |
| 1 | 11 | Green Bay Packers | ||
| Jeff Kinney | 1 | 23 | Kansas City Chiefs | |
| 1 | 24 | New York Giants | ||
| 5 | 112 | New Orleans Saints | ||
| Van Brownson | 8 | 204 | Baltimore Colts | |
| 10 | 242 | Green Bay Packers | ||
The following 1969 Nebraska players joined a professional team as draftees or free agents.[13]
| Name | Team | |
|---|---|---|
| Doug Dumler | New England Patriots | |
| Ken Geddes | Los Angeles Rams | |
| Larry Jacobson | New York Giants | |
| Bill Janssen | Charlotte Hornets | |
| Sherwin Jarmon | Chicago Fire | |
| Jeff Kinney | Kansas City Chiefs | |
| Bob Liggett | Kansas City Chiefs | |
| Dave Mason | New England Patriots | |
| Jim McFarland | St. Louis Cardinals | |
| Bob Newton | Chicago Bears | |
| Joe Orduna | New York Giants | |
| Frank Patrick | Green Bay Packers | |
| Jerry Tagge | Green Bay Packers | |
| Frank Vactor | Washington Redskins |