1962 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team

American college football season

1962 Nebraska Cornhuskers football

Gotham Bowl champion

Gotham Bowl, W 36–34 vs. Miami (FL)

Conference| Big Eight Conference
Record| 9–2 (5–2 Big 8)
Head coach|

* Bob Devaney (1st season)

Home stadium| Memorial Stadium

Seasons

← 1961

1963 →

1962 Big Eight Conference football standings

* v
* t
* e

| Conf. |  |  | Overall

|
|
|
|

Team | W |   | L |   | T |  |  | W |   | L |   | T
No. 8 Oklahoma $  | 7  | – | 0  | – | 0 |  |  | 8  | – | 3  | – | 0
Missouri | 5  | – | 1  | – | 1 |  |  | 8  | – | 1  | – | 2
Nebraska | 5  | – | 2  | – | 0 |  |  | 9  | – | 2  | – | 0
Kansas | 4  | – | 2  | – | 1 |  |  | 6  | – | 3  | – | 1
Iowa State | 3  | – | 4  | – | 0 |  |  | 5  | – | 5  | – | 0
Oklahoma State | 2  | – | 5  | – | 0 |  |  | 4  | – | 6  | – | 0
Colorado | 1  | – | 6  | – | 0 |  |  | 2  | – | 8  | – | 0
Kansas State | 0  | – | 7  | – | 0 |  |  | 0  | – | 10  | – | 0

* $ – Conference champion

Rankings from AP Poll

The 1962 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska in the Big Eight Conference during the 1962 NCAA University Division football season. Led by first-year head coach Bob Devaney, the Huskers were 8–2 (5–2 in Big 8, third) in the regular season,[1] and played their home games on campus at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Undefeated through October,[2] their loss to Missouri on November 3 marked the start of Nebraska's current NCAA record of 400 consecutive sellouts. At the chilly Gotham Bowl in New York City in mid-December, they defeated Miami 36–34 to finish at 9–2.[3][4]

Hired in February, Devaney was previously the head coach for five seasons at the University of Wyoming in Laramie. He coached Nebraska for eleven seasons, won consecutive national titles (1970, 1971), and was the athletic director from 1967 to 1992.

## Schedule

[edit]

Date| Time| Opponent| Site| TV| Result| Attendance| Source

|
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September 22| 2:00 pm| South Dakota*|

* Memorial Stadium
* Lincoln, NE

| | W 53–0| 26,953|
September 29| 12:30 pm| at Michigan*|

* Michigan Stadium
* Ann Arbor, MI

| | W 25–13| 70,287| [5]
October 6| 2:00 pm| Iowa State|

* Memorial Stadium
* Lincoln, NE (rivalry)

| | W 36–22| 34,321|
October 13| 2:00 pm| NC State*|

* Memorial Stadium
* Lincoln, NE

| | W 19–14| 36,867| [6]
October 20| 2:00 pm| Kansas State|

* Memorial Stadium
* Lincoln, NE (rivalry)

| | W 26–6| 30,701|
October 27| 2:30 pm| at Colorado|

* Folsom Field
* Boulder, CO (rivalry)

| | W 31–6| 34,183|
November 3| 2:00 pm| Missouri|

* Memorial Stadium
* Lincoln, NE (rivalry)

| | L 7–16| 36,501| [2]
November 10| 1:30 pm| at Kansas|

* Memorial Stadium
* Lawrence, KS (rivalry)

| | W 40–16| 37,063|
November 17| 2:00 pm| Oklahoma State|

* Memorial Stadium
* Lincoln, NE

| | W 14–0| 34,329|
November 24| 1:30 pm| at No. 10 Oklahoma|

* Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
* Norman, OK (rivalry)

| | L 6–34| 58,768|
December 15| 10:00 am| vs. Miami (FL)*|

* Yankee Stadium
* Bronx, NY (Gotham Bowl, rivalry)

| ABC| W 36–34| 6,166| [3][4]

* *Non-conference game
* Homecoming
* Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
* All times are in Central time

## Roster

[edit]

* 48 Baffico, James LG (Jr.)
* 61 Brown, Robert RG (Jr.)
* 46 Brown, Ulysses RG (Sr.)
* 89 Bryant, Curtis E (Jr.)
* 80 Callahan, Richard E (Jr.)
* 62 Carlson, Dwain LG (Sr.)
* 14 Claridge, Dennis QB (Jr.)
* 82 Comstock, William E (Sr.)
* 65 Dervin, John LG (So.)
* 81 Doepke, Charles E (So.)
* 87 Donovan, Larry E (Sr.)
* 53 Drum, Duncan C (So.)
*    Eger, Mike E
* 15 Faiman, John QB (Sr.)
* 76 Fischer, Allen (Richard) RT (Sr.)
* 50 Fugitt, Mike C (So.)
* 69 Garner, Chuck LG (Jr.)
* 64 Gray, Gary LG (So.)
* 79 Griesse, Ronald RT (Jr.)
* 57 Haas, Dave RT (So.)
* 85 Huge, James E (Sr.)
* 58 Johnson, LaVane RG (Jr.)
* 31 Johnson, Rudy HB (Jr.)
* 74 Jones, Robert LT (Sr.)
* 77 Kiffin, Monte LT (Jr.)
* 68 Kirby, John LG (Jr.)
* 40 Koehler, Mike FB (Sr.)
* 86 Koinzan, John E (So.)
* 75 Kramer, Larry LT (Jr.)
* 18 Lucas, Gary E (So.)

|   |

* 42 Martin, Noel FB (Sr.)
* 32 McCloughan, Kent HB (So.)
* 63 McDermott, Donald RG (So.)
* 41 McNulty, Joe FB (So.)
* 54 Michka, Ron C (Jr.)
* 73 Osentowski, Clarence LT (So.)
* 33 Paschell, Willie HB (So.)
* 37 Peterson, Robert RT (Jr.)
* 20 Powers, Warren HB (Sr.)
* 70 Robertson, Tyrone LT (Sr.)
* 10 Rogers, Bill RG (So.)
* 66 Rood, Jed RG (Sr.)
* 21 Ross, Willie HB (Jr.)
* 35 Sebastian, John HB (So.)
* 52 Sittler, Lyle C (So.)
* 22 Smidt, Maynard HB (Jr.)
* 43 Smith, Bruce FB (So.)
* 51 Stevenson, Donald C (Sr.)
* 72 Strohmyer, John RT (So.)
* 34 Stuewe, Dennis HB (Sr.)
* 23 Theisen, David HB (Jr.)
* 30 Thornton, Bill FB (Sr.)
* 83 Tomlinson, Larry E (Jr.)
* 67 Toogood, Gary RG (Sr.)
* 36 Tregonning, Donn RG (Jr.)
* 17 Tucker, Douglas QB (So.)
*    Van Newkirk, Milan PK
* 71 Voss, Lloyd RT (Jr.)
* 24 Vujevich, John HB (So.)
* 44 Young, Gene FB (Jr.)

|
|

## Depth chart

[edit]

Defensive starters

|  | HB

14 Dennis Claridge
| HB

32 Kent McCloughan
|  | LB | LB

|

62 Dwain Carlson | 64 Bob Brown
68 John Kirby | 67 Gary Toogood
| CB

23 David Theisen
| DE | DT | NT | DT | DE

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84 Mike Eger | 71 Lloyd Voss | 54 Ron Michka | 70 Tyrone Robertson | 83 Larry Tomlinson
88 James Huge | 76 Richard Fischer | 56 James Baffico | 75 Larry Kramer | 87 Larry Donovan
| CB

20 Warren Powers

Offensive starters

|  |  |  | LE

Larry Donovan
Larry Tomlinson
Mike Eger
| LG | C | RG | LT | RT

|
|
|
|

Dwain Carlson | Ron Michka | Bob Brown | Tyrone Robertson | Lloyd Voss
John Kirby | James Baffico | Gary Toogood | Larry Kramer | Richard Fischer
| RE

James Huge
Richard Callahan
William Comstock
|  | QB

Dennis Claridge
John Faiman
|  | LB | RB | FB

|
|

Willie Ross | Rudy Johnson
Dennis Stuewe | Bill Thornton
Warren Powers | Kent McCloughan | Gene Young

## Coaching staff

[edit]

Name | Title | First year
in this position | Years at Nebraska | Alma mater

|
|
|
|

Bob Devaney | Head Coach | 1962 | 1962–1972 | Alma
John Melton |  | 1962 | 1962–1988 | Wyoming
Cletus Fischer |  | 1960 | 1960–1985 | Nebraska
Mike Corgan | Running Backs | 1962 | 1962–1982 | Notre Dame
George Kelly |  | 1960 | 1960–1968 |
Jim Ross |  | 1962 | 1962–1976 |
Carl Selmer | Offensive Line | 1962 | 1962–1972 |

[7][8]

## Game summaries

[edit]

### South Dakota

[edit]

Team | 1 | 2| 3| 4| Total

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South Dakota | 0 | 0| 0| 0 | 0
• Nebraska | 6 | 13| 20| 14 | 53

* Date: September 22
* Location: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska
* Game attendance: 26,953

[9][10][11]

### Michigan

[edit]

Team | 1 | 2| 3| 4| Total

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• Nebraska | 0 | 7| 12| 6 | 25
Michigan | 0 | 6| 0| 7 | 13

* Date: September 29
* Location: Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan
* Game attendance: 70,287

[9][10][12][13]

### Iowa State

[edit]

Team | 1 | 2| 3| 4| Total

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Iowa State | 0 | 7| 7| 8 | 22
• Nebraska | 14 | 14| 0| 8 | 36

* Date: October 6
* Location: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska
* Game attendance: 34,321

[9][14][15][16]

### NC State

[edit]

Team | 1 | 2| 3| 4| Total

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NC State | 6 | 0| 8| 0 | 14
• Nebraska | 0 | 0| 7| 12 | 19

* Date: October 13
* Location: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska
* Game attendance: 36,867

[9][14][17]

### Kansas State

[edit]

This was the last Nebraska home football game to not be sold out.

Team | 1 | 2| 3| 4| Total

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Kansas State | 6 | 0| 0| 0 | 6
• Nebraska | 0 | 14| 12| 0 | 26

* Date: October 20
* Location: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska
* Game attendance: 30,701

[9][18][19]

### Colorado

[edit]

Team | 1 | 2| 3| 4| Total

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• Nebraska | 0 | 0| 23| 8 | 31
Colorado | 0 | 6| 0| 0 | 6

* Date: October 27
* Location: Folsom Field, Boulder, Colorado
* Game attendance: 34,183

See also: Colorado–Nebraska football rivalry

[9][18][20]

### Missouri

[edit]

Team | 1 | 2| 3| 4| Total

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• Missouri | 7 | 0| 3| 6 | 16
Nebraska | 0 | 7| 0| 0 | 7

* Date: November 3
* Location: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska
* Game attendance: 36,501

This is the first game of Nebraska's NCAA record of consecutive sellouts, which currently stands at 386 sellouts continuing to the 2022 season.

See also: Missouri–Nebraska football rivalry

[9][18][21][22]

### Kansas

[edit]

Team | 1 | 2| 3| 4| Total

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• Nebraska | 16 | 16| 8| 0 | 40
Kansas | 0 | 0| 8| 8 | 16

* Date: November 10
* Location: Memorial Stadium, Lawrence, Kansas
* Game attendance: 37,063

[9][18][23]

### Oklahoma State

[edit]

Team | 1 | 2| 3| 4| Total

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Oklahoma State | 0 | 0| 0| 0 | 0
• Nebraska | 14 | 0| 0| 0 | 14

* Date: November 17
* Location: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska
* Game attendance: 34,329

[9][24][25]

### Oklahoma

[edit]

Team | 1 | 2| 3| 4| Total

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Nebraska | 0 | 0| 6| 0 | 6
• #10 Oklahoma | 7 | 7| 14| 6 | 34

* Date: November 24
* Location: Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, Norman, Oklahoma
* Game attendance: 58,268

See also: Nebraska–Oklahoma football rivalry

[9][24][26]

### Miami (FL)

[edit]

Team | 1 | 2| 3| 4| Total

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|
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• Nebraska | 6 | 14| 8| 8 | 36
Miami | 6 | 14| 7| 7 | 34

* Date: December 15
* Location: Yankee Stadium, New York City
* Game attendance: 6,166

Main article: 1962 Gotham Bowl

[9][27][28][29]

## After the season

[edit]

### Awards

[edit]

* All Big 8: Robert Brown, Dennis Claridge, Tyrone Robertson

[30]

## Future professional players

[edit]

* Robert Brown, 1964 2nd overall pick by the Philadelphia Eagles
* Dennis Claridge, 1963 3rd-round pick of the Green Bay Packers
* Rudy Johnson, 1964 5th-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers
* Bob Jones, 1964 18th-round pick of the Washington Redskins
* Monte Kiffin, 1964 15th-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings
* John Kirby, 1964 5th-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings
* Larry Kramer, 1964 15th-round pick of the Baltimore Colts
* Willie Ross, 1964 9th-round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals
* Dave Theisen, 1963 11th-round pick of the Los Angeles Rams
* Bill (Thunder) Thornton, 1963 5th-round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals
* Lloyd Voss, 1964 1st-round pick of the Green Bay Packers

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Van Valkenberg, Jim (November 26, 1962). "Things normal in Big Eight as Sooners surge to first". Lawrence Daily Journal-World. (Kansas). Associated Press. p. 14.
2. ^ a b "Missouri topples Nebraska". Pittsburgh Press. UPI. November 4, 1962. p. 3, section 4.
3. ^ a b "Nebraska wins Gotham Bowl, 36–34". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. December 16, 1962. p. 1B.
4. ^ a b "Nebraska edges Miami, 36–34". Pittsburgh Press. UPI. December 16, 1962. p. 1, section 4.
5. ^ Lyall Smith (September 30, 1962). "U-M, Spartans Stunned in Openers". Detroit Free Press. p. 1F – via Newspapers.com.
6. ^ "Nebraska rallies, 19–14". The Des Moines Register. October 14, 1962. Retrieved January 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
7. ^ "Nebraska head coaches". HuskerMax. Archived from the original on July 19, 2010. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
8. ^ "Assistant coaches". HuskerMax. Archived from the original on July 21, 2010. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "1960s Nebraska football schedules". HuskerMax. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
10. ^ a b "1963 Cornhusker – University of Nebraska Yearbook (Page 261)". University of Nebraska–Lincoln Libraries. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
11. ^ "Nebraska vs. South Dakota 1962". HuskerMax. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
12. ^ "Nebraska vs. Michigan 1962". HuskerMax. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
13. ^ "Nebraska Surprises Wolverines". St Petersburg Times (Sept 30, 1962), Page 2-C. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
14. ^ a b "1963 Cornhusker – University of Nebraska Yearbook (Page 262)". University of Nebraska–Lincoln Libraries. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
15. ^ "Nebraska vs. Iowa State 1962". HuskerMax. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
16. ^ "This Week in Husker History: Devaney Earns First Career Big Eight Victory with 1962 Win Over Cyclones". Huskers.com. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
17. ^ "Nebraska vs. North Carolina State 1962". HuskerMax. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
18. ^ a b c d "1963 Cornhusker – University of Nebraska Yearbook (Page 263)". University of Nebraska–Lincoln Libraries. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
19. ^ "Nebraska vs. Kansas State 1962". HuskerMax. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
20. ^ "Nebraska vs. Colorado 1962". HuskerMax. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
21. ^ "Nebraska vs. Missouri 1962". HuskerMax. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
22. ^ "One-half Of Six Is Three". Sports Illustrated. November 12, 1962. Archived from the original on March 2, 2012. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
23. ^ "Nebraska vs. Kansas 1962". HuskerMax. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
24. ^ a b "1963 Cornhusker – University of Nebraska Yearbook (Page 265)". University of Nebraska–Lincoln Libraries. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
25. ^ "Nebraska vs. Oklahoma State 1962". HuskerMax. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
26. ^ "Nebraska vs. Oklahoma 1962". HuskerMax. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
27. ^ "Nebraska vs. Miami 1962". HuskerMax. Archived from the original on August 16, 2010. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
28. ^ "Huskers Shade Miami". St Petersburg Times (Dec 16, 1962), Page 16-B. Retrieved August 15, 2010. [dead link]
29. ^ "Devaney's 'Desert' Comes in NU's 1st Bowl Win Ever". Omaha World-Herald. Archived from the original on June 16, 2011. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
30. ^ "1963 Nebraska Football Honors". HuskerMax. Retrieved August 15, 2010.

* v
* t
* e

Nebraska Cornhuskers football

Venues|

* Lincoln Park (1891–1892)
* M Street Park (1892–1896, 1908–1909)
* Antelope Field (1897–1907)
* Nebraska Field (1909–1922)
* Memorial Stadium (1923–present)

Rivalries|

* Colorado
* Iowa
* Iowa State
* Kansas
* Kansas State
* Miami (FL)
* Minnesota
* Missouri
* Oklahoma
* Wisconsin

Games|

* Bowl games
* 1922 vs. Notre Dame
* 1959 vs. Oklahoma
* 1971 vs. Oklahoma ("Game of the Century")
* 1982 vs. Penn State
* 1997 vs. Missouri ("Flea Kicker")
* 2001 vs. Oklahoma ("Black 41 Flash Reverse")

Culture and lore|

* History (under Tom Osborne)
* Herbie Husker
* Lil' Red
* "Dear Old Nebraska U"
* "Hail Varsity"
* "Mr. Touchdown, U.S.A."
* "Sirius"
* Blackshirts
* Cornhusker Marching Band
* Fumblerooski
* I formation
* Option
* Sellout streak
* Team Jack

People|

* Head coaches
* All-Americans
* College Football Hall of Fame inductees
* Honors and awards
* NFL draftees
* Starting quarterbacks
* Statistical leaders
* Yearly statistical leaders

Seasons|

* 1890
* 1891
* 1892
* 1893
* 1894
* 1895
* 1896
* 1897
* 1898
* 1899
* 1900
* 1901
* 1902
* 1903
* 1904
* 1905
* 1906
* 1907
* 1908
* 1909
* 1910
* 1911
* 1912
* 1913
* 1914
* 1915
* 1916
* 1917
* 1918
* 1919
* 1920
* 1921
* 1922
* 1923
* 1924
* 1925
* 1926
* 1927
* 1928
* 1929
* 1930
* 1931
* 1932
* 1933
* 1934
* 1935
* 1936
* 1937
* 1938
* 1939
* 1940
* 1941
* 1942
* 1943
* 1944
* 1945
* 1946
* 1947
* 1948
* 1949
* 1950
* 1951
* 1952
* 1953
* 1954
* 1955
* 1956
* 1957
* 1958
* 1959
* 1960
* 1961
* 1962
* 1963
* 1964
* 1965
* 1966
* 1967
* 1968
* 1969
* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979
* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1984
* 1985
* 1986
* 1987
* 1988
* 1989
* 1990
* 1991
* 1992
* 1993
* 1994
* 1995
* 1996
* 1997
* 1998
* 1999
* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024
* 2025

National championship seasons in bold
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template
*[Conf.]: Conference record
*[W]: Wins
*[L]: Losses
*[T]: Ties
*[No.]: Number