Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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Last week, I watched ESPN E60: No Place Like Nebraska. It wove several storylines into one, showing why Husker volleyball continues to be the program to emulate. The show included snippets of the program’s humble beginnings, a fair amount about the attendance record at volleyball day and a glimpse into Harper Murray’s successes on the court and downfalls outside of Devaney. It’s a lot to wrap into a 50-minute video. Maybe too much. One storyline needed more. If you’re a volleyball enthusi...
Back in the day, the Omaha World-Herald provided me with a company car and the instructions: "Drive across the state and find some stories." It was obviously a more formal command than that, something like, "If you like your job, you'll write something interesting." It was an incredible adventure in various vintages of Ford Taurus'. On the road, you realize that there are fascinating stories – sometimes tragic and sad, sometimes heart-warming and uplifting – in every corner of the state. You rec...
When the Nebraska Huskers kick off the football season, Saturday at 2:30 p.m., fans will note several changes at Memorial Stadium. The biggest change will be how to pay for concession items, programs, stadium seats and merchandise. Keep the cash stashed. "All Husker athletic venues have now moved to cashless operations," Nebraska Athletic Department personnel reported. Volleyball and women's soccer, played at the Devaney Center and Hibner Stadium, respectively, will also move to cashless...
As we all know, state legislators have been called back to Lincoln for a special session this summer to tackle the state's high property taxes. As has been written here before, good luck with that. It's easy to gripe about property taxes being too high; much more difficult to lower them without shifting the tax load onto someone else. But we need to talk about something that we also all gripe about – gasoline prices. I'm one of those guys who scans the countryside for the cheapest gas p...
Summer is usually a relaxing time in Lincoln. College students have left, state lawmakers have gone home, the weather gets hot, the backyard tomatoes get ripe, and the biggest debate around town is whether this is the year the Huskers become relevant again in football. Optimism always abounds in the pre-season, before the first kickoff. But not sure the same optimism accompanies the special session Gov. Jim Pillen has convened to address the state's traditionally high property taxes. Every...
By the time this issue of SAM hits readers’ mailboxes, they will know the fate of the Summerland Bobcat boys’ basketball team. Brett Kaczor’s squad, the four seed, is scheduled to play the fifth seed, Cross County, at 10:45 a.m., Wednesday, at the Devaney Center in Lincoln in the opening round of the Class C2 Nebraska State Activities Association Boys’ Basketball Tournament. A Wednesday win will give the Bobcats a one-day break from competition, as classes B, C1 and D1 play Thursday. And, it...
Volleyball is set to start a new chapter in Nebraska and at the helm is a woman who quietly helped establish the game's stronghold in the state. Few own the imprint on Nebraska volleyball that Diane Mendenhall does. The Ogallala native has held just about every role – player, coach, analyst, administrator. When she was named president of the new Nebraska pro volleyball franchise, it gave the brand-new Omaha Supernovas instant credibility, said former Husker volleyball coach Terry Pettit. "She's...
There has been no formal request, but speculation runs high that the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Athletic Department may ask for funds to help with the planned $450 million renovation of Memorial Stadium. Earlier this year the Legislature directed $30 million in state funds to Creighton University in Omaha, including millions to help the private school build new baseball and softball stadiums to accommodate needs for the annual College World Series. School officials said the baseball stadium...
An open letter to Colorado. It's fitting that I am writing this on the 22nd Anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on America, the day that hatred manifested itself openly on American soil. I am writing about a now-past football game and the comments made by the showboat coach of the University of Colorado and his son the star quarterback who said to more than one media outlet "We don't like Nebraska." That comment is somewhat toned down from Saturday evening reports that he uttered that he "hated" Neb...
Oh, what a night! I've been at Memorial Stadium for some of the sweetest victories (and saddest defeats) in history. I was there in 1978 when the Huskers and Tom Osborne defeated Oklahoma. I've watched multiple Nebraska vs. Colorado games play out. I witnessed Ron Kellogg III throw a Hail Mary to the endzone and saw Jordan Westerkamp grab it out of thin air, securing a win. I sang "Let Me Clear My Throat" with 89,000 other Husker loyalists when they upset Michigan State. But, on a night when...
My dreams of Nebrasketball landing a spot in the National Invitational Tournament shattered into a million intricate threads, faster than a glass photo frame dropped on a tiled surface breaks into multiple shards. Sunday’s news that Fred Hoiberg’s crew did not make the cut and have an opportunity to bounce back from an unnecessary - and costly - loss in the first round of the Big 10 Conference tournament leaves me feeling, well, broken. You cannot fall to a less-than-mediocre drove of Min...
“Fall sports bring back good memories for me,” said Dr. Josh Thoendel of Antelope Memorial Hospital. “Growing up in Nebraska built up a love of football, even if the Huskers have spent 20 years trying to stamp it back out. However, despite football being safer than it used to be – it still has one of the highest risks of concussion. We now have new tools to recognize concussions and new treatments and protocols to help ensure the safe return-to-play.” What is a concussion? Thoendel said, “It is a bruise of the brain. Like body bruises, there ca...
After a week off, the Husker football team returns to action at Memorial Stadium and Nebraska state troopers will be on patrol to keep the action off the roadways as fans travel to the game. The Nebraska State Patrol works closely with partner agencies on several aspects of gameday operations. Troopers partner with the Lincoln Police Department, Lancaster County Sheriff's Office, UNL Police Department and the Nebraska Department of Transportation to keep fans safe as they travel to and from the...
Fifty years ago, women’s volleyball wasn’t even a varsity sport at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Fast forward a half century and Nebraska volleyball is must-see entertainment. Matches at the Devaney Center are standing room only. The Huskers again led the nation in home attendance last year with crowds averaging over 8,200 per match. And their national championship match against Wisconsin in December broke collegiate volleyball records for both in-person attendance (18,755) and TV vie...
Are Nebraska diehards the worst fans in college football or do they live up to the perceived hype of being the greatest? After Saturday, I’m embarrassed by the actions of multiple so-called armchair quarterbacks who hide behind a keyboard and, on social channels, chastise an entire coaching staff and a team of 18-20-something-year-olds who play a game. Calling for the coaching staff to be fired immediately? Pointing out players’ mistakes on social media? Everyone has an opinion on how to coa...
Bonnie Welke 1945 - 2022 Funeral services for Bonnie Welke, 76, of Ainsworth, formerly of Ewing, were Saturday, March 12, at the United Methodist-Presbyterian Church in Ewing. Pastor Janene Reynolds officiated. Burial followed in the Ewing City Cemetery. Welke died Monday, March 7, at the Brown County Hospital in Ainsworth. Memorials may be directed to her family for future designation. Arrangements are entrusted to Biglin’s Mortuary in O’Neill. ~~~ Bonita Claire “Bonnie” Welke, the younges...
Nebraska football's rich history is intertwined alongside that of college football, and its home stadium is, too. Ground broke on the first iteration of Memorial Stadium April 26, 1923, about 33 years after Nebraska football played its first game. The 31,080-seat stadium was ready in time for the following season, hosting Nebraska's 24-0 victory over Oklahoma in the stadium's inaugural contest in October 1923. The rest is history. Nebraska has sold out 382 consecutive games at Memorial Stadium,...
Josh Napier, of Ewing, won the Husker football prediction contest for the Huskers Nov. 26 game against the Hawkeyes. He selected Iowa to defeat Nebraska, 27-21. The final score was 28-21. "Hoping that team to the east eats too much tomorrow," he wrote on his Facebook entry. Pigskin predictions will take a break until the bowl game schedule is released, Dec. 5. A complete listing of games will appear in the Advocate-Messenger and on the SAM Facebook page. The individual selecting the winning...
Peyton Thomas Unlimited Sports/Nebraska News Service LINCOLN--While the Collegiate Brand Value Index ranks the University of Nebraska-Lincoln the most valuable school in the nation, success in the world of name, image and likeness is far from guaranteed. "There are lots of different lists out there, right of likes, who has the most social media followers, the highest level of revenue, and all kinds of things," said Matt Balvanz, a writer at Navigate Sports Business, who created a metric to...
Jolene Hamilton, of Orchard, claims the week eight Husker football prediction contest. It’s her second win of the season. Hamilton predicted Minnesota to down the Huskers, 32-21. over Nebraska. She is the only contestant to pick the Gophers to beat the Huskers.. To enter the weekly contest, visit the SAM Facebook page on Fridays. The individual selecting the winning team and closest final score reigns as the weekly contest victor. The weekly winner will receive a cash prize from SAM and a gift certificate, courtesy of Sly’s Family Bar and Gri...
Where were you 50 years ago, on Thanksgiving, when two of the top college football programs battled it out in what is known as the game of the century? I was hoping for a repeat outcome Saturday, when Nebraska traveled to Norman, but like many games in recent Husker history, we did not capitalize on opportunities in the scarlet zone. Part of me says, “Take the moral victory against the (then) third-ranked team in the country.” Part of me says, “Oh no, here we go again.” I refuse to debate...
Two individuals will receive a cash prize from the Advocate-Messenger, in addition to a gift certificate to Sly’s Family Bar and Grill, in Neligh after predicting scores in the first two Husker football contests. Joleen Meyer picked Illinois to knock off the Huskers, 38-21, when the two teams met Aug. 28. The Illini topped Nebraska, 30-22. In last week’s contest, Harv Ofe, of Neligh, nailed the final score. He predicted Nebraska to throttle Fordham, 52-7. A final Nebraska touchdown by Mar...
The University of Nebraska- Lincoln announced Wednesday morning that former Husker All-American Trev Alberts will be its next athletic director. Alberts returns to the Huskers after serving as the athletic director for the University of Nebraska-Omaha since 2009. During his tenure, he helped transition UNO to Division I athletics, cutting the football and wrestling program in the process. Alberts replaces Bill Moos as athletic director after his abrupt retirement last month. Alberts played football at Nebraska from 1990 to 1993. In his senior...
Super Bowl Sunday was a fun day for me, as it featured three of my favorite things: family, food and football. The only disappointing part, though? The final score of the big game, which didn't go in favor of my favorite pro football team. I didn't expect the Kansas City Chiefs to get beat down, 31-9, by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a team Kansas City defeated, 27-24, on Nov. 29 in a regular-season road game. What I did expect was a close championship contest, with the Chiefs coming out on top in T...
A memorial visitation service for Lamont Larson, 93, of Tilden, will be held Saturday, Jan. 9, from 3 to 5 p.m., at Peace United Church of Christ, in Tilden, with Pastor Melanie Miller officiating. A remembrance service is planned for 3 p.m. Private graveside services at the Oakdale Cemetery, in Oakdale, will be held at a later date. Per Lamont's requests, visitors are asked to wear red or Husker apparel to the visitation. Lamont died Thursday, Dec. 31, at Community Pride Care Center in Battle...
