Nebraska

Limited-edition items, collectibles and Memorial Stadium artifacts

From the walls of Memorial Stadium

The Head Coaches Wall

Twenty-seven framed portraits of the men who led Nebraska football, from 1892 to 2007, with the roster that hung beside them and the nineteen letters that named the wall. Offered once, whole, as it hung.

  1. A rendering of the nineteen extruded brushed-metal letters, NEBRASKA above HEADCOACHES, seen straight on from slightly below so their deep dark undersides show.
    Nineteen dimensional lettersBrushed-metal faces on deep dark returns. Shown as a rendering, off the shelves they stood on; the shelves are not part of the set.
  2. A wood frame holding a card with the Huskers logo and the words Photo Not Available, above a brass plate for Coach J.S. Williams, 1892.
    J.S. Williams1892Coached one game. No photograph survives, and the frame says so.
  3. Black-and-white portrait of Frank Crawford, moustached, in a heavy football sweater.
    Frank Crawford1893–949-4-1
  4. Black-and-white portrait of Charles Thomas in a roll-neck sweater, players crowded behind him.
    Charles Thomas18956-3-0
  5. Black-and-white portrait of E.N. Robinson in a dark suit and bow tie.
    E.N. Robinson1896–9711-4-1
  6. Black-and-white portrait of Fielding H. Yost in a bowler hat and overcoat.
    Fielding H. Yost18988-3
  7. Black-and-white portrait of A. Edwin Branch in a high collar and tie.
    A. Edwin Branch18991-7-1
  8. Black-and-white portrait of Walter C. Booth in a dark suit and bow tie.
    Walter C. “Bummy” Booth1900–0546-8-1
  9. Black-and-white portrait of Amos Foster in a dark jacket.
    Amos Foster19066-4-0
  10. Black-and-white portrait of W.C. Cole in a suit and patterned tie.
    W.C. “King” Cole1907–1025-8-3
  11. Black-and-white portrait of Ewald Stiehm, smiling, in a bow tie.
    Ewald O. “Jumbo” Stiehm1911–1535-2-3
  12. Black-and-white portrait of E.J. Stewart in a three-piece suit.
    E.J. “Doc” Stewart1916–1711-4-0
  13. Black-and-white portrait of William G. Kline in a suit and tie.
    William G. Kline19182-3-1
  14. Black-and-white portrait of Henry Schulte in round spectacles and a pale jacket.
    Henry Schulte1919–208-6-3
  15. Black-and-white portrait of Fred Dawson in a striped cap, the stadium stands behind him.
    Fred Dawson1921–2423-7-2
  16. Black-and-white portrait of Ernest Bearg in a sweatshirt on the practice field.
    Ernest E. Bearg1925–2823-7-3
  17. Black-and-white portrait of Dana X. Bible in a sweatshirt.
    Dana X. Bible1929–3650-15-7
  18. Black-and-white portrait of Biff Jones in a dark cap and sweatshirt.
    Lawrence McCeney “Biff” Jones1937–4128-14-4
  19. Black-and-white portrait of Glenn Presnell in a sweatshirt.
    Glenn Presnell19423-7-0
  20. Black-and-white portrait of Adolph Lewandowski in a suit and patterned tie.
    Adolph J. Lewandowski1943–444-12-0
  21. Black-and-white portrait of George Clark in a suit and tie.
    George “Potsy” Clark1945 / 19486-13-0
  22. Black-and-white portrait of Bernie Masterson in a suit and patterned tie.
    Bernie Masterson1946–475-13-0
  23. Black-and-white portrait of Bill Glassford in a tweed jacket and patterned tie.
    Bill Glassford1949–5531-35-3
  24. Black-and-white portrait of Pete Elliott in a tweed jacket.
    Pete Elliott19564-6-0
  25. Black-and-white portrait of Bill Jennings in a dark suit and striped tie.
    Bill Jennings1957–6115-34-1
  26. Colour portrait of Tom Osborne, arms folded, in a navy suit beside a stone column.
    Tom Osborne1973–1997255-49-3
  27. Colour portrait of Frank Solich in a navy suit and gold tie.
    Frank Solich1998–200358-19-0
  28. Colour portrait of Bill Callahan, smiling, on a red mat in a larger oak frame with a brass plate reading Head Coach.
    Bill Callahan2004–07A larger frame on a red mat, the last portrait added to the wall.
  29. A framed printed roster titled Nebraska’s Head Coaches listing each coach from Dr. Landon Frothingham in 1890 to Frank Solich in 1998-2003, with years, record and winning percentage.
    Nebraska’s Head Coaches1890–2003The roster that hung with them: every coach, years, record and percentage, through 2003.

01 of 29The letters

The collection

One wall. A hundred and fifteen years.

Inside Memorial Stadium, under brushed-metal letters reading NEBRASKA HEADCOACHES, the men who coached this program hung together, each in a wood frame above an engraved brass plate. The wall came down during the Big Red Rebuild. It is being kept together.

It begins with a frame that holds no photograph. J.S. Williams coached a single game in 1892 and left no picture behind, so his plate sits beneath a card that says Photo Not Available. It was kept, not replaced.

From there the wall runs forward: Fielding Yost in a bowler hat in 1898. Jumbo Stiehm’s 35-2-3. Dana X. Bible’s eight seasons. Sweatshirts on the practice field, then the suits and ties of the fifties. Tom Osborne, 255-49-3. Frank Solich. And Bill Callahan, in a larger oak frame on a red mat, the last of them.

There is one of this, and it is sold whole. The portraits are not offered on their own.

The roster in the set is printed through 2003, with every coach’s years, record and winning percentage. It also names three men who are not on this wall: Dr. Landon Frothingham and T.U. Lyman, from the first two seasons, and Bob Devaney. Their portraits did not come out with the others. We would rather tell you than have you count.