Omaha Exploration

Today we continue our offseason exploration of Nebraska football. If you missed the prior post, you’ll find a link to it down below.

After Nebraska finished its inaugural season with a 2-0 record, its unofficial coach Dr. Langdon Frothingham left for a new job at the Veterinary College of Dresden. While the team didn’t have a coach for its second season it did find a home field at Lincoln Park (present day Cooper Park) at 6th and D Streets. The baseball field was preferred over the on-campus field as it had bleachers. The lack of a coach was relatively common in the early days of college football as captains tended to fill that role.

The first game of the 1891 season was against in-state rival Doane. While the teams planned for a rematch during the previous year, it never came to fruition. As you may recall, Frothingham broke his leg preparing the team for its first game against Doane. I suspect that was a factor in the game being delayed until Valentine’s Day 1892.

The rematch occurred in Lincoln on Halloween Day. While Doane scored the first-ever points against Nebraska, it couldn’t stop the Old Gold Knights which went on to score 28 unanswered points. The game was reported to be very physical with several players suffering serious injuries to the point that the visiting team considered forfeiting the rest of the game. Instead the teams agreed to short the second half to 15-minutes. 

The University of Iowa was eager to play the opposing team on the western side of the Missouri River but Nebraska wanted one more tune-up game. Doane agreed to play again and Nebraska traveled to Crete for its second game of the season. After two losses, Doane was anxious to get its revenge and prepared at length for the game. Nebraska, meanwhile, had several players out with injuries and was without its captain, half back Ebenezer Mockett, who withdrew from the university prior to the game. That left the team without a coach and its captain. Even so, Nebraska started the game well enough capitalizing on a Doane fumble to score first. The Hercules as Doane was called back then responded and handed Nebraska its first-ever loss, 14-12.

For its third, Nebraska had its first-ever out of state game against none other than the Iowa Hawkeyes. Even though Theron Lyman was playing for and coaching Iowa College (later named Grinnell College) during the 1891 season, he crossed the river to tutor the Nebraska’s young team who to this point had played a total of four games with three of those coming against Doane. The hope was that Lyman, who had just beaten the Hawkeyes a few weeks earlier, could help make the game more competitive. 

Despite the game being played in Omaha, Nebraska’s lack of experience and substandard equipment made it a heavy underdog going into the game. Iowa took advantage by deploying formations, strategies and plays that the Knights had never seen before. This included pre-play signal calling by the quarterback and its wedge formation which they used to score all of its points. Nebraska suffered its second straight loss, 22-0, in front of 2,000 fans. Lyman would later play at the University of Wisconsin from 1892-1894 while earning is law degree. He wouldn’t coach college football again.

To conclude its season, Nebraska and Doane decided to play a tie-breaker in Crete for the state championship. Nebraska rebounded from its two losses by scoring 22 unanswered points against its rival. In the first of a four year career, halfback George Flippin, the first African American to play for Nebraska and among the first in the nation, scored three touchdowns as did James Johnston. Nebraska rolled on its way to a 32-0 victory and a second-straight state championship. Nebraska finished its second season with a 3-2 record.

I’d like to hear what you have to say so feel free to leave a comment. Please also let me know if there’s something you want me to explore.

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