There’s a lot of great Husker memorabilia out there. Husker Attic is how we’ve showcased those vintage finds in every issue of Hail Varsity since our very first one. In the weeks ahead we’re sharing some of those gems online for the first time. Brought to you by Husker Army Presents 2019 Husker Collectible and Autograph Show.
1959 NU-OU Goal Post Paperweight
>>Pieces of the goal posts from Nebraska’s 25-21 upset of Oklahoma in the Huskers’ Homecoming game at Memorial Stadium on Halloween in 1959 were sold as paperweights.
>>The one pictured here was courtesy of Randy Meyer, then of Superior Collectibles.
More Husker Attic: NIT Notepad | Frost Mt. Dew | 1925 Program | Collector’s Plate | Wheaties Boxes | Whiskey Decanters | Harry Husker Bank
>>Pieces of the crossbar also were sold as paperweights. They were smaller in diameter.
>>The victory snapped a 74-game conference unbeaten streak by Coach Bud Wilkinson’s Sooners, who were tied twice during the streak, by Kansas (1946) and Colorado (1952).
>>Fans pulled down the goal posts in celebration, with sections carried to the governor’s mansion and deposited on the lawn.
>>News of the victory was broadcast to such faraway places as Germany, Japan, Jamaica and Israel by an amateur radio club in the Nebraska Student Union.
>>Chancellor Clifford Hardin cancelled university classes on the Monday after the game, the first time that happened since the Huskers’ upset of Kansas and Wilt Chamberlain in 1958.
>>Goal posts at Memorial Stadium wouldn’t be pulled down again until after Nebraska upset No. 1 Oklahoma 17-14 in 1978; afterward, Husker Athletic Director Bob Devaney was quoted: “We ought to be able to afford new goal posts once every 20 years.”
Looking to add some new Husker memorabilia to your own collection? The 2019 Husker Collectible and Autograph Show, presented by Husker Army, is the place for you the day after Nebraska’s spring game. Find full details of the event at the Husker Army Facebook page.
Mike is in his 40th year covering Husker athletics, after seven years of community-college teaching. He has written and edited a dozen books, all on Nebraska football except one, a brief history of Husker basketball. He previously wrote for the Lincoln Journal and Star and Huskers Illustrated. He enjoys music, from the Grateful Dead and Jack Johnson to Van Morrison, Bob Wills, Glenn Miller and pretty much anyone else.
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