On the afternoon of Nov. 3, 1962, 36,501 fans poured into Memorial Stadium. It was a sellout crowd.
Since that game, every Nebraska home football game has been a sellout. That’s a total of 403 home games, a source of great pride for Huskers fans.
That remarkable streak made an ESPN list published Wednesday, under the headline: “College football’s 10 most unbreakable records”. Nebraska’s streak did not make ESPN’s top 10, but was one of 12 “honorable mentions,” named by ESPN.
Nebraska lost that game, 16-7, to Missouri. It was the Cornhuskers’ first loss in coach Bob Devaney’s first season. The Huskers finished 9-2 in 1962. Who could have ever known this game would be the beginning of such an incredible streak.
Noel Martin scored the Nebraska touchdown on an 88-yard pass interception return. The game was broadcast on CBS.
Huskermax.com has an image of a ticket from the game. Price of admission for that reserved seat: $4.
Here’s what ESPN writer Chris Low wrote about the streak: “The Huskers have suffered through some lean times over the past decade, and while packed stadiums and sellouts aren’t necessarily the same thing, every ticket available to the public has been sold for 60-plus years.
“Admittedly, Nebraska has been forced to get creative to keep the streak alive, with corporations and donors buying up unused tickets at discount prices. But still … 403 straight sellouts!”
The second-longest streak is Oklahoma with 129 games, followed by Georgia with 52.
Nebraska’s home record during the streak is 326-77. In 2020, no tickets were sold for home games against Penn State, Illinois and Minnesota because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The current capacity of Memorial Stadium is 85,458.
The United States was cautiously emerging from the Cuban Missile Crisis. The week before the game, the Soviets agreed to remove nuclear missiles from Cuba.
The No. 1 movie in the United States was “The Manchurian Candidate”, starring Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey and Janet Leigh.
Some of the top-rated TV shows included: “Wagon Train,” “Bonanza,” “Gunsmoke,” and “Hazel”.
The No. 1 song was “Monster Mash” by Bobby (Boris) Pickett & Crypt Kickers.
In the NBA, Wilt Chamberlain scored 72 points as his San Francisco Warriors lost to the Los Angeles Lakers, 127-115.
* Oklahoma’s 47-game winning streak: The Sooners’ streak went from 1953 to 1957 and included two national championships.
* Barry Sanders’ magic: The dynamic Oklahoma State running back gained 2,628 rushing yards in 11 games in 1988.
* Florida State’s top-5 finishes: Coach Bobby Bowden’s Seminoles finished in the top 5 of every final Associated Press poll from 1987 to 2000. That’s 14 consecutive top-5 finishes, and included national titles in 1993 and 1999.
* Oklahoma’s wishbone offense: In 1971, the Sooners averaged 472.4 rushing yards per game. OU’s offensive coordinator was Barry Switzer.
* Interceptions, galore: Florida quarterback John Reaves threw nine interceptions on 66 passing attempts on 1969 against Auburn.
* Derrick Thomas’ sacks: The Alabama linebacker had a record 27 sacks in 1988.
* Antonio Perkins scores and scores: The Oklahoma punt returner had three touchdowns against UCLA in 2003. His punt-return TDs went 84, 74 and 65 yards, in OU’s 59-24 victory. His 277 yards were an NCAA record.
* Marcus Allen on the run: The USC star rushed for more than 200 yards in eight of 11 games in 1981. He won the Heisman Trophy that year.
* Patrick Mahomes: The Texas Tech quarterback set an FBS record of 819 yards of total offense in a 66-59 loss to Baker Mayfield and Oklahoma in 2016. Mahomes completed 52-of-88 passes for 734 yards and five touchdowns. He also gained 85 yards and scored two touchdowns on the ground.
* Nick Saban: His Alabama teams won 100 consecutive games against unranked opponents, the longest streak in the AP poll era. Saban finished with a 123-4 record against unranked opponents.
* Florida has scored in 461 consecutive games, a current streak. The Gators haven’t been shut out since Oct. 29, 1988.
* Houston quarterback Andre Ware, in the first half, passed for 517 yards and six touchdowns against SMU in 1989. Houston won, 95-21.
* Michigan running back Mike Hart didn’t lose a fumble from 2004-08, a total of 1,005 carries.
* Alabama won 27 consecutive games against SEC opponents from 1976-80.
* East Carolina quarterback Dominique Davis completed 36 consecutive passes over two games in 2011. The first 10 were against Memphis and the next 26 were against Navy.
* Georgia committed 13 turnovers, an NCAA record, against rival Georgia Tech in 1951.
* North Dakota State allowed just three punt returns in 14 games in 2016.
* In 1993, Vanderbilt did not have a touchdown pass. The Commodores are the last team do not have a TD pass in an entire season.
* In 2018 and 2019, Wake Forest kicker Nick Sciba made 34 consecutive field goals.
* In 2016, San Diego State’s Donnel Pumphrey gained 6,405 rushing yards in 54 games. That broke Ron Dayne’s record of 6,397 yards in 43 games at Wisconsin.
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