The Sea of Red – Memorial Stadium – Final
Red, red, and more red are my very first thoughts when referring to Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska. This is the home of the Nebraska Cornhuskers and also holds some of the best memories that I’ve shared with my Dad. One game in particular that has stayed with me through the years was a night game that we went to. We were playing a Texas team (I can’t remember for sure which one) and it came down to the very last play. It was the loudest I had ever heard the stadium and I didn’t have a voice the next day because of it. It was tied; the other team had just scored a touchdown and were going for two to try and win the game. Everyone was screaming for the defense to stop them but they couldn’t quite get the job done. I love close games, even though we lost, and sharing that with my Dad I think made it all the more memorable.
I have been going to Nebraska football games since I was 4 years old. The atmosphere is unlike anything else I’ve experienced. It is one of those things that you don’t completely understand until you’ve been there and seen it for yourself, but I am going to do my best to describe it.
Memorial Stadium sits in downtown Lincoln. Almost every game I’ve been to I have gone with my Dad. The first view we get of the sea of red is all the people as they cross the viaduct. By the time we reach the street right outside, the amount of red has doubled. As we walk along the street the stadium is on our left. The saying “Not the Victory, but the Action; Not the Goal, but the Game; In the Deed the Glory” stretches across the outside of the west side of the stadium. As we enter through gate 10 I always look up to read “Through these gates pass the Greatest Fans in College Football.” The smell of hot dogs, pizza, and Runzas instantly fill your nose as you enter through the gates. The first look I get of the stadium as I walk in always gives me goose bumps. By the time you’re actually in the stadium, as Kayla Solonen says, “You you are literally overwhelmed by a sea of red.” Everywhere you look that’s all there is. We make our way up the stairs to row 34 and greet the people in the surrounding seats. These seats were occupied by my grandma and grandpa before us, so we have gotten to know everyone that sits around us over the years. The big screen is to our left, the visitor section to our right. Everyone slowly makes there way in to the stadium until the sea of red is complete.
One of my favorite parts of the game is the tunnel walk. It changes every year and always gets the crowd pumped up. Before they will even start the tunnel walk the crowd has to yell back and forth ‘HUSKER’ and ‘POWER’. I consider this the ‘warm up’ to get people ready to really start yelling. More goose bumps make their way up and down my arms as the tunnel walk starts. It usually includes highlights from the past years and a couple shots of the state of Nebraska or just Lincoln in general. Then they always throw some history in there as well. This year marks the 50th year of sold out games.
The tunnel walk always ends with the team running out onto the field to an eruption of cheers. You can hardly hear anything except screaming all around during the first series of play and if they go three and out the noise is almost deafening. In Kylie Kniefl’s words “It is one of the best experiences ever.” The game continues and the crowd cheers when something good happens and boos when they don’t agree with a call the referee made. Something I really admire about Husker fans is that a majority of us respect the other team and their fans. It doesn’t matter if it’s a Husker or an opponent on the field that is injured, when they get up everyone cheers and applauds as they make their way to the sideline.
It is just amazing to me how one team can bring so many people together. I have been to other games in other stadiums, and in my book there is no comparison. The game, the fans, and the overall atmosphere; I just love everything about it. In short, there is no place like Nebraska.