Herbie Husker

Herbie Husker
Herbie Husker
	Herbie Husker as he appeared from 2003 to 2023
University	University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Conference	Big Ten
Description	Male farmer in overalls
First seen	1974; 51 years ago
Related mascot(s)	Lil' Red; Harry Husker
Website	Herbie Husker

Herbie Husker is the oldest active mascot of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Herbie first appeared on the cover of a football media guide in 1974 and became the school's first official mascot in 1977. Though primarily used for athletic events, Herbie also appears at academic and extracurricular events around Lincoln. He is depicted as a burly farmer wearing overalls and carrying a football, and is often seen with Lil' Red.

Earlier mascots

The University of Nebraska used many unofficial mascots in its early decades, most often a variation of an anthropomorphic ear of corn named Cornhead Guy, Johnnie Husker, or Old Man Cornhusker.^[1] The earliest mascot to appear on the sideline (not just as a logo) was Corncob Man, a man in green overalls with an ear of corn for a head who debuted in 1955.^[1] Early in the 1960s the university sought a more "representative" mascot and debuted Husky the Husker, a ten-foot-tall farmer who wore overalls with a straw hat on top of a fiberglass head.^[2] On the orders of Bob Devaney, Husky soon gave way to Mr. Big Red (more commonly known as Harry Husker), who was developed by cartoonist Bill Goggins and first appeared in an edition of the Nebraska Farmer.^[1] Harry was as tall as Husky but dressed in a red blazer and wide-brim cowboy hat, a tribute to Devaney's tenure as head coach at Wyoming.^[1] Harry's six-foot head could not fit on the team's traveling bus, and at seventy pounds it was so heavy that the student wearing the costume had to be switched every forty-five minutes.^[3]

History

Artist Dirk West created a series of Big Eight-themed cartoons for use at the 1974 Cotton Bowl Classic between Nebraska and Texas.^[4] NU associate athletic director Don Bryant saw West's interpretation of a Cornhusker – an enormous, clumsy farmer smiling and holding a football – on a wall in the press box and hired him to refine it into a new mascot.^[4] He later enlisted Disney cartoonist Bob Johnson to turn West's design into a costume.^[4] "Herbie Husker" made his first appearance on the cover of Nebraska's 1974 football media guide and was adopted as the school's first official mascot in 1977.^[5] Mr. Big Red wasn't retired until 1988, but was seen infrequently while co-existing with Herbie.^[2]

Since 1994, Herbie has often been joined by the inflatable Lil' Red, Nebraska's other official mascot. Lil' Red was created to appeal to younger fans and primarily represent the school's volleyball team, which occasionally played at the same time as its football team. Athletic director Bill Byrne ended the use of Herbie in 1995, hoping to remove any negative perception of the university while suggesting the mascot was "not nationally marketable" (Byrne also pushed to rebrand Nebraska as the "Huskers" instead of the "Cornhuskers").^[4] Herbie was reinstated after Byrne's departure and is now used alongside Lil' Red across all sports.^[6] Nebraska says Herbie and Lil' Red are not intended to be related, but describes them as "best friends."^[2]

Nebraska holds open tryouts prior to each football season for students who wish to dress as Herbie in the upcoming academic year. Typically three to five students are selected and they are encouraged to keep their identity a secret until after graduation, though this is not a requirement.^[7] Herbie appears at all football, basketball, and volleyball games with occasional appearances at other sporting events in Lincoln.

Appearance

Herbie is a blond-haired, blue-eyed farmer with a pronounced barrel chest and a cleft chin.^[8] He dresses in denim overalls, a white undershirt, and a red cowboy hat with an ear of corn in his pocket. Nebraska used the same Herbie costume for decades after his creation, and as a result his appearance changed slightly each year as the costume aged and was repaired.^[3]

In 2003, athletic director Steve Pederson led an effort to rebrand Herbie and update the overall presentation of the state's agricultural workers and general public, just as his predecessor Byrne had done.^[2] Herbie's trimmed-down appearance, altered to include brown hair, a red work shirt, and blue jeans, was not well-received.^[9]^[8] Most of the modifications were reverted in 2023.^[10] In logo form, Herbie typically holds a football in his right arm, but various sport-specific versions exist.

In 2022, the university modified the left hand of its Herbie logo, traditionally giving an OK gesture, to avoid association with a perceived hate symbol.^[4]

Awards and popular culture

Herbie starred in a children's book, Hello, Herbie Husker!, written by Aimee Aryal and published by Mascot Books in January 2005. Herbie guides the reader through Nebraska landmarks before finishing at Memorial Stadium on a football gameday.

Herbie was named the 2005 National Mascot of the year at halftime of the 2006 Capital One Bowl.^[11]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Photos: Husker mascots, past and present". The North Platte Telegraph. 9 September 2019. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Andrew Stewart (11 December 2021). "All Hail Herbie". Nebraska Alumni Association. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
^ ^a ^b "Lil' Red's forebears: The history of Nebraska's on-field mascots". Lincoln Journal Star. 30 August 2008. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Jordan Pascale (29 January 2022). "How White Supremacy Changed Herbie Husker". Nebraska Public Media. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
^ "Herbie Husker: the history of a Nebraska icon". MyHusker. 11 December 2021. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
^ "Save Herbie!". The Washington Post. 26 August 1995. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
^ Jordan Ochoa (4 July 2007). "NP grad earns role as Herbie Husker". The North Platte Telegraph. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
^ ^a ^b Aaron Wade (17 April 2018). "Herbie gets Byrned". Defunct. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
^ John Schreier (30 August 2018). "Husker mascots, through the years". Lincoln Journal Star. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
^ Luke Mullin (17 April 2023). "Nebraska returns to tradition with updated Herbie Husker". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
^ "Herbie Husker named top mascot". McCook Gazette. 3 January 2006. Retrieved 20 February 2025.

[Mascots-1] "Photos: Husker mascots, past and present". The North Platte Telegraph. 9 September 2019. Retrieved 20 February 2025.

[NAA-2] Andrew Stewart (11 December 2021). "All Hail Herbie". Nebraska Alumni Association. Retrieved 17 March 2022.

[LJS-3] "Lil' Red's forebears: The history of Nebraska's on-field mascots". Lincoln Journal Star. 30 August 2008. Retrieved 17 March 2022.

[West-4] Jordan Pascale (29 January 2022). "How White Supremacy Changed Herbie Husker". Nebraska Public Media. Retrieved 20 February 2025.

[5] "Herbie Husker: the history of a Nebraska icon". MyHusker. 11 December 2021. Retrieved 3 January 2022.

[6] "Save Herbie!". The Washington Post. 26 August 1995. Retrieved 20 February 2025.

[NPT-7] Jordan Ochoa (4 July 2007). "NP grad earns role as Herbie Husker". The North Platte Telegraph. Retrieved 18 March 2022.

[Byrne-8] Aaron Wade (17 April 2018). "Herbie gets Byrned". Defunct. Retrieved 20 February 2025.

[9] John Schreier (30 August 2018). "Husker mascots, through the years". Lincoln Journal Star. Retrieved 9 June 2020.

[10] Luke Mullin (17 April 2023). "Nebraska returns to tradition with updated Herbie Husker". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved 17 April 2023.

[11] "Herbie Husker named top mascot". McCook Gazette. 3 January 2006. Retrieved 20 February 2025.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

v t e Nebraska Cornhuskers football
Venues	Lincoln Park (1891–1892) M Street Park (1893–1896, 1908–1909) Antelope Field (1897–1907) Nebraska Field (1909–1922) Memorial Stadium (1923–present)
Rivalries	Colorado (Buffalo Head) Iowa (Heroes Trophy) Kansas Kansas State Miami (FL) Minnesota ($5 Bits of Broken Chair) Missouri (Victory Bell) Oklahoma Wisconsin (Freedom Trophy)
Games	Bowl games Conference championship games 1939 vs. Kansas State 1971 vs. Oklahoma ("The Game of the Century") 1982 vs. Penn State 1997 vs. Missouri ("Flea Kicker") 2001 vs. Oklahoma ("Black 41 Flash Reverse")
Culture and lore	History (under Tom Osborne) Herbie Husker Lil' Red "Dear Old Nebraska U" "Hail Varsity" "Mr. Touchdown, U.S.A." Blackshirts Cornhusker Marching Band "Cornhuskers" nickname Fumblerooski Sellout streak
People	Head coaches All-Americans Athletic directors College Football Hall of Fame inductees NFL draftees Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees Statistical leaders
Seasons	1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
National championship seasons in bold • Conference championship seasons in italics

v t e Nebraska Cornhuskers men's basketball
Venues	Grant Memorial Hall (1896–1926, 1924–1926) State Fairgrounds Coliseum (1921–1923) Nebraska Coliseum (1926–1976) Bob Devaney Sports Center (1976–2013) Pinnacle Bank Arena (2013–present)
Rivalries	Creighton
Culture & lore	Herbie Husker Lil' Red "Dear Old Nebraska U" "Hail Varsity"
People	Head coaches NBA players Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1896–97 1897–98 1898–99 1899–1900 1900–01 1901–02 1902–03 1903–04 1904–05 1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25