History of the Blackshirts at the University of Nebraska

As many of you may know, the starting defensive unit at Nebraska is referred to as the Blackshirts, but I am sure many of you don't have a clue as to why. Here is the story that I have uncovered when researching the subject.

When the two-platoon system in college football was instituted in 1964, the Huskers were preparing for a game at Minnesota, and Head Coach Bob Devaney was looking for a way to distinguish the first string defensive unit from the reserves on the practice fields.

To help in this situation, Devaney dispatched assistant coach Mike Corgan to a local sporting goods store to find some "contrast jerseys," to wear on top of the players' practice jerseys.

While the top offensive unit practiced in red jerseys and the second-string offense worked in green pullovers, the first string defense wore black pullovers and the second string wore the contrasting gold jerseys. This is where the actual colored shirt originated.

While the 1964 defensive starters were the first to wear the black practice jerseys, the name didn’t originate there. It took several years before the state's newspapers started referring to the Husker defense as the Blackshirts, while the first mention of the Blackshirts in the Nebraska football media guide did not occur until 1969.

According to long-time sports information director Don Bryant, much of the credit for the Blackshirt mystique should go to defensive line coach George Kelly, who served on Devaney's staff until 1968. Kelly was often heard yelling and exhorting the Blackshirts during practices and scrimmages.

Eventually, the rest of the coaches began calling the top defensive units by the same name. However the first mention of the term “Blackshirts” was used in the 1969 Nebraska Media guide.

The Blackshirt term really began to catch on during Monte Kiffin's tenure as defensive coordinator in the mid-1970s. But it was under Charlie McBride that the Blackshirts earned national acclaim and recognition.

McBride served as the Huskers' defensive coordinator from 1982 to 1999. His defenses were among the nation's top 10 in all four major defensive categories (rush defense, pass defense, total defense and scoring defense) on four different occasions, helping Nebraska to national titles in 1994, 1995 and 1997.

For many years, the jersey was left hanging in a player's locker before the start of the week's practice. During the Callahan era, members of the top defensive unit receive their Blackshirts the week of the season opener in a team ceremony and were presented to all first-unit players, including starters in different defensive sets.

So you could say that the Blackshirts had become watered down as more than 14 players were awarded the shirt instead of earning it. This started to show on the field as well.

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?