Husker National Championships

Nebraska has won a total of 29 national titles in school history, in a total of five sports. In addition to five national championships in football, including three in a four-year span in the mid-1990s, Husker teams won eight national titles in men's gymnastics, eight in women's bowling, five in women's volleyball and three in women's indoor track and field.

Nebraska Football - 5 National Titles

Early in the 1970 season, Jerry Murtaugh predicted Nebraska would win the national championship. Murtaugh was a senior linebacker and co-captain who, in just three seasons, set the Cornhusker career record for tackles. It took more than 30 years before Murtaugh's mark was finally surpassed by Barrett Ruud.

It was obvious that Murtaugh was capable of backing up whatever he said, and Murtaugh and the Huskers provided plenty of support for his statement on the field. Nebraska had been 9-2 the previous season, winning its final seven games, including a decisive 45-6 victory against Georgia in the Sun Bowl.

After the Sun Bowl game, Georgia coach Vince Dooley said the Cornhuskers hadn't belonged in El Paso, Texas. They deserved better competition than his team could provide.

Still, 1970 was a new season. And though Nebraska had several starters returning on offense, Murtaugh was one of only three defensive starters returning. Dave Walline and Jim Anderson were the others.

Nebraska's 1971 season came down to a single game at Owen Field in Norman, Okla., on Thanksgiving Day. At least, that's how it is most often remembered. The No. 1 Cornhuskers played No. 2 Oklahoma in what still is regularly regarded as college football's "Game of the Century.''

The teams were undefeated and untied, and they included 17 of 22 first-team All-Big Eight players. Nebraska had the nation's top-ranked defense. Oklahoma had its most productive offense.

The cover of Sports Illustrated (Nov. 22, 1971) published the week of the game included photographs of Nebraska linebacker Bob Terrio and Oklahoma running back Greg Pruitt, nose-to-nose, beneath the headline: "Irresistible Oklahoma Meets Immovable Nebraska.''

Byron Bennett's 45-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left in the final second of Nebraska's 18-16 loss to Florida State in the 1994 Orange Bowl game. With that miss, an 11-game Cornhusker winning streak ended. And the run to Coach Tom Osborne's first national championship began.

Nebraska's focus for the 1994 season was finishing the business that had been left incomplete on the night of Jan. 1, 1994, in Miami. The actual process started with a 31-0 victory against West Virginia in the Kickoff Classic in late August, and it concluded with a come-from-behind, 24-17 victory against Miami, on the Hurricanes' home field, in the 1995 Orange Bowl game. To a degree, that game characterized the season.

Tom Osborne's 23rd Nebraska team was arguably his best. The 1995 Cornhuskers were among the best in college football history.

Though such a sweeping assertion cannot be proven, it can be supported. Nebraska's 1995 national championship team was No. 1 on a list of the top major college teams since 1956. The list was compiled by computer analyst Jeff Sagarin, whose rankings are regularly published in USA Today.

The 1971 Cornhuskers were No. 2 according to Sagarin's power ratings. Both were well ahead of the other teams on the list, which also includes the 1997, 1972 and 1970 Huskers among the top 26.

A pajama-clad Tom Osborne was packing for home in the early morning hours of Jan. 3, 1998, when he heard the news.

"By that time, I was wrung out enough that there wasn't much emotion left," he would say later that morning during a post-Orange Bowl game news conference.

His response to the news was typically low-key.

"Naturally, I was very pleased, very gratified," he said.

The source of his pleasure had been the announcement on ESPN — the television set in his room at the Sheraton Bal Harbour on Miami Beach had been tuned to the network "by chance," he said — that his 25th and final team had been voted the USA Today/ESPN Coaches national champion.

Nebraska Volleyball - 5 National Titles

Nebraska entered the season with one goal in mind, win the national championship. Led by a talented trio of seniors, the Huskers capped their championship run by hammering Texas 3-1 in the title match. After three previous trips to the NCAA Championships, the Huskers’ incredible drive and focus fueled them to their first national title.

Nebraska entered the 2000 season with a No. 11 preseason ranking and an eagerness to prove the pollsters wrong. Competing with a new coach, a new setter and without two-time All-American Nancy Metcalf (Meendering) didn't scare the Huskers. A trio of sophomore All-Americans, including AVCA Player of the Year Greichaly Cepero, emerged to lead NU to a 34-0 record and the program's second national title. With a 3-2 win over Wisconsin Dec. 15 in the championship final, the Huskers became just the second team in NCAA history to finish a season undefeated. First-year Head Coach John Cook earned AVCA Coach-of-the-Year honors.

Sarah Pavan and Jordan Larson combined for 41 kills as No. 1 Nebraska (33-1) rallied to defeat No. 2 Stanford (30-4) 27-30, 30-26, 30-28, 30-27 for its third NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship in front of a record-crowd of 17,209 fans at the Qwest Center Omaha Saturday evening.

Nebraska, competing in the finals for the sixth time, was the first team since 1991 to win a national title as the host institution.

With a win over the No. 2 seed Florida Gators, 3-1, the Nebraska volleyball team won its fifth national title in front of an NCAA-record 18,516 fans at the Sprint Center in Kansas City.

The Huskers won their fifth national title and second in three years, becoming just the third team in NCAA history to win five volleyball national championships. Nebraska won the opening set 25-22 and cruised to a 25-17 win in set two. Florida bounced back to win the third set, 25-18, before Nebraska came out on fire in set four, racing to a 9-1 lead en route to a 25-16 victory.

Nebraska Bowling - 8 National Titles

National Title

The Nebraska bowling team capped a remarkable season by winning the NCAA Women's Bowling Championship at Emerald Bowl in Houston.

The Huskers, who lost to Central Missouri State in the winner's bracket final by one pin, stove off elimination three times on Saturday, defeating New Jersey City University, 4-3, before toppling top-seeded CMSU by identical scores of 4-2 to claim the first-ever women's NCAA title.

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The Nebraska bowling team was crowned the 2005 NCAA national champion at Wekiva Lanes in Orlando. The Huskers earned their second title in as many years to become the only team to win a championship since bowling was elevated to an NCAA championship sport in April of 2003.

NU (69-8) defeated Central Missouri State (89-21) in the championship match by winning four of six games against CMS in the Baker format (220-210, 247-266, 148-192, 205-190, 190-172, 235-184). The final round was a repeat of the 2004 national championship, when the Huskers defeated CMS in a roll-off to earn the inaugural NCAA championship.

The Nebraska bowling team was crowned the 2009 NCAA National Bowling Champion at Super Bowl Lanes in Canton, Mich. The Huskers earned an unprecedented three national titles in six seasons. The Huskers defeated Central Missouri State University, 4-1, for the crown.

The Nebraska bowling team captured its fourth NCAA title in school history, as the top-ranked Huskers defeated Vanderbilt, 4.5-2.5 (211-199, 166-197, 156-169,190-190, 202-182, 246-200) at Super Bowl Lanes in Canton, Mich., in front of a national television audience.

In the first 10 years of NCAA sponsorship, the Huskers finished first or second five times.

The Nebraska women's bowling team captured its fifth NCAA title in school history, as the NTCA top-ranked Huskers defeated Stephen F. Austin 4-2 at Tropicana Lanes in St. Louis in front of a nationally televised audience.

The Huskers notched their fifth NCAA title since bowling became an NCAA sanctioned sport in 2003. In the first 12 years of NCAA sponsorship, the Huskers finished first or second seven times.

The Nebraska bowling team completed its NCAA Championship run, downing Arkansas State, 4-1, Saturday, April 10, 2021 at the AMF Pro Bowl Lanes and in front of a national television audience.

The national title was the sixth NCAA title by the Huskers since 2004 and the eighth since bowling was elevated to varsity sport status at Nebraska in 1998.

The Huskers, who faced elimination after losing their opening match of regional play, responded with seven straight wins over four days to earn their first national title since 2015.