Tag: Balloon Release

Nebraska athletics welcoming back major program tradition for Colorado game

The release of balloons originally ended in the 2022 season.

A familiar Nebraska tradition is returning to Lincoln for this Saturday’s game against the Colorado Buffaloes. Athletic director Troy Dannen announced on Thursday that the release of balloons will be returning to Memorial Stadium.

“Saturday’s football game with Colorado and the events surrounding the weekend have been anticipated by Husker fans for months. As we celebrate the rich tradition between the two schools and honor our 1994 national championship team, Nebraska Athletics will bring back a Memorial Stadium tradition of releasing balloons after the Huskers’ first touchdown. Red balloons will be distributed at no cost in and around Memorial Stadium by Huskers Athletics staff. Going forward, we will consider bringing back the balloons for select special occasions.”

This tradition originally ended in 2022, with athletic director Trev Alberts citing a helium shortage as the reason. Now, it will be coming back, as Nebraska plans to roll out the balloons to honor the 1994 national championship team.

Photo Gallery: Looking at the history of the Memorial Stadium balloon release

Saturday’s game will have a lot of eyes on it, as it is one of the most highly anticipated games of the season. Several recruits will be coming to Lincoln, as the program has lined up a plethora of visitors on that day.

A major Nebraska tradition is coming back, and it’s easy to feel excited about the return.

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Looking back at every home opener since 2000

The Nebraska Cornhuskers are preparing for the home opener of the 2022 college football season as they welcome the North Dakota Fightin’ Hawks to Memorial Stadium on Saturday afternoon. It’s been a busy offseason for the venue the Huskers have …

The Nebraska Cornhuskers are preparing for the home opener of the 2022 college football season as they welcome the North Dakota Fightin’ Hawks to Memorial Stadium on Saturday afternoon. It’s been a busy offseason for the venue the Huskers have called home since 1923.

First a few facts about the famous home of the Huskers.

Address: 600 Stadium Drive

Capacity: 85,458

Record Attendance: 91,585

First Game: vs. Oklahoma (Win 24-0) October 13th, 1923

Broke Ground: April 26th, 1923

Cost: $430,000

Expanded: 1694, 1965, 1966, 1972, 1998, 2006, 2013

There are a few changes at Memorial Stadium this year. One is that a long-standing tradition will not occur during the 2022 season. Athletic Director Trev Alberts says fans will not be releasing red balloons from the stands after the first home touchdown in each game this year. He cited a helium shortage for the cancelation heading into the season. Alberts stated that any helium the university acquires would be used only for medical purposes.

There will also be a new playing surface this season. The school had first looked at replacing the current field in 2020 but scrapped that plan due to budget concerns. FieldTurf was first installed at Memorial Stadium in 1999 and was replaced in 2005 and 2013. The 2013 replacement cost approximately $380,000.

The new turf looks a little different than in years past. The Huskers dropped the two-toned green field seen in recent years for a single shade of darker green. However, the end zones have not changed, with the north end zone reading Huskers with the south end zone reading Nebraska. The traditional N remains at midfield as well.

Director Trev Alberts did admit during a radio interview in January that the school did look at replacing the field turf with a grass surface but decided against it due to the cost of the project and the heavy use of Memorial Stadium. Alberts said the project estimate for a grass playing surface came in at “nearly $8 million.” He also said, “we’re doing more and more things in Memorial Stadium.” “… we’re hosting convocations and graduations in there (Memorial Stadium).

Now a recap of every Nebraska home opener since 2000.