HELIUM SHORTAGE BREAKS RED BALLOON TRADITION FOR HUSKER FOOTBALL:
A longtime tradition at Nebraska football games appears to be no more.
Red balloons will no longer be supplied around Memorial Stadium prior to games, Nebraska athletics director Trev Alberts said during his hour-long appearance on the Huskers Radio Network.
The change comes from a helium shortage across the University of Nebraska system, where Alberts stated the need for helium in medical use at UNMC takes precedent.
In Nebraska Athletic’s fan survey, the balloon release was scored a 5.4 out of 7 in the satisfactory chart, same as The Cornhuskers Song (Come A Runnin’ Boys).
Last November, the Association of Students of the University of Nebraska (ASUN) unanimously supported a resolution to encourage stopping balloon releases on campus and at Husker football games due to environmental reasons.
NEBRASKA FOOTBALL SEASON TICKETS NEARLY COMPLETELY RENEWED:
Nebraska Athletic Director Trev Alberts provided an update on Sports Nightly Monday regarding the season ticket situation for the upcoming Nebraska Football season.
Alberts stated that the renewal rate is currently around 92 percent. Alberts continued by saying the Husker Athletics office has roughly 3,700 to 5,100 tickets yet to be sold for various games in the fall.
CHANGES COMING TO BIG TEN DIVISIONS? NOT YET, SAYS ALBERTS:
The NCAA Division I Council announced last Wednesday it will relax restrictions on conference championship games, allowing conferences to determine the two teams that play for the championship however they want.
The Pac-12 didn’t take much time to make a change, announcing it will be getting rid of its North and South divisions for the 2022 season and instead using winning percentage to determine who will play in the title game. The Mountain West will go that route, too, but starting in 2023.
The Big Ten hasn’t yet officially made an announcement on what it’ll do. Nebraska Athletic Director Trev Alberts has an idea of what the conference may be thinking, stating that many conference athletic directors would like to scrap divisions but that the change would not happen for 2022.
In addition, all Big Ten schools have removed the conference schedules for their 2023 and 2024 football seasons from their individual program websites.
HUSKER FOOTBALL MINI TICKET PLANS AVAILABLE:
Nebraska fans will soon have an opportunity to purchase a “3-Game Mini-Plan” of 2022 football tickets at Memorial Stadium. The customizable ticket option will go on sale this Wednesday, May 25, at 10 a.m. by visiting Huskers.com/tickets or by calling or visiting the Nebraska Athletic Ticket Office.
The 3-Game Mini-Plan includes one home game each from September, October and November and is available for $180, providing buyers a $30 savings off single-game ticket prices. The Mini Plan includes a choice of September matchups between North Dakota (Sept. 3) and Georgia Southern (Sept. 10), an October choice of Indiana (Oct. 1) or Illinois (Oct. 29), and in November fans can choose either the Minnesota (Nov. 5) or Wisconsin (Nov. 19) matchups.
The only 2022 home game not available in a package is the Sept. 17 matchup with Oklahoma. Seating locations for tickets available through the 3-Game Mini-Plan are in the North and South end zones.
RUNZA SENIOR LEGION BASEBALL BEGINS SEASON:
The Runza Senior Legion Baseball team will begin their season today against North Platte at Memorial Field.
First pitch is set for 7:30 PM with pregame coverage on KGFW starting at 7:20. Join Austin Jacobsen and the crew on the call from Kearney tonight.
FORMER ALABAMA FOUR STAR CHOOSES HUSKERS IN PORTAL:
Nebraska football added another piece from the transfer portal, as Alabama defensive tackle Stephon Wynn Jr. committed to the Huskers over interest from Georgia Tech, Texas Tech and others, and officially visited Nebraska the weekend of May 14.
Wynn had largely been a reserve for the Crimson Tide during his time at Alabama. A redshirt senior, Wynn appeared in 21 games in his four seasons and recorded a combined 13 tackles. He played in seven games as a reserve this past season and tallied seven tackles.
The 6-foot-4, 307-pound Wynn was a Top-100 recruit out of IMG Academy during the 2018 cycle. A native of Anderson, S.C, he was the No. 3 strong-side defensive end and 74th overall prospect.
The commitment is the latest addition to Nebraska’s defensive line this spring. Nebraska secured a commitment from Devin Drew from Texas Tech and added TCU transfer Ochaun Mathis. Drew is slated to arrive in Lincoln in July and Mathis is already in Lincoln.
NBA CONFERENCE FINALS SCORES:
MONDAY EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL RESULT:
Boston Celtics 102 – 82 Miami Heat (Tied 2-2)
TUESDAY WESTERN CONFERENCE FINAL SCHEDULE:
Golden State Warriors @ Dallas Mavericks – 8 PM (GSW 3-0)
Local Results & Schedules:
THIS WEEK IN LOCAL SPORTS:
TUESDAY:
- KEARNEY HIGH:
- BOYS GOLF: State Championships @ Norfolk Country Club
- KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
- BOYS GOLF: State Championships @ Columbus
- UNK:
- N/a
- HASTINGS COLLEGE:
- N/a
WEDNESDAY:
- KEARNEY HIGH:
- BOYS GOLF: State Championships @ Norfolk Country Club
- KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
- BOYS GOLF: State Championships @ Columbus
- UNK:
- N/a
- HASTINGS COLLEGE:
- M/W T&F: @ NAIA Championships @ Gulf Shores, AL
THURSDAY:
- KEARNEY HIGH:
- N/a
- KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
- N/a
- UNK:
- M/W T&F: @ NCAA Championships @ Allendale, MI
- HASTINGS COLLEGE:
- M/W T&F: @ NAIA Championships @ Gulf Shores, AL
FRIDAY:
- KEARNEY HIGH:
- N/a
- KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
- N/a
- UNK:
- M/W T&F: @ NCAA Championships @ Allendale, MI
- HASTINGS COLLEGE:
- M/W T&F: @ NAIA Championships @ Gulf Shores, AL
SATURDAY:
- KEARNEY HIGH:
- N/a
- KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
- N/a
- UNK:
- M/W T&F: @ NCAA Championships @ Allendale, MI
- HASTINGS COLLEGE:
- N/a
