The twenties have long been characterized as a period of decadence, gangsters, flappers and jazz. While the notoriety of lavish parties and jazz age personalities were dramatized in the literary works of F. Scott Fitzgerald and through the burgeoning film industry, tough times were already affecting agricultural regions. The realities of inflated grain prices during the war came home to roost in rural areas like Nebraska long before the stock market crashed in 1929. While much of the rest of country experienced new prosperity, Nebraska's farmers struggled as agricultural prices dipped.
Having survived the devastating war and the flu panic of 1919, Nebraskans turned to football for solace and some lighter entertainment. They found it with new Coach Fred Dawson, who led the team with victorious results, beating the otherwise undefeated Notre Dame in 1922 and 1923. The next year the Irish retaliated with the famous "Four Horsemen," Layden, Miller, Crowley and Stuhldreher, of the Notre Dame backfield. They rode through the Nebraska line racking up a 34-6 defeat over Nebraska.
Save the occasional trouncing by the Irish, Nebraska was doing quite well. Dawson proved to be a qualified leader taking the team to 23 wins, seven losses and two ties for a .750 overall winning percentage. Husker fans were coming to the games in droves, especially to witness the 1922 match against Notre Dame, the last to be played on Nebraska Field. Sixteen thousand fans packed the sidelines, while thousands more sought perches in trees, on buildings and even a coal pile to catch a glimpse of the action. The Huskers retired the field with a resounding victory of 14-6. The next year, players and fans alike moved to the new Memorial Stadium.
The stadium, a tribute to Nebraska's fallen soldiers, opened with a seating capacity of 12,000. Later, upper balconies were completed, expanding the capacity to 31,000. The stadium was as much a memorial to soldiers as it was testimony of Husker fans' devotion to their team. Students, alumni, faculty and the general public pooled their money to build the beloved team a new home. Fundraising efforts raised $460,000, --$30,000 more than the goal of $430,000 for the stadium.
Dedicated on October 20, 1923, Memorial Stadium was christened with a scoreless tie between Kansas and the returning Huskers. But it was soon the battlefield of one of the most intense rivalries in college football.During the 1920's the series between Notre Dame and Nebraska intensified both on the field and off. The rivalry, started in 1915, captured the attention of thousands of fans each year for a decade. By the 1920's the annual meet had become one of the most anticipated competitions in college football. Nebraska won three out of the last four games between the two. But the competition took a backseat to the increasingly vicious prejudiced Nebraska fan behavior that brought an end to the series in 1925. For more about the Nebraska-Notre Dame rivalry, click here.
Fans during the twenties were just as hard on coaches and they were on opposing teams. Cornhusker fans, unsatisfied with Coach Dawson's Notre Dame victories and a 75% winning rate, wanted victories over Pittsburgh and Minnesota and most of all a national championship. Dawson was fired in 1924, his replacement E.E. Bearg was hired with high hopes and even higher expectations. Bearg started his career at Nebraska with flying colors, beating former employer Illinois handily. All-American Ed Weir and the Huskers held the legendary Illinois All-American "Red" Grange, scoreless for the first time. Nebraska won with a 14-0 score. Bearg coached the team admirably matching Dawson's winning rate of 75%, but it wasn't good enough for Nebraska. In 1928 the Huskers had a perfect season with six wins, it looked as though the team might even go to the Rose Bowl. Only Army stood in their way. The game started late and played into near darkness. Army, coached by future Nebraska coach "Biff" Jones, took control of the ball in the twilight and never let go, winning the game 13-3.
The Army loss marked the end of Bearg's career. Nebraska had become a football superpower and wanted wins, Bearg, simply wasn't delivering enough. Eager to have a national championship, Nebraska's athletic board went, once again, in search of a new coach. This time they wanted the best. The Cornhuskers even pursued arch-rival Notre Dame coach Knute Rockne for the position. Rockne, undoubtedly still smarting from the sting of Nebraska's anti-Catholic fans, turned the offer down but recommended his protégé, Dana Xenaphon Bible, who was hired for the 1929 season.
