Originally aired December 8, 2000

Playing football at the University of Nebraska is the dream of many Nebraska boys, but only a few make it come true.

A few years ago we started following one such young man and his quest to play football for the Huskers. Hartington's Russ Hochstein was a high school standout, recruited by Nebraska. He was enthusiastic and realistic about becoming a Husker, but knew there were no guarantees of success. He eventually became a starter and all-conference lineman, and last spring was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

"Statewide's" Brad Penner takes a final look at how the hometown kid became a Husker hero.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: • Huskers.com http://www.huskers.com/ •   Tampa Bay Buccaneers http://www.buccaneers.com/

NEBRASKANS TAKE A SHOT AT THE NFL

They grew up in small town Nebraska. Now they're trying to make it in the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Husker lineman Russ Hochstein (Hartington native) and Colorado State defensive back John Howell (Mullen native) were each drafted by the Buccaneers. "Statewide's" Bill Kelly recently caught up with the two former college standouts during training camps in Tampa. CLICK HERE to visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Web site.

RUSS HOCHSTEIN
LISTEN to Bill Kelly's story on Russ Hochstein.
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CLICK HERE for more of our interview with Hochstein, including comments on what he needs to do to succeed in Tampa.
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CLICK HERE to visit the Husker football web site.

JOHN HOWELL
LISTEN to Bill Kelly's story on John Howell.
| Click Here

CLICK HERE to visit the Colorado State football web site.

VIDEOS

Watch the Perspective story here:
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TRANSCRIPT

Transcript of Perspective

TRANSCRIPT - Russ Hochstein: Hometown Husker

Reported by Statewide correspondent, Brad Penner.

[Russ Hochstein] "The season is over. I'm kind of sad, man. I'm going to miss it. High school ball, it's fun."
Now it's on to bigger things?
[Russ] "You betcha. On to bigger and better things."
When Russ Hochstein walked off the field after his last game for Hartington Cedar Catholic, he began a journey toward fulfilling a dream, but the dream didn't just belong to him. He shared it with his hometown. This was the deal. They would support him in any way they could and he would become the best football player he could be. Consider it a dream come true.
[Russ] "They pushed me just as hard as I could push them because they want to accomplish the great things that I want to accomplish. At times like this you start thinking about how fast it's really went and the fun I have had and the joy it's been to play here."
How you doing?
[Russ] "Happy Husker Day."
The 2000 season kicked off with what's become a Hochstein family tradition. A tailgate party including a lot of folks with Hartington connections. The Hochsteins are lifelong Husker fans but it's different when your son or brother is on the team.
[Corey Hochstein] "They don't know my name. It's just you're Russ's brother but that's all right. I like it. To say you got a family member that plays and starts and stuff like that, it's an honor."
The season was just beginning but Barb Hochstein couldn't help feeling a little sad. Her son's career as a Husker was almost over.
[Barb Hochstein] "I will relish every game this year. There's not much left."
[Gayle Hochstein, Russ's father] "We have met some great people. The people that support Nebraska is unbelievable all over the country. We've got a chance to follow a lot of the games."
It's been good. The last five years wept by quickly for Gayle Hochstein. He shared the highs and lows of college football with his son.
[Gayle] "I think Russ has been able to take that low time and try to make himself a better player and now that the high time is here, it's a lot of fun."
At offensive guard, a senior from Hartington, Nebraska, number 55 Russ Hochstein.
Russ became a full-time starter his junior year. As a senior, he grew into a team leader and spokesman. "Sports Illustrated" picked Nebraska as pre-season favorite to win the national championship. Writer Austin Murphy used a quote from Russ in the lead paragraph of his story.
[Russ] "It's bigger than life. It's nothing I ever expected. I come from a small town where, you know, you're lucky to get quoted in your own newspaper."
[Gayle] "It's kind of mind boggling. The first thing you do is you open up the paper and you read it, and the first thing you say is he didn't say nothing stupid. Hey, this is great."
[Russ] "It's unreal because you realize to which people follow this program and that's both locally, state, and national. I mean it's crazy. Husker football is big everywhere. College football is big everywhere. To be a part of that whole circus atmosphere is really neat and it's fun and I enjoy it."
The attention and adoration that go with being a Husker could feed an athlete's ego. But those who know Russ Hochstein say he has remained humble.
[Terry Kathol, Hartington C.C. Coach] "He's a kid that has really stayed down to Earth. You know, he's not become an egotistical type person because of his success."
[April Hochstein, Russ's sister] "He hasn't changed that much. I mean his attitude really hasn't changed. When he comes home, he talks to everybody and stuff. It's kind of changed because when he goes out, he has 50 million people following him around."
Yeah, that's the only thing different.
[April] "But he really hasn't changed. He has grown up a lot. A lot more responsible."
His Husker teammates recognized Hochstein's attitude when they voted him a captain for the 2000 season.
[Dave Volk] "Russ brings a great amount of leadership not in the form of being a vocal player but he is a really hard worker. Every single play, everything we do, he is always going 110%. He never slacks off.
Not even against San Jose State. The Huskers would need to dig a little deeper against their next opponent."
Programs. Get your programs.
Players come to Nebraska so they can compete in games like this.
[Russ] "It was weird growing up a lot of times Husker games wouldn't be on TV but the Notre Dame games would and I hated that. I honestly did. I didn't enjoy watching them all the time. I always wanted to see the Huskers play. I had to watch them play a lot of times so it definitely will be nice to play them on their home field."
[Milt Tenopir] "We have been in big ones. This ain't any bigger than what we have played or going to be any bigger than what we're going to play. You're number one in the country for one reason, you guys right here. Make them know that."
Heads.
Chose heads. Nebraska calls heads. It is heads.
[Gayle] "He got a chance to be out there with the rest of the captains. It's unbelievable. It's just one of those things where as a parent you dream of something like that happening and here we get a chance to witness it."
[Barb] "It's very emotional for me. I'm sitting with some of the other mothers who have sons as captains. It's just very emotional. We have a hard time handling it actually. It brings tears to our eyes."
Back in Hartington, the streets were quiet. But some of Russ Hochstein's biggest fans cheered at the Ten Pin Lounge.
[Karen Haberer] "Knowing Russ though it makes it more personal."
[Gene Haberer] "There's a lot more yells when they see Russ. We take pride in it."
The people of Hartington want Russ to succeed because they know him. Many watched him grow up. Others, like Colten Benson, see Russ as living proof that dreams come true. Is Russ a guy you look up to? Why is that?
Because I want to play his position.
[Kim Benson, Colten's Mom] "He wanted to be student manager this year for our high school football team. He is in fourth grade and that's when Russ started getting involved in football. So he keeps track of things that Russ has done and he really idolizes him."
On the hallowed ground of Notre Dame Stadium, Russ Hochstein had one of his best games. When Eric Crouch scored the winning touchdown in overtime, it became a career highlight.
[Russ] "It was a great experience. It's a fun place to play. A great atmosphere. It's college football at its best I guess."
Notre Dame was a big game. Baylor was not unless you come from Hartington. Around 500 fans celebrated Russ Hochstein Day. That's close to a third of Hartington's population.
[Chuck Steffen] "I think somebody had to shut the lights off when we left."
Chuck and Linda Steffen brought a banner to express their feelings. They and hundreds from Hartington wore commemorative T-shirts. Others joined the Baylor booster club just so they would have tickets. They wanted to honor the young man who makes them proud.
[Russ] "It was a great day. A great day to come watch the game. I have a lot of support and a tremendous amount of support. I thank them all very much for all their cards and letters they have sent me over the years."
[Chuck Steffen] "He is just part of us. He's one of our kids. He is like one of our own. What you see is what you get. Never see him without a smile, do you?"
[Gayle] "You guys take care. Hey, take care. Thanks for coming."
The celebration continued at a reception after the game.
[Gayle] "They came in numbers, I'll say that much. It's been great. We have had some good people get involved in it. It's been a lot of fun for us to put this thing on."
[Russ] "You know when people know who you are, you have the responsibility to be good to people and to be... "
Russ never takes his status as a hometown hero for granted. He wants his story to inspire other kids.
[Russ] "Never can turn down an autograph or anything like that. So we love it."
[Milt Tenopir] "Russ Hochstein, you know, he knows how I feel about him and I have made the comment several times that if you were going to start an offensive line from scratch, the first guy you would want would be Russ Hochstein."
The folks in this room knew Russ before he became a big time football player.
[Ken Kneiffel] "You have to understand that even when Russ was little, he was big."
Ken Kneiffel shared funny stories from the days when he coached Russ in junior high, but he also put into words why so many people had to be there for Russ Hochstein Day.
[Kneiffel] "The pride is not simply in the fact you have had an outstanding career at Nebraska but the pride is in how you have carried the entire experience. The pride is on that you're on schedule to graduate. The pride is how you continue to live your life showing the values that have been taught to you by your family, your church, your school, and your community."
[Russ] "Hartington is a great community and this is the pride of it right here. I think we're showing you right now and Hartington is always going to be my home and it always will be so I thank you guys."
If you've never played football in Memorial Stadium, if you've never played in front of 76,000 screaming fans, then it's hard to know what it's like for someone playing his last game there.
[Russ] "It's, you know, -- this has meant the world to me, my family, and all my friends. I just have loved every minute of it. Probably when football is over and I'm done competing and I'm done hitting people and everything like that, the friendships is what I will miss more than anything. It's the people that will move away that you won't get to see on a daily basis and hanging around with those guys is probably what I will miss the most out of anything."
Russ Hochstein spent the last five years learning about football and growing up.
[Russ] "The number one thing to me is that I've learned to really remember my family and love my family and to cherish every moment I get with them because the older I got and the more I got busy with football and stuff like that, the less you spend with your family."
Russ says he watched his parents build a business. That taught him how to work hard.
[Russ] "I guess more than anything I always learned that if you can work hard, you can accomplish great things. I just always wanted to work hard and accomplish all the things I knew I could. I just always have believed in myself and I've always had great confidence in myself."
Russ and his teammates needed all the confidence they could get against Colorado. With less than a minute left, the Buffalos led by one. Nebraska had the ball.
[Russ] "I think with 44 seconds left and I know a lot of other guys are thinking what I do, that's a lot of time. In football, a couple of quick passes and out of bounds, you're right down the field."
On the last play, Josh Brown kicked a game-winning field goal.
[Russ] "This is the only way and the best way to go out of a college football career right here with a big win. This is big time college football. That's what it is all about. I'm going to miss this place. The fans are awesome. The place is just dynamite. It's been a dream come true and I can't say it any better than that."
Russ Hochstein may go on to play pro football. It's something he'd like to do but it's not his dream. His dream already came true.
[Russ] "I'm proud every time I put on my jersey and my helmet. It's something not very many people get to do. I wear it with pride and try to do my best every time I go out there. It's been an honor to play here."
An honor shared with friends and family in Hartington.