By: NU Media Relations:
Recent NFL defensive standouts Demorrio Williams and Josh Bullocks highlight a five-player group of 2015 inductees into the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame, which were announced on Thursday, July 9.
Joining Williams and Bullocks, who were Blackshirts together at Nebraska in 2002 and 2003, are 1997 national championship quarterback Scott Frost (1990s), All-Big Eight safety Jeff Krejci (1980s) and All-Big Eight halfback Harry Wilson (1960-70s).
In addition, quarterback Brook Berringer, who was a key player on Nebraska’s 1994 and 1995 national championship teams, will receive an honorary posthumous induction into the Hall of Fame. The announcement of Berringer’s induction comes on what would have been his 42nd birthday.
Midland University All-America offensive tackle Brad Colburn adds a state college flavor to the 2015 induction class. Colburn, a native of Aurora, Colo., was a four-year starter for the Warriors, claiming NAIA first-team All-America accolades in 1997 after earning an honorable-mention All-America award in 1996.
The Hall also will recognize Kelly and Virginia Holthus of York with its Clarence E. Swanson Meritorious Service Award. Byron and Olinda Boslau of Lincoln will be honored with the Lyell Bremser Special Merit Award.
The Nebraska Football Hall of Fame is sponsored by the Nebraska Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame. The College Football Hall of Fame opened in South Bend, Ind., in 1995. It opened its new headquarters in Atlanta in 2014.
Prior to 2015, players must have been either an All-American or first-team all-conference selection to make the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame ballot. Beginning in 2015, Huskers who earned second-team all-conference honors dating back to the expansion of the Big Eight to the Big 12 (1996) and now the 14-team Big Ten, will be eligible. Players are not eligible for the ballot until after a 10-year waiting period from the end of their collegiate careers. Major national award winners earn automatic induction. Active NFL players are not on the ballot.
This year’s Nebraska Football Hall of Fame class will celebrate together with an induction dinner on the University of Nebraska campus on Friday, Sept. 11. The class will be introduced prior to Nebraska’s football game with South Alabama at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 12.
The 2015 Inductees
Harry Wilson (1964-66) – A star for Hall of Fame Coach Bob Devaney’s early Nebraska teams, Harry Wilson was a first-team All-Big Eight pick and an honorable-mention UPI All-American as a senior in 1966. The 5-11, 200-pound halfback from Steubenville, Ohio, rushed for 1,610 yards and 10 touchdowns in his career. Wilson led NU in rushing yardage in both 1965 (672) and 1966 (635), while leading the 1966 Huskers in all-purpose (1,077) and kickoff return yardage (226). Wilson helped NU to three straight Big Eight titles as a three-time letterwinner. He also played in Nebraska’s first-ever Cotton and Sugar bowls, along with a national championship game appearance in the Orange Bowl to cap the 1965 season. All three Husker teams finished in the top six in the national rankings, posting a 28-2 regular-season record with only narrow losses at Oklahoma as blemishes in 1964 and 1966. As a sophomore, Wilson and the Huskers opened 9-0 before a loss at Oklahoma and a 10-7 setback to No. 2 Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl. The 1965 Huskers went 10-0 in the regular season capped by a 21-9 pounding of Oklahoma, before falling to national champion Alabama in the Orange Bowl. As a senior, Wilson led the Big Red to a 9-2 record that included a 6-1 conference mark and NU’s fourth consecutive Big Eight crown. Nebraska opened 9-0 before ending the regular season with a 10-9 loss at Oklahoma. Alabama then soured NU’s first Sugar Bowl trip. Wilson closed his college career with an appearance in the Senior Bowl, before being chosen in the 1967 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. He spent the 1967, 1968 and 1969 seasons with the Eagles.
Jeff Krejci (1979-81) – A first-team All-Big Eight safety for Hall of Fame Coach Tom Osborne’s Huskers, Jeff Krejci led the Blackshirts with four interceptions as a senior in 1981. In his only season as a starter, Krejci captured honorable-mention All-America accolades from the AP after leading the Big Red defensive backs with 63 tackles. Nebraska’s secondary also led the nation in pass defense, surrendering just 100.1 yards per game , fueling NU’s run to the 1981 Big Eight title. The 6-0, 180-pounder from Schuyler, Neb., helped the Huskers rank sixth nationally in total defense. During Krejci’s three seasons as a letterwinner, the Huskers posted a 29-7 overall record with eight shutouts. The Huskers played in the Orange, Cotton and Sun bowls, and finished among the top 10 in the national polls all three seasons. Krejci, who capped his collegiate career in the Senior Bowl, came to NU as a walk-on after earning all-state honors at quarterback for Class B state champion Schuyler in 1976. He started on the 1977 NU freshman team before redshirting in 1978. He played behind All-Big Eight safety Russell Gary in 1979 and 1980. Krejci closed his career with 77 total tackles, six interceptions, eight pass breakups and two fumble recoveries. He signed a free agent contract with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1982.
Scott Frost (1996-97) – The starting quarterback on Nebraska’s 1997 national championship team, Scott Frost was a second-team All-Big 12 choice as a senior. Frost led Hall of Fame Coach Tom Osborne’s final team to a perfect 13-0 season that culminated with a 42-17 dismantling of Peyton Manning and No. 3 Tennessee in the 1998 Orange Bowl. The 1997 Huskers won 11 of their 13 games by 13 or more points, including a 39-point pounding of Texas A&M in the Big 12 Championship Game. As a senior, the 6-3, 220-pounder from Wood River, Neb., became the first Nebraska quarterback in history to pass (1,237) and rush (1,095) for more than 1,000 yards in the same season. His 1,095 rushing yards rank as the third-best rushing total by a quarterback in Husker history. One of five finalists for the 1997 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, Frost threw just four interceptions. In fact, in 359 career attempts, Frost tossed just seven interceptions against 18 touchdowns. His most memorable pass came with an overtime connection to Matt Davison (with some help from the foot of Shevin Wiggins) in a 45-38 overtime victory at Missouri on Nov. 8, 1997. Frost finished that game with a career-best 316 yards of total offense, including 175 passing and 141 rushing. He closed his collegiate career with 2,677 passing yards and 1,533 rushing yards. He had a hand in 46 touchdowns, including 28 on the ground. Frost was a second-team CoSIDA Academic All-American in 1997 and was a two-time first-team academic All-Big 12 selection. He was chosen in the third round of the 1998 NFL Draft by the New York Jets. He spent six seasons as an NFL safety, including 1998 through 2001 with the Jets. He finished 2001 with Cleveland, before going to Green Bay in 2002 and Tampa Bay in 2003.
Josh Bullocks (2002-04) – One of the top pass defenders in Nebraska history, Josh Bullocks captured first-team All-America honors as a sophomore in 2003, when he intercepted a school single-season record 10 passes. His 13 career interceptions rank No. 2 in Husker history. He added 160 total tackles, one fumble recovery, one blocked punt and 17 pass breakups in his career. The 6-0, 205-pound free safety from Chattanooga, Tenn., was a first-team All-Big 12 selection as a sophomore before adding second-team honors in 2004. A captain for the Huskers in his final season as a junior, Bullocks played in 37 career games with 29 starts. He started five games as a redshirt freshman in 2002, notching 48 tackles while recording his first career interception. He started all 13 games as a sophomore for a Blackshirt defense that led the nation in pass defense, interceptions (32) and turnover margin (+23). As a junior, he added a pair of interceptions and a career-high 63 total tackles. Bullocks was chosen by New Orleans in the second round of the 2005 NFL Draft and spent the first four of his six seasons in the NFL with the Saints. He closed his career with Chicago, spending the 2009 and 2010 seasons with the Bears. In 90 career games, Bullocks made 53 starts, notching 290 tackles while recording six career interceptions.
Demorrio Williams (2002-03) – An explosive and disruptive defender, Demorrio Williams produced 220 tackles, including 27 for 116 yards lost, including 12 sacks for 92 yards in his two seasons as a Blackshirt. A 6-2, 215-pound linebacker from Beckville, Texas, Williams was a first-team All-Big 12 selection and one of 10 semifinalists for the Butkus Award as a senior. A 2003 Nebraska captain, Williams started all 13 games and recorded 128 tackles as a senior, including 21 for a position-record 92 yards in losses. His 11 sacks for 77 yards are also the most in history by a Husker linebacker. He also recovered four fumbles and forced two more while putting up a team-high 13 quarterback hurries that led to three interceptions by his teammates. A fourth-round selection by Atlanta in the 2004 NFL Draft, Williams spent four seasons with the Falcons from 2004 through 2007. He spent four more seasons with Kansas City from 2008 through 2011, before closing his career with San Diego in 2012. He played in 138 career NFL games with 68 starts, recording 618 combined tackles, including 7.5 sacks. He added seven career interceptions that he returned for two touchdowns, while forcing six fumbles and recovering four with one more score. On Dec. 12, 2005, Williams recorded a career-high 15 tackles against Josh Bullocks and the New Orleans Saints.
Honorary Inductee
Brook Berringer (1992-95) – A four-year letterwinner as a quarterback for Hall of Fame Coach Tom Osborne’s Huskers, Brook Berringer played major roles in Nebraska’s back-to-back national championship seasons in 1994 and 1995. As a junior in 1994, Berringer earned second-team All-Big Eight honors after going 7-0 as a starter in place of an injured Tommie Frazier. Berringer overcame a partially collapsed lung in midseason to guide Nebraska to the national championship game in the Orange Bowl against Miami. Against the Hurricanes, Berringer connected with tight end Mark Gilman on a 19-yard touchdown for the Huskers’ opening score of the game. Frazier, who stepped in to win MVP honors in the 24-17 victory over Miami, returned to full health as a senior in 1995. Frazier reclaimed the starting job, but Berringer continued to play a significant role. In his four-year career, Berringer appeared in 36 games with seven starts while throwing for 1,769 yards. He passed for 1,295 yards and 10 touchdowns, while adding 279 rushing yards and six more scores on the ground. He finished with 2,141 career total-offense yards. Berringer was likely to be chosen in the NFL Draft, but was killed in a plane crash on April 18, just two days before the draft.
2015 Hall of Famer from the State College Ranks
Brad Colburn (Midland, 1994-97) – A four-year starter on the offensive line at Midland Lutheran College in Fremont, Brad Colburn captured first-team NAIA All-America honors as a senior in 1997. An honorable-mention All-American as a junior for the Warriors in 1996, Colburn was a two-time first-team all-conference selection for Midland as a junior and senior. The 6-0, 272-pounder out of Overland High School in Aurora, Colo., went on to play in the 1997 College/Semi Pro All-American Bowl at the Metrodome in Minneapolis in 1997. Colburn, who was inducted into the Midland University Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009, was a starter as a freshman on an offensive line that carried the Warriors to the 1994 NAIA playoffs. Colburn is now a real estate agent for Perry & Co. in Denver, and is active in endurance sports, including triathlons, marathons, ultra-marathons and skiing.
Clarence E. Swanson Meritorious Service Award
Kelly and Virginia Holthus (York) – Kelly and Virginia Holthus have given generously with their time, spirit and financial resources to the University of Nebraska Athletic Department for many years. Kelly, who earned his bachelor’s degree from Nebraska before attending graduate school at the Wisconsin School of Banking, has been the chairman, president and chief executive officer of family-owned Cornerstone Bank in York, Neb., since 1977. He also has served as the chairman of the Nebraska Bankers Association, the Nebraska State Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the York City Council. Virginia, who does extensive volunteer work in the church and York community, is involved with the York General Health Care Auxiliary.
The long-time football skybox and club seat holders also have courtside seats at Nebraska volleyball and men’s basketball games. They donated $1 million to the Husker Nation Championship Drive.
Inaugurated by the Nebraska Chapter in 1972, the Clarence E. Swanson Meritorious Service Award is given annually to honor a person or family “for outstanding contributions to the University of Nebraska and the Husker Athletic Department through personal service, personal support of athletic department programs and dedication to the Husker football program and intercollegiate athletics.”
Lyell Bremser Special Merit Award
Byron and Olinda Boslau (Lincoln) – Byron and Olinda Boslau have been significant contributors of their time, money and support to Nebraska Athletics throughout their lives. Byron, who is the retired president, chairman and chief executive officer of Farmers Mutual Insurance, and Olinda both earned their bachelor’s degrees from the University of Nebraska. Olinda, who is a former supervisor of student teachers at Nebraska, is also a former English, speech and debate teacher at Lincoln Southeast High School.
Through Farmers Mutual, major gifts have been given to the Husker Nation Championship Drive, and as part of the Director’s Club and Rebounders Club. Other gifts have included East Stadium Club and West Stadium Club seating at football, Club seating at men’s basketball and Courtside, Suite and VIP seating at Husker volleyball matches. The Boslau’s also personally donate to the Rebounders Club and Relay Club at Nebraska.
In addition to their gifts to Nebraska Athletics, the Boslau’s are extensively involved with the Special Olympics. The couple was awarded the Champion of Greatness Award by Special Olympics Nebraska in 2015, the second time they have won the honor (also 2007). Byron is a past-president of both Special Olympics and the YMCA of Lincoln, and Olinda is on the Lincoln Community Playhouse Board of Directors. The couple also donates to the Lincoln Community Foundation, the United Way, YMCA Strong Kids Campaign, Girl Scouts and Matt Talbot Kitchen and Outreach.
The Boslau’s 34-year-old son, Brad, has earned more than 225 medals at Special Olympics since beginning competition at age 12.
Inaugurated by the Nebraska Chapter in 1974, the Lyell Bremser Special Merit Award was created to honor a person “with a background of interest in and support of intercollegiate football, who has made a sizeable contribution to society through public service and/or self-sacrifice.”