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Husker Football: ‘The Iron N’ is A Passion; Not a Hobby

By Brandon Cavanaugh

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They take heat, get eye rolls and questioned when asked for better seating. They are the Husker football student section, and they’ve been at the center of debate for a long time.

Steve Dosskey, Jordan Brus and Allison Redwine are three students out to not only solidify the group in Memorial Stadium, but across Nebraska athletics.

Acting President of “The Iron N”, Dosskey pointed back to the “Take Back Gameday” campaign that unfortunately fizzled out by the end of the 2011 season.

Where that campaign failed, The Iron N appears to be flourishing. In speaking with Dosskey, he repeatedly brought up a focus of not just having a student section, per se, but a united force to “make life hell” for the opposition. Brus and Redwine were enthusiastic in the sentiment as well.

A major opportunity to show that united force comes this Saturday when Nebraska takes on the Miami Hurricanes. Of course, Twitter was the main source of teasers for what’s to come, but knee-jerk reactions taught us to read before we reply.

Many Husker fans thought this Blackout was targeted at 91,000-plus, and that’d be an amazing feat, but it wasn’t. In that specification, you find The Iron N’s purpose. Dosskey and his compatriots encourage all Nebraska fans to wear what they please.

This one’s for the students, the people who actually have the energy to come early, stay late and affect the game.

Heisman candidate Ameer Abdullah stopped off and pointed up to The Boneyard, as it’s affectionately called, noting its ear-splitting encouragement following his amazing score to end the McNeese State game.

Brus went on to say that ultimately, the organization wants Nebraska to be able to lay claim to the rowdiest, most intimidating student section in all of college football.

Dosskey emphasizes that The Iron N’s plans don’t involve taking over excellent seating, but giving Husker athletics the student section it deserves.

They pointed to the risk taken by the Nebraska athletic department by putting students so close to the action in both the Pinnacle Bank Arena and Bob Devaney Sports Center.

The results: a home court advantage so good, Tim Miles only saw his team lose once by a hair. The Bob rocks as hard as any volleyball atmosphere in the nation.

What about the $64,000 question? The one that everyone talks about whether for or against it every single offseason. Should the students be moved in Memorial Stadium? Who better to ask than those who sit in the seats?

All three empathized with the feelings of long-time season ticket holders who value their seats, but I asked what they felt would be a reasonable compromise. Brus and Dosskey chimed in regarding a few rows directly behind the handicapped section in South Stadium.

While the athletic department likely couldn’t wedge more than 4,000 students in there without a riot, The Iron N’s representatives did make excellent points about what such a move could do for their cause.

They noted how Ohio State takes advantage of its students’ enthusiasm and famous band at the flat end of The Shoe.

Buckeye students receive prime seating and are an excellent example of what Brus wants to see at Nebraska, one of the “rowdiest, most intimidating student sections in all of college football.”


A common gripe about such a move is why should such a shift happen when students don’t hang around as it is? Dosskey took to that question like Mauro Bondi on a kickoff.

“With the tickets being general admission, when some people leave, we all just move down. Eventually, it becomes very noticeable,” he said.

He and his colleagues pointed out that it’s awfully easy to compare 8,000 that can move closer to the field from their nosebleed seats to the 83,000-plus remainder that also has holes here and there, but isn’t so easily identifiable.

Dosskey also pointed out two very specific games as stellar instances that leaving early isn’t limited to the students: Ohio State 2011 and Northwestern 2013.

If you stayed for the entirety of those contests, you saw Nebraska’s biggest comeback in 124 years of football and a Hail Mary finish.

However, several people who bought very expensive tickets were flooding on their way out of the stadium at one point during both games.

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Dosskey emphasized that The Iron N’s plans don’t involve taking over excellent seating, but giving Husker athletics the student section it deserves.

He was surprised when he came to campus as a freshman and found it in disarray. He wants make sure that changes permanently, and other students are buying in.

Right now, the organization’s primarily working with the football, basketball and volleyball squads, but it’s not looking to stop there. Baseball, Olympic sports, whomever reaches out to it, the group is interested in assisting.

Brus, Redwine and Dosskey are all very excited about the upcoming game, not just because of the organized Blackout or red rally towels that should pop against black shirts.

“Look to the Southeast corner of the stadium,” I was told. No further information was divulged, despite my efforts to be as charming as possible.

What did I learn most about The Iron N? Those who shrug aside student requests should keep an open mind. An organized force like this proves valuable. Ask Tim Miles and John Cook.

Come Saturday, the darkness will do all it can to turn Hurricanes into a light drizzle. Regardless of the outcome, it’s guaranteed that The Boneyard will “give them hell” in the process.

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