Nebraska football is well-known for churning out running backs, but as we move towards the future, the Huskers are beginning to develop some quality pass catchers as well.
Say what you will about the Bill Callahan era, but what it lacked in wins, trophies or self-esteem, it did give Nebraska football fans two great things: Ndamukong Suh and an introduction to how receivers were, in fact, the future.
His successor, Bo Pelini, would hire offensive coordinators that weren’t shy about putting the ball in the air and made some of the receivers on this list household names.
This continued on even after Pelini was removed and Mike Riley made Lincoln his home.
With quarterback-molding buddy Danny Langsdorf in tow, there was no doubt Nebraska could take advantage of new quality receiver prospects.
Let’s have a look back in Husker History and see not only where the Big Red is headed, but where the bar has been placed by those that came before.
10. Terrence Nunn
One of the iconic members of the Callahan receiver corps, Nunn stuck by his coach’s side for the entirety of his tenure (2004-2007). In the process, Nunn would rack up 1,762 yards during his career, good for No. 5 in the Nebraska football record books to date.
He’s also tied at No. 10 for touchdown catches in a single season with seven.
Nunn was easily one of the most reliable receivers on Callahan’s teams, averaging 441 yards per season. That might not sound like much after several years of Taylor Martinez and Tommy Armstrong at the helm.
However, numbers like these helped ease the toe of Husker Nation back into the pond of passing game enjoyment in addition to the rough and tumble running game.
9. Matt Davison
“Nice catch, Matt.”
The words of Tom Osborne following Nebraska’s Miracle in Missouri win echo across the entire decade of the 90’s when it comes to wideouts.
During Nebraska’s most recent heyday, receivers were largely used for run blocking, but they did get the occasional quality catch.
In Davison’s case, well…you know the story.
Davison still holds the record for receptions and receiving yards in a single game with 10 catches for 167 versus Texas A&M in a 1998 loss to the Aggies in College Station.
Oh, what manner of witchcraft had Frank Solich brought to Lincoln?
The Tecumseh, Neb. native ranks tenth all-time in receptions with 93, the aforementioned 10 snags tie for seventh best in a single game scenario and he remains ninth on the all-time career receiving yard leaderboard with 1,456 to his name.
Today you’ll hear Davison’s voice as a color analyst for Nebraska football and basketball. He also founded the Creating Captains program which works with children to instill good sportsmanship, healthy lifestyles and the ability to make good decisions for themselves.
8. Todd Peterson
Say hello to one of the premiere slot receivers of modern day Nebraska football, Todd Peterson. His sticky mitts came in handy often during his career over the course of Callahan’s era and inching into Pelini’s.
Peterson ranks No. 8 on the all-time receptions list with 108 and made nearly every catch count.
As a sophomore in 2006, he only had 19 catches through 14 games but hauled in 307 yards (an average of 16 yards per catch) and two touchdowns.
The next year, he’d actually snag one less pass but would see his yard total increase to 359 (a 20 yard per catch average) and five touchdowns.
He became a standout in Pelini’s first year with 62 catches for 786 yards and caught four touchdowns.
Peterson still sticks around on the leaderboard and not just thanks to his reception total. His 62 receptions in 2008 rank fourth all-time while his 1,602 career receiving yards place him sixth in that category.
His senior year’s yard total is good for No. 9 when talking about a Husker wideout’s single-season haul.
We’ve seen Nunn and now Peterson. Two Callahan era receivers are yet to come.
7. Irving Fryar
The No. 1 pick in the 1984 NFL Draft, Fryar was a threat both on the ground and as a receiver during one of the most prolific offensive times in Nebraska football history.
As a member of the 1983 Scoring Explosion offense, Fryar tallied 40 catches for 780 yards (an average of 20 yards per catch) and eight touchdowns.
He’d add 318 yards rushing on 23 carries (14 yards per run) and two touchdowns on the ground.
Fryar still sees his name attached to the leaderboards with his 1983 haul good for tenth in a single season by any Husker receiver as of this writing.
He’s also listed as tied for fifth along with Kenny Bell, Kyler Reed, Frosty Anderson and Johnny Rodgers for his eight touchdown campaign as a member of that potent early 80’s scoring bonanza.
Following his career as a Husker, Fryar would play with the New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins before retiring in 2000.
He was named a five-time Pro Bowler and caught 851 passes for 12,785 yards and 84 touchdowns during his professional career.
6. Niles Paul
A staple of Bo Pelini’s early teams, Paul ranks ninth all-time in receptions (103) and seventh in career yardage (1,532).
His name also sits at No. 7 on the list of most yards by a Husker receiver in a single season with 796 from his 2009 campaign.
During that year, he would place himself in the record books for most receiving yards in a single game twice, once with a 143-yard outing against Iowa State and again with a 154-yard day against Kansas.
He averaged nearly 20 yards per catch on his 40 receptions that year adding four scores to Nebraska’s total.
Voted Second-team All-Big 12 in 2010, he also aided the Big Red as a kick returner with 77 attempts resulting in 1,887 yards and two touchdowns.
Following his years with Nebraska football, Paul was drafted with the 155th pick of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins, a team he still plays with to this day.
5. Maurice Purify
At 6-3 and 226 pounds, Purify is the type of receiver that today’s Cornhuskers would drool over and he was certainly a help during his college days.
A junior college transfer, he spent the 2006 and 2007 seasons as a member of the Nebraska football roster and was responsible for 1,444 yards worth of offense over his career (good for No. 10 all-time).
His 2007 effort of 814 yards ranks sixth on Nebraska’s list of most yardage generated in a single season. His game against Kansas is tied for fifth with Jordan Westerkamp’s 158-yard day against Michigan State in 2014.
Purify was a great target and throws his way often paid off. His 16 career touchdowns rank fifth all-time and again, keep in mind he was only in Lincoln for two years.
Not only does his seven touchdown output in 2006 tie him at tenth for most receiving touchdowns in a single season, but his 2007 total of nine gives him the No. 4 spot outright.
Finally, he’s tied for first with three touchdowns in a single game…twice. Once against Kansas in 2007 and again against Colorado in the same year. No other Husker can make those last two claims.
4. Kenny Bell
“If you don’t know, just throw to the ‘fro!”
Ah, yes. The days of Taylor Martinez and Kenny Bell. It was a simpler time before “ROOMMATES!” in Tommy Armstrong and Jordan Westerkamp.
Bell’s years in Lincoln (2011-2014) were very good to him as he leads the Nebraska career receiving yards list with 2,689. He actually makes the single season list twice, once for his 788-yard effort in 2014 and again for his 861-yard year in 2012.
He ranks third all-time in receiving touchdowns with 21 and is tied for fifth with four other Huskers with eight touchdowns in a single season.
Following his career as a member of the Nebraska football team, he was selected with the 162nd pick in the 2015 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was with the team for a year before being picked up by the Baltimore Ravens as a member of the practice squad.
Since we know you’re going to ask for it, he did help produce one of the only enjoyable moments for Cornhusker fans during the 2012 Big Ten Championship Game (the legality of which can be debated at your leisure.)
3. Jordan Westerkamp
The hands, the ‘stache, the admiration of Husker fans. What didn’t Jordan Westerkamp have as a Nebraska Cornhusker wide receiver?
It’s not like a Big Red fan to root against one of their own, but many were hoping kinda-sorta that Westerkamp would not only up and break Johnny Rodgers’ record for most receiving yards in a season, but top the elusive 1,000-yard mark.
While that didn’t happen, “Westy” A.K.A. “The Other Part of ROOMMATES!” still had a productive career.
Second only to Kenny Bell on the career receptions list with 167, Westerkamp caught the most balls of any wide receiver in a season with 65 in 2015.
He would catch nine balls during a game on three separate occasions (versus Michigan State in 2014 and 2015; versus Purdue in 2015) and 11 times versus Southern Mississippi in 2015.
He ranks fourth overall in career receiving yards with 2,474 and while he didn’t break Rodgers’ record, he does sit at No. 3 with 918 yards caught during his prolific 2015 season.
Finally, he’s tied with Niles Paul at No. 10 for most yards in a single game (Michigan State 2015) with 143 and Maurice Purify with 158 (Michigan State 2014).
You get the idea that Sparty’s happy to see this guy graduate.
2. Nate Swift
The final Callahan era star on the list (you can exhale now if you were holding your breath), “Swifty” was the Jordan Westerkamp of his day.
He sits one catch behind Westerkamp on the career receptions list with 166 yards, his best season coming in 2008 when he was only two behind Westy’s 65 caught in 2015.
When it came to single-game skills, Swift had it going on with nine reception games against Oklahoma and Missouri in 2005 and an 11-reception day versus Baylor in 2008.
While Swift did chase Westerkamp in some areas, he got the last laugh in others.
He’d finish two yards ahead of Westerkamp with 2,476 in career receiving yards (No. 3 overall) and holds the No. 2 spot for most receiving yards in a season with 941 coming in 2008, just one yard away from tying our No. 1 overall receiver.
Swift turned in 22 career touchdowns, good for another second-place finish and had a 2005 season that would see him tie 10 other Huskers with seven touchdowns in a year.
He’d claim the No. 3 spot outright with 10 scores during Bo Pelini’s first year at the helm in 2008.
It’s a shame they’re both part of days gone by. A competition between Swift and Westerkamp would be a fun one to watch for four more years.
1. Johnny Rodgers
As if there could be any other guy at the top.
Rodgers wasn’t the Cornhusker to simply catch a football, he had to make it count. In fact, he was one of the most dynamic athletes to ever come around. It’s safe to say that many programs would kill for Rodgers 2.0 — Nebraska included. He did win the Heisman Trophy, after all.
His name litters the record books which is probably what you’d expect from Nebraska football’s first winner of the coveted bronze statue.
Rodgers accumulated 2,479 receiving yards in three seasons at Nebraska and not only set the standard for all future Husker wideouts to beat as of this writing (942 yards in 1972 alone) but shows up on that board again at No. 4 with 872 yards in 1971.
His yardage most certainly bore fruit as he ranks No. 1 overall in receiving touchdowns with 25 and ranks No. 2 for most touchdown receptions in a single season with 11 in 1971.
He also clocks in tied for fifth thanks to his eight touchdown output in 1972 and tied for tenth with seven scores in 1970.
Next: 10 Best Running Backs of All-Time
His three touchdowns scored against Minnesota in 1971 shouldn’t be forgotten, either.
Rodgers would go on to play for the Canadian Football League’s Montreal Alouettes from 1973-1976, then spend two years with the San Diego Chargers in 1977 and 1978.
These days, you can find Rodgers signing autographs just about wherever he goes, at Husker events across the country, walking the sidelines, sitting in the press box or just being ol’ Johnny wherever that might take him.