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If you're a Husker fan and not familiar with the book, "Forever Red: Confessions of a Cornhusker Football Fan", shame on you. Written by Steve Smith and published by University of Nebraska Press (they put out some darned fine books, btw), I reviewed it back in 2006, stating:
I wouldn't call this a 'fan' book as much as I'd call it a personal search by author Steve Smith trying to understand his love, passion, and fanaticism for Husker football. That search leads through his life starting with his first Husker game - a Nebraska 50-0 win over Iowa on September 20th, 1980 - to the firing of Frank Solich and the initial season of Bill Callahan.
Released in 2005, Forever Red remains the greatest fan book ever written about Husker football. It's a "fan book" because it's not so much a book about great players and teams as it is about Husker fans. (I'd recommend you buy it if you haven't read it. Despite being 10 years out, it's still a wonderful read.)
A lot has happened in the past 10 years, and Smith is in process of doing an update in honor of the book's 10th anniversary. The plan is to release the new edition in the fall of 2015 in paperback. He's looking for feedback from Husker fans on what they think were the best or most significant moments since the initial release of his book, roughly covering from 2005 to 2013.
There's a catch, however. Smith isn't just looking for the greatest games - remember that Forever Red is more about fans than the players and games. He's looking for moments that centralize around several themes, which may include:
- The move to the Big Ten
- Bo Pelini's sometimes-tumultous, often-exhilarating tenure in Lincoln
- The expansion of Memorial Stadium and the changes in game day
- The rise of social media
- The increased southernization of college football through the ABC/ESPN/SEC axis
What other themes, large and small, have emerged with the team, the program and the thoughtful fans since '05? And what games might best illustrate those individual themes?
Smith, also known as the "Red Clad Loon" remains active online. You can follow him on twitter:
and you can like Forever Red on Facebook.
There's still plenty of time right before football season for this type of discussion, so get to it!