Ten years ago, Steve Smith released what was to become the greatest Husker fan book ever written: Forever Red - Confessions of a Cornhusker Football Fan.
Ten years hence, he released an update: Forever Red - More Confessions of a Cornhusker Fan.
The original was a romp through Smith's life as a Husker fan, starting with his first game - Nebraska vs Iowa, September 20, 1980 - and concluding with Bill Callahan's first game, a 56-17 win over Western Illinois.
Good lord - what a span of time to capture in writing, and what a subject to write about. Smith's memories are not just his; they're the memories of a whole gob of us. His writing provides the perspective and the humor with which to see ourselves as the wonderful bunch of Husker-loving goobers that we are at times.
Was it fortuitous that Smith could not see the future, the next ten years, 2005-2015, and what would become of us and our beloved football program?
The update fills us in on what's been going on with Smith and his Husker fandom since the beginning of the Callahan era. The years haven't been as fun as the previous period he covered, but you can count on Smith to keep his perspective about his Husker fandom honest:
Have I just been a front-runner - the most vile and despised type of sports fan - all these years? I can't deny that I came of age as a fan during the most secure and prolific era of Cornhusker football, and like many fans my age, I took victory as a birthright, even transferred it into an assertion of my own identity.
I find Smith's book fascinating because his life mirrors much of my own. He's younger than I am, but we both left Nebraska to live elsewhere and experienced what it's like to be a Husker fan beyond the state's borders. Unlike Smith, I have not returned to live in Nebraska and I believe that has made my life with Husker football much easier over the past ten years.
Smith's book remains the greatest Husker fan book ever written. There have been books by Tom Osborne, two massive volumes of interviews of players from the 90s, and a beautiful photography book by a world famous photographer, but no one captures Huskers fans quite like Steve Smith.
Christmas is coming and his update would make a great Christmas present for any Husker fan.
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.