Interesting read...For those who don't know - The Huskers have been carrying an American Flag onto the field after their tunnel walk at the start of this years first three games. Here's the story behind it.
Subject: The Husker Flag of 2011
One of our members shared this with me and gave me permission to share it with the group. In case you've been wondering about the significance of the flag the football team has carried out each week...here's the explanation: Typically I have no use for sports analogies to war. Sports are not war. Sports are entertainment. But in the case of Jack Riggins' American flag, I'm happy to make an exception. Riggins is a veteran Navy SEAL from Fremont, Neb. His official title is "Executive Officer for Naval Special Warfare Unit." He spent the past decade in Afghanistan fighting terrorists. There are football heroes. Riggins is a real hero. Riggins is currently back in Afghanistan, but last month Riggins was back in his native Nebraska . He was invited to speak to the Nebraska football team. He did. And how. According to players who were in the room, Riggins' speech blew them away. He was brutally honest. He told war stories. Real war stories. He talked about growing up a Husker fan. He compared some of the missions he served on to some of the great victories in Nebraska football history. He fired up the Unity Council, saying, "As the Unity Council goes, so goes the 2011 season." He fired up the whole room and by the end of it, the entire team wanted to follow him out the door. Riggins left the Huskers one gift. An American flag. And not just any flag. He presented them the flag that he personally carried around Afghanistan for 10 years. That's the flag you saw Jared Crick and Austin Jones carry out to the field the past two home games. "He let us know that that flag bagged a lot of terrorists,'' said NU senior safety Austin Cassidy, who helped carry the flag out for the season opener. "He told us to do what we wanted with the flag, just don't let it touch the ground." The Unity Council met with Assistant Athletic Director Jeff Jamrog and decided to make the flag the Huskers' flag for 2011. The team will carry it out to the field in both home and away games. During games, it's on the team sideline, in a stand. During the week, it hangs in the locker room. "It's a cool reminder that there are a lot bigger things going on," Cassidy said. "His talk was one of the best talks I've ever heard in my life. We have some very proud Americans on our team. They are very patriotic. That fired up team.
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