page_title: History of Nebraska Cornhuskers football
section_title: A Midwest power (1900–17)
hierarchical_section_title: History of Nebraska Cornhuskers football / The early years / A Midwest power (1900–17)
caption_attribution_description: English: 1921 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team photo.
context_page_description: The History of Nebraska Cornhuskers football covers the history of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln's football program, from its inception in 1890 until the present day. Nebraska competes as part of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, in the West Division of the Big Ten. Nebraska plays its home games at Memorial Stadium, where it has sold out every game since 1962. The team is currently coached by Scott Frost.
  Nebraska is among the most storied programs in college football history. As of the end of the 2019 season, the Cornhuskers rank seventh in all-time victories among FBS teams. Nebraska claims 46 conference championships and five national championships, and has won nine other national championships that the school does not claim. NU's 1971 and 1995 title-winning teams are considered to be among the best in college football history. Famous Cornhuskers include Heisman Trophy winners Johnny Rodgers, Mike Rozier, and Eric Crouch, who join 22 other Cornhuskers in the College Football Hall of Fame. Notable among these are players Bob Brown, Guy Chamberlin, Tommie Frazier, Rich Glover, Dave Rimington, and Will Shields, and coaches Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne.
context_section_description: Walter C. Booth (1900–05, 46–8–1) quickly turned Nebraska into a Midwest football power. At one point during his tenure, Booth's teams won 24 straight games, setting a program record that stood until 1995. His 1902 team outscored its opponents 186–0 en route to a 10–0 season. After another dominating season in 1903, it was written that Booth could "weep with Alexander the Great", given Nebraska's difficulty finding competitive and willing opposition in the Midwest. Booth retired in 1906, and a year later Nebraska hired W.C. Cole (1907–10, 25–8–3), a former player and assistant coach for Fielding Yost at Michigan.
  After nine seasons as an independent, Nebraska joined the MVIAA in 1907. NU's 16–6 win over Kansas in their lone conference game was enough to claim the MVIAA title in Cole's first season. During Cole's four-year tenure, Nebraska played its first season at Nebraska Field, the school's first venue designed to host football games. When the MVIAA passed legislation in 1910 requiring football coaches to be full-time faculty members, Cole resigned, feeling he could not manage his farm in Missoula while living year-round in Lincoln. In his final game as head coach, Nebraska beat Haskell 119–0 at Nebraska Field, still the largest margin of victory in program history.
  Nebraska hired Ewald O. "Jumbo" Stiehm (1911–15, 25–8–3) to replace Cole. The fiery Stiehm was subject to such frequent outbursts that the school established a women's sitting section at Nebraska Field far from the home sideline. Despite his temperament, his "Stiehm Roller" teams were highly successful, winning the conference title each season and losing only two games during his five-year tenure. Under Stiehm's watch, Nebraska began a school-record 34-game unbeaten stretch and Guy Chamberlin was named the first All-American in program history. Led by Chamberlin, Nebraska finished the 1915 season undefeated, but the university declined an opportunity to play in the first Rose Bowl. Stiehm, who also coached Nebraska's basketball team to three conference championships, was offered $4,500 annually to take over Indiana's athletic department. Despite suggesting he'd remain at Nebraska for less money, the school refused to offer him a raise and Stiehm exited with the highest winning percentage of any coach in school history.
  E. J. Stewart (1916–17, 25–8–3) replaced Stiehm in 1916, but coached only two seasons before leaving to assist in the war effort (he later returned to coach Nebraska's basketball team). NU won its seventh- and eighth-consecutive MVIAA titles in Stewart's two years, though the school's 34-game unbeaten stretch came to an end in 1916. Stewart was instrumental in reestablishing Nebraska's baseball program, which had been dormant since 1912, and urged the university to schedule strong opponents across all sports to "add to Nebraska prestige throughout the United States". 
  With its roster and coaching staff depleted by World War I and the Spanish flu pandemic, Nebraska turned to professor William G. Kline (1918, 2–3–1) to coach the shortened 1918 season. After the war, Nebraska played for two years independent of the MVIAA, during which Henry Schulte (1919–20, 2–3–1) took over coaching duties. Schulte was head coach for only two seasons, but stayed on staff until 1927, and led NU's track and field program until 1938. Nebraska named the Schulte Fieldhouse in his honor, which stood from its completion in 1946 until the Osborne Athletic Complex took its place in 2006.
  The first stretch of coaching stability in program history began with the hire of Fred Dawson (1921–24, 23–7–2) in 1921. Dawson's four-year tenure was most notable for NU's series of games against Notre Dame and legendary coach Knute Rockne. Nebraska's only loss during a dominant 1921 season was against the Irish, but the Cornhuskers returned the favor in 1922 and 1923, becoming the only team to defeat Notre Dame's famed Four Horsemen. The 1922 matchup was the final game played at Nebraska Field; with an estimated 16,000 fans it was also the highest-attended. Dawson coached Ed Weir, th
caption: 1921 Nebraska Cornhuskers
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