The Whisperer Remembers ... Bobby Newcombe.

There was a time when the city of Lincoln, Nebraska was considered the Promised Land of College Football, the place players dreamed of going, and the ultimate gridiron destination. Yes, if you found yourself in the Cornhusker state, you knew you had arrived and back in the fall of 1997, this man arrived. With pomp and circumstance, broad shoulders and sprinter speed, yes, this man arrived.

Born halfway around the world in the country of Sierra Leone, but raised in the mean streets of Alburquerque, New Mexico, he had a swagger and sweet set of skills that made him a must-watch every single time he took the field. Whenever he took a snap, a hush came over the crowd— home or away, as everyone knew that at any moment he could break off a run or make a play that dramatically changed the outcome of the day.

During his tenure, the Cornhuskers came close and were considered a perennial champion, but fate had other plans and they never breathed that rarified air. He never reached the heights of some of the other greats who landed under center for Big Red before him, but for a brief moment in time, his immense talent, speed, and rifle arm, made us all think…made us all wonder … what if. Today, let’s sit in silence as we ponder the mercurial talents of former Nebraska quarterback…Mr. Bobby Newcombe.