My Life On Quotes: Win-full Loss

"Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough." - Franklin D. Roosevelt

The day after. What was witnessed yesterday was both awe-inspiring and tear-evoking (in all sense of the words). Let me recap yesterday's events.

First off, let's back up to about a week ago. I'm a huge Husker fan and always try to go to at least 1 game each year. This is not always easy, because I have to work around my on-call work schedule and checkbook. Sept. 14th was one of the few home games that I was able to go to, so I started looking for tickets. Boy, trying to find Husker tickets for face value while not being up in the rafters is nearly impossible. But, it happened! So, I started planning the weekend: head down to Lincoln Friday night to stay with friends and go to the game on Saturday. Everything seemed to be falling into place. Good parking, good food, good company, good match-up. Can't get much better than that for Game Day in Nebraska.

I like to get into the stadium pretty earlier to enjoy all the pre-game activities. I enjoy getting the whole experience of going to a Husker game (since I don't get to do it all the time). Walking through the doorway and out into the landing providers a spectacular view: Memorial Stadium at it's finest.

Finding our seats was pretty easy and watching the players warm-up and the band play is just a bonus as the anticipation builds towards kick-off. More and more fans begin to fill the stadium and soon the band takes the field for the official pre-game show. It's almost showtime.

Now, it's shortly after this where things get pretty special. One of the coolest things to witness is 91,000+ fans singing our National Anthem while "The Pride of All Nebraska" (aka The Nebraska Marching Band) plays it. I don't know if this happens at any other stadium, but it sure is a great sound. Immediately after the National Anthem, it was announced that there will be a moment of silence for a UCLA player who was killed 6 days earlier. The stadium goes silent and from the Nebraska student section you see this:

One Nebraska tradition is to let go of 2,000 red balloons after the Huskers' first score. But on this day, the first balloons to fly were not red, but blue and gold, in honor of Nick Pasquale, UCLA wide receiver, who passed away 6 days earlier. It was an amazing sight.

But, the honoring of Nick Pasquale did not stop there. Students in the Nebraska student section had made signs that were hung during the moment of silence:

(Photo by Eric Francis/Getty Images)

And the Husker players even took it a step further, by wearing a #36 decal on the back of their helmets. #36 was Nick Pasquale's jersey number.

Now, most of you know how the game ended. But for those who don't, Nebraska lost 21-41. I won't go into the details, nor will I state my thoughts on that matter (everyone has their own opinions anyway).

Along with that, almost half the stadium was empty by the time there was 3:00 min left in the game. I, of course, stayed till the very end. I didn't see the two teams gather at the center of the field to share a prayer, but I definitely read about it. What I heard, however, was multiple Husker fans congratulating UCLA fans on a "good game" during the entire walk away from the stadium. That was a breath of fresh air after having to listen to a very negative gentlemen behind us during the entire second half of the game (really...how is that helpful?).

I came away from the game yesterday feeling more proud to be a Husker fan than ever before (along with a little bit of a sunburn). In Nebraska, you are not only born into the Husker fan base, it is ingrained in your core. The saying "Bleed Husker Red" is more true than you would ever believe. True Husker fans stick with their team through the good times and the bad (and yesterday was definitely a bad time). Nebraska will pick itself up, dust itself off and return to Memorial Stadium next Saturday, along with its 91,000+ fans.

There's a saying above every doorway to Memorial Stadium that reads: "Through these gates pass the Greatest Fans in College Football." After witnessing the events of yesterday from the start of the game to the end, I firmly believe that statement to be 100% true.

What happened yesterday was much more than JUST a football game. It was pride. It was honor. It was support. It was class. To quote my Facebook friend, Evan Ludes, "Sometimes football isn't always about football." How true that was yesterday.