Updated September 4, 2026.
Nebraska has permanently retired only two numbers, Tom Novak’s 60 and Bob Brown’s 64, but it has retired the jerseys of 23 other players, whose names and numbers hang below the North Stadium press box at Memorial Stadium while the numbers stay in circulation. Every major national award winner gets a jersey retired, usually in an on field ceremony after his final season, and in 2017 the school added eight early College Football Hall of Famers whose careers predated the tradition.
Retired Numbers
| No. | Player | Position | Career | Retired |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 | Tom Novak | Center / linebacker | 1946 to 1949 | 1949 |
| 64 | Bob Brown | Offensive tackle | 1961 to 1963 | 2004 |
Novak, nicknamed Trainwreck, is the only four time all conference selection in Nebraska history and played on losing teams for all four years; the school retired his number the day his career ended. Brown was the first All American Bob Devaney coached, went on to a Pro Football Hall of Fame career with the Eagles, Rams and Raiders, and had his number retired in 2004, the year he entered Canton. Novak also wore 68 and 61 during his career; those remain in use.
Retired Jerseys
| No. | Player | Pos. | Career | Retired | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Johnny Rodgers | WB | 1970-72 | 1972 | Heisman 1972 |
| 79 | Rich Glover | MG | 1970-72 | 1972 | Outland and Lombardi 1972 |
| 50 | Dave Rimington | C | 1979-82 | 1982 | Outland 1981 and 1982, Lombardi 1982 |
| 30 | Mike Rozier | IB | 1981-83 | 1983 | Heisman 1983 |
| 71 | Dean Steinkuhler | OG | 1980-83 | 1983 | Outland and Lombardi 1983 |
| 34 | Trev Alberts | LB | 1990-93 | 1994 | Butkus 1993 |
| 75 | Larry Jacobson | DT | 1969-71 | 1994 | Outland 1971 |
| 75 | Will Shields | OG | 1989-92 | 1994 | Outland 1992; Pro Football Hall of Fame |
| 72 | Zach Wiegert | OT | 1991-94 | 1995 | Outland 1994 |
| 15 | Tommie Frazier | QB | 1992-95 | 1996 | Two titles, 1995 Heisman runner up |
| 67 | Aaron Taylor | OG | 1994-97 | 1998 | Outland 1997 |
| 98 | Grant Wistrom | DE | 1994-97 | 1998 | Lombardi 1997 |
| 7 | Eric Crouch | QB | 1998-2001 | 2002 | Heisman 2001 |
| 54 | Dominic Raiola | C | 1998-2000 | 2002 | Rimington Trophy 2000 |
| 93 | Ndamukong Suh | DT | 2005-09 | 2010 | Outland, Lombardi, Nagurski, Bednarik 2009 |
| 1 | Clarence Swanson | E | 1918-21 | 2017 | Hall of Fame |
| 12 | Bobby Reynolds | HB | 1950-52 | 2017 | Hall of Fame, led nation in scoring 1950 |
| 25 | George Sauer | FB | 1931-33 | 2017 | Hall of Fame |
| 33 | Forrest Behm | OT | 1938-40 | 2017 | Hall of Fame |
| 35 | Ed Weir | OT | 1923-25 | 2017 | Hall of Fame inaugural class, 1951 |
| 38 | Sam Francis | FB | 1934-36 | 2017 | Hall of Fame, No. 1 overall pick 1937 |
| 66 | Wayne Meylan | MG | 1965-67 | 2017 | Hall of Fame |
| none | Guy Chamberlin | E | 1913-15 | 2017 | Played before jersey numbers; College and Pro Hall of Fame |
Hall of Famers
Twenty seven Nebraska players and coaches are in the College Football Hall of Fame. Ed Weir and coaches Dana X. Bible and Fielding Yost were in the inaugural 1951 class. The coaches are Edward N. Robinson, Yost, Bible, Biff Jones, Pete Elliott (as a Michigan player), Bob Devaney, Tom Osborne and Frank Solich. Six former Cornhuskers are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame: Link Lyman, Guy Chamberlin, Bob Brown, Will Shields, Mick Tingelhoff and Roger Craig, who was elected in 2026.
The Greatest Players, by Position
Quarterback. Tommie Frazier is the choice: 33 and 3 as a starter, two national titles, MVP of three straight title games and a comeback from blood clots. Eric Crouch has the Heisman, Turner Gill ran the Scoring Explosion, Jerry Tagge won two titles and Scott Frost went 13 and 0.
Running back. Mike Rozier’s 1983 season is the best by a Nebraska back. Ahman Green, Ameer Abdullah and Ken Clark are the career rushing leaders, Roger Craig went on to become a three touchdown Super Bowl performer, Lawrence Phillips was the most talented and most troubled, and Bobby Reynolds led the nation in scoring in 1950.
Receivers and wingbacks. Johnny Rodgers, the Player of the Century, and Irving Fryar, the first overall pick in 1984. Guy Chamberlin was Nebraska’s first consensus All American a century earlier.
Offensive line. Dave Rimington is the only two time Outland winner ever and the award for the nation’s best center carries his name. Will Shields, Zach Wiegert, Aaron Taylor, Dean Steinkuhler and Bob Brown round out a group that could start for any team in history.
Defensive line. Ndamukong Suh’s 2009 season won four national awards and finished fourth in the Heisman. Rich Glover won the Outland and Lombardi and finished third in the 1972 Heisman. Grant Wistrom, Larry Jacobson, Jason Peter and Wayne Meylan.
Linebacker and secondary. Trev Alberts won the Butkus, Mike Brown and Ralph Brown anchored the late 1990s defenses, Lavonte David became a two time All Pro in Tampa, and Tom Novak played every down at center and linebacker on teams that never had a winning record.
Related Reading
Heisman winners and finalists goes deeper on Rodgers, Rozier and Crouch. NFL draft picks tracks where these players went next. Compare with Ohio State and Oklahoma.