For other uses and meanings see Blackshirts (disambiguation)

Blackshirts (disambiguation)

-Politics and Government:* Blackshirts, a paramilitary movement of the Fascist Party in Italy during World War II and the interbellum years* Blackshirts , an anti-religious atheist quasi-political movement in India...

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The Blackshirts are the first-string defensive unit players for the Nebraska Cornhuskers football

Nebraska Cornhuskers football

The Nebraska Cornhuskers represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in college football. The program has established itself as a traditional powerhouse, and has the fourth-most all-time victories of any NCAA Division I-A team. Nebraska is one of only six football programs in NCAA Division I-A...

 team.

History

The term originally dates back to the early 1960s and refers to the black practice jerseys that Nebraska's first-string defenders began to wear during practice. The National Collegiate Athletic Association

National Collegiate Athletic Association

The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...

 had recently changed rules which permitted two-platoon football teams (different players dedicated to offense and defense), and Head Coach Bob Devaney

Bob Devaney

Robert S. "Bob" Devaney was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Wyoming from 1957 to 1961 and at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln from 1962 to 1972, compiling a career college football record of 136–30–7...

 desired to have the two squads visually distinguishable during practice by having the two units wear different colors.

Assistant Coach Mike Corgan was tasked with obtaining the new jersey pullovers. The sporting goods store he visited reportedly gave him a good deal on black, because the color had apparently not been selling well. The new jerseys were then assigned to be worn by the Nebraska defensive players during practice.

Quickly identifying starting defensive players by the black jerseys they wore on the field made coaching them much more efficient. The unmarked black jerseys were collected each day for laundering and then redistributed during the next practice. After a time, the black jerseys were only given to the defensive players who practiced and performed well. "There probably wasn't a day when we didn't make switches," said George Kelly, Defensive Line Coach for Nebraska from 1960-1968.

Long-time sports information director Don Bryant credits much of Blackshirt mystique to Coach Kelly, who was often heard yelling and exhorting the Blackshirts during practices and scrimmages. Eventually, the rest of the coaches began calling the top defensive units by the same name, and by the time Kelly retired and was succeeded by Monte Kiffin

Monte Kiffin

Monte Kiffin is an American football coach. He is widely considered to be one of the preeminent defensive coordinators in modern football, as well as one of the greatest defensive coordinators in NFL history...

, the "Blackshirts" had become a widely recognized name for the Nebraska Cornhuskers football defensive starters.

The choice of black to bring about the name 'Blackshirts" was not intentional. Said Coach Kelly in later years, "Honestly, it was an accident of availability".

Use

Blackshirts are awarded to defensive starters and other key defensive players. Punters at Nebraska have also rarely been honored by the defense for their individual efforts at stopping punt returns, including Jesse Kosch who was awarded a Blackshirt for his efforts from 1994 to 1997. Besides the black practice jerseys, which today have the player's name and number imprinted on them, the Blackshirts also have a black circle on the back of their helmet. These players will often cross their arms in an "X" across their chests, representing the skull and crossbones

Skull and crossbones (fraternities and sports)

The skull and crossbones was a common fraternal motiff as a symbol of mortality and warning in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries...

, a longtime logo for the Blackshirts. This is called "Throwing the Bones." The defensive players not awarded a Blackshirt wear red practice jerseys, while offensive players wear white practice jerseys.

2007 suspension / 2008 reinstatement

On October 16, 2007, the defensive players and coaches made a joint decision to remove the Blackshirts. The first player to remove his Blackshirt was Senior captain Zackary Bowman

Zackary Bowman

Zackary Bowman is an American football cornerback for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Bears in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft...

, who felt he wasn't playing up to the standards of the Blackshirt tradition. On November 11, 2008, the Blackshirts were given back to the eleven defensive starters by new Head Coach Bo Pelini

Bo Pelini

Mark "Bo" Pelini is the head football coach at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. He had previously been defensive coordinator for the LSU Tigers, Oklahoma Sooners, and the Nebraska Cornhuskers...

's staff, three days after a win against a strong Kansas Jayhawks football

Kansas Jayhawks football

The Kansas Jayhawks football program is the intercollegiate football program of the University of Kansas Jayhawks. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I, and the team competes in the Big 12 Conference....

 team. The win also made the 2008 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team

2008 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team

The 2008 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Bo Pelini and played their home games at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska....

bowl-eligible.