Dave Feit’s Greatest Huskers by the Numbers: 91 – Kent Wells and Eric Lueshen 

The games from 1984 – 1987 were especially painful for Husker fans.   

• 1984 – the Sooners scored 10 points in the fourth quarter to upset No. 1 Nebraska.   
• 1985 – Oklahoma scored the first 27 points in a 27-7 pounding.  
• 1986 – The wore all-red uniforms for the first time.  The Sooners scored 13 fourth quarter points, including the game winner with six seconds left. 
• 1987 – Billed as “Game of the Century II”, with #1 NU hosting No. 2 OU.  The Sooners won 17-7 in a game that was not as close as the final score suggested.   

After the 1987 game, Tom Osborne’s head-to-head record against Barry Switzer was 4-12.  Throughout his tenure, Osborne didn’t care for the emphasis put on the outcome of the Oklahoma game.  He often said that he felt fans didn’t care if his teams won nine or 10 games in a season – only if one of those wins was against Oklahoma. 

This takes us to 1988, with No. 7 NU traveling to No. 9 OU.  The Sooner wishbone offense had given Nebraska fits for years, as the Huskers failed to contain OU’s speedy quarterbacks and running backs.  Defensive coordinator Charlie McBride deviated from his usual 5-2 defense with a “Husker” alignment that was essentially a 4-3 look.   

One of the stars of the 1988 game was defensive tackle Kent Wells, a junior from Lincoln.  The Oklahoma newspapers said Wells and his fellow defensive tackles (Willie Griffin and Lawrence Pete) “did as they pleased,” combining for 17 tackles and three sacks. 

Wells was recruited out of Lincoln East High as an offensive lineman but made the switch to defense during his freshman year.  By the middle of his junior season (1988) Wells had earned a spot in the starting lineup.   

Wells had incredible strength.  Prior to his senior season (1989), Wells was bench pressing more than 440 pounds and had a squat of 540 pounds.  In addition to football, he used that strength as a member of the Nebraska track and field team, earning four varsity letters.  Wells won the 1989 Big Eight Outdoor title in shot put with an impressive throw of 57′ 3.5″. 

Back to the 1988 game… The Huskers were clinging to a 7-3 lead and had not scored since their opening drive.  After a partially blocked punt, Oklahoma got the ball near midfield with 1:45 to go.  Everybody expected Sooner Magic to rear its ugly head and bring the Huskers pain.  On first down, Sooner QB Charles Thompson was sacked by Kent Wells for an 8-yard loss, his second sack of the game.  On fourth down, pressure by Wells forced Thompson to step up into the pocket, where he was sacked by Lawrence Pete.  Thompson broke his leg during the play. 

The Sooners were held to just 98 rushing yards and 39 yards through the air.  It was the first time since 1942 that the Huskers did not allow a touchdown to Oklahoma. 

The 1988 game was the final matchup between Osborne and Switzer.  After multiple NCAA investigations, scandals, and player arrests, Switzer resigned in June 1989.   

*** 

I’ll be honest:  I have zero recollection of Eric Lueshen’s three seasons on the Nebraska football team.  You probably don’t either.  To my knowledge, he never appeared in a game. 

As a backup placekicker, it’s really hard to get playing time unless a) the guy in front of you gets hurt, b) really struggles, or c) Nebraska is winning by 50 points.   

But Eric Lueshen is my favorite 91 for who he is:  himself.   

He is, openly and honestly, a gay man who also played football.  I doubt he was the first gay man to ever play for NU.  Considering that over 3,000 young men appeared on a Husker roster before Eric Lueshen walked on, it seems statistically improbable that he was the first.   

But Lueshen is the first Nebraska football player to be “out” to his coaches and teammates.  It is believed that Lueshen was the first openly gay player on any major college football team (he played almost a decade before Missouri’s Michael Sam came out). 

Maybe you don’t think that’s a big deal.  Maybe you don’t think it is worthy of acknowledgement.  Maybe you’re right.  Society has – for the most part – become much more accepting of LGBTQ people than ever before. 

And yet, there’s just something different about a football team – especially one in a state where “Big Red” refers to more than just the color of the uniforms.  Football is a testosterone-fueled sport with players who judge themselves – and others – by how tough and manly they are. 

In an environment like that, it might have been easier for Lueshen to hide who he is.  Easier to lie and deny when a teammate and friend asked, “are you gay?”  It definitely would have prevented some scary moments.   

In a 2014 essay for Out Sports, Lueshen describes the taunts, slurs, and silent rejection he received from some teammates and assistant coaches.  Lueshen feared physical violence from one particularly homophobic lineman who rarely missed an opportunity to call him a “f____t”.  But Lueshen wasn’t going to run off the team, and he wasn’t going to hide who he is. 

Thankfully, Lueshen wasn’t on an island.  He was accepted and supported by many of his teammates – notably, Corey McKeon and Sean Hill – as well as head coach Bill Callahan.  He felt comfortable enough to bring a date to a formal dance put on by the athletic department.  Eventually, even the abusive lineman apologized to Lueshen and vowed to have his back.    

Injuries (a partially torn hamstring and spinal fusion surgery) ended Eric Lueshen’s career before he could kick in a game.   

Even though Eric Lueshen never kicked a PAT or game-winning field goal, I admire his strength and courage. 

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