Dave Feit's Greatest Huskers by the Numbers: 65 – Joe Armstrong

But with Joe Armstrong, the best adjective is “versatile.”

In his junior year, he played guard and center. On the punt team, Armstrong was the long snapper. I’m guessing Armstrong knew exactly where the punters wanted the ball placed. Why, you ask? Let’s back up another year.

As a sophomore, Armstrong punted for most the season. He averaged a respectable 39.1 yards per kick, fifth best in the conference. I cannot think of any other player – anywhere – who has both long snapped and punted in his career.

When you think about football players wearing #65, “versatile” is never an adjective that comes to mind.

But Joe Armstrong is the exception.

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Football is an inherently violent game.

That is especially true at the line of scrimmage, where 300-pound men slam into each other dozens of times per game – and hundreds of times each week in practice – over the course of several years.

Those collisions – and the bodies flying around in close quarters – can easily have an impact. One moment, you’re doing your job, keeping a defensive end away from your quarterback. The next, a player you never saw – possibly a teammate! – falls into the back of your legs. You fall in agony to the turf, chopped down like a mighty oak tree. As you lie on the field, you start to take an inventory of your body parts to see if they still function the way they shou… OW! There’s a stabbing pain in your knee.

The trainer comes out on the field and checks you over. Your teammates huddle off to the side with a mixture of sadness for you, and relief that they’re not the one lying on the ground. Finally, they help you limp off the field. Through the pain and tears, you can hear the respectful applause from the fans. They acknowledge your sacrifice but are now ready to see another car crash at the line of scrimmage.

Greg Austin and Teddy Prochazka know this story all too well. Both players battled knee injuries throughout their playing careers.

My lasting image of Austin’s career came in 2006, his senior season. Austin made a block that helped spring Marlon Lucky for a long gain. As the rest of the team was in the huddle, ready for the next play, Austin was still limping his way down the field. At the time, I was critical of the coaching staff for not having anybody else who could replace a guy who appeared to be – at best – playing at 75%. But Austin was getting the job done. His toughness and dedication are traits football fans celebrate.

At 6’10”, Teddy Prochazka is one of the tallest players in school history (R.G. Arneson, an offensive guard from North Platte on the 1987 team was listed at 6’11”). Prochazka has talent and promise to match his size. He was just the 16th true freshman in school history to start on the offensive line. But repeated knee injuries have robbed him of playing time over multiple seasons. Ironically, in Prochazka’s freshman season (2021), his offensive line coach was Greg Austin.

Why do players like Austin and Prochazka keep coming back? What drives them to endure multiple surgeries and months of rehab, all with the knowledge that they are one play away from ending back in the same spot? Is it as simple as a “love of the game”? Is it a desire to persevere over adversity? Something else?

Hell, why are some guys able to play their entire career without suffering anything worse than a hangnail? Where is the fairness in that?

We’ll never know.

My hunch is that Greg Austin’s knees still ache daily, and that pain will only get worse over the rest of his life. And for what? The ability to start on some of the most forgettable teams in school history and be criticized when his limited mobility caused him to miss a block? Is Teddy Prochazka on the same path? I hope not. I wouldn’t wish that on anybody.

At the end of it all, the harsh reality is that football is a violent game played by violent men. Injuries can – and do – happen. Some are thankfully minor, others require surgery and rehab, and others can cut promising careers short.

As fans, it is easy to criticize players who aren’t executing and/or coaches who don’t have anybody on the bench better than a guy playing on one good leg (I have been guilty of both).

But it is much harder to criticize the players who are literally giving everything they have to help their team.

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