This list of Nebraska Cornhuskers starting quarterbacks shows the quarterbacks who have started at least one game for the Nebraska Cornhuskers football program. Nebraska began competing in intercollegiate football in 1890, but early records are often incomplete and inconsistent. [1] This list includes a complete list of starting quarterbacks from 1962 – the first year of Bob Devaney's tenure and the most recent season for which complete information is readily available – until the present day, as well as a partial list from 1890 to 1961.
Since 1962, fifty-eight quarterbacks have started at least one game for Nebraska. Tommy Armstrong started a program-record forty-four games from 2013 to 2016, one more than his predecessor Taylor Martinez. Heisman Trophy winner Eric Crouch won thirty-five games as NU's starter, passing Tommie Frazier for the most victories in school history.
This is a partial list of Nebraska starting quarterbacks before 1962. Official recordkeeping prior to the 1960s was sporadic and it is often difficult to determine game-by-game starting lineups, especially in college football's early years when positions were less defined. [2]
Season | Starting quarterback(s) (W–L) [a] | Ref. |
---|---|---|
1890 | Ernest Gerrard | [3] |
1891 | Eugene Pace | [4] |
1892 | Eugene Pace (2–2–1) | [5] |
1893 | Eugene Pace (2–1) / Frank Crawford [b] (0–1–1) / Harry Frank (1–0) | [6] [7] [8] |
1896 | Orley Thorpe | [9] |
1897 | Howard Cowgill | [10] |
1898 | Howard Cowgill / Ralph Drain / Ray Elliott | [11] [12] [13] |
1899 | Harry Crandall | [14] |
1901 | Ralph Drain | [15] |
1902 | Maurice Benedict | [16] |
1903 | John Bender | [17] |
1904 | Leonard Barwick / Maurice Benedict / Gil McDonald [c] | [18] [19] |
1905 | Earl Eager | [20] |
1906 | Harold Cooke | [21] |
1907 | Orlando Bentley / Harold Cooke [d] | [22] |
1908 | Orlando Bentley / Harold Cooke [d] | [23] |
1909 | Orlando Bentley | [24] |
1910 | Leon Warner | [25] |
1911 | Leon Warner | [26] |
1912 | Herbert Potter / Max Towle [e] | [27] [28] |
1913 | Max Towle (8–0) | [29] |
1914 | Warren Howard / Max Towle / Leon Warner | [30] [29] [31] |
1915 | Loren Caley | [32] |
1916 | Loren Caley | [33] |
1917 | John Cook / Elmer Schellenberg | [34] [35] |
1918 | Harry Howarth (2–2–1) / William Lantz (0–1) | [36] [37] |
1919 | Harry Howarth / Harold McGlasson | [38] [39] |
1920 | Richard Newman | [40] |
1921 | Harold Hartley / Glen Preston | [41] [42] |
1922 | Glen Preston / Robert Russell | [43] [44] |
1923 | Rufus Dewitz / Verne Lewellen | [45] [46] |
1924 | Al Bloodgood | [47] |
1925 | John Brown | [48] |
1926 | Robert Stephens | [49] |
1927 | Willard Bronson | [50] |
1928 | Harold Frahm / Lafayette Russell | [51] [52] |
1929 | Harold Peaker | [53] |
1931 | Bernie Masterson | [54] |
1932 | Bernie Masterson | [54] |
1933 | Bernie Masterson | [54] |
1936 | John Howell / Thurston Phelps | [55] [56] |
1937 | John Howell / Thurston Phelps | [57] [56] |
1939 | Roy Petsch | [58] |
1940 | Roy Petsch | [59] |
1941 | Roy Petsch | [60] |
1943 | Clark Beaver / Morris Galter / Ted Kenfield / Walt Wilkins | [61] [2] |
1944 | Bill Betz / Ed Gradoville | [61] |
1946 | Sam Vacanti | [62] |
1948 | Cletus Fischer | [63] |
1949 | Fran Nagle | [64] |
1950 | Fran Nagle | [64] |
1951 | John Bordogna | [65] |
1952 | John Bordogna | [65] |
1953 | John Bordogna | [65] |
1954 | Don Erway | [66] |
1955 | Don Erway | [66] |
1956 | Roy Stinnett | [67] |
1958 | George Harshman | [68] |
1959 | Harry Tolly | [69] |
1960 | Pat Fischer | [70] |
1961 | Dennis Claridge | [71] |
Season | Starting quarterback(s) (W–L) | Ref. |
---|---|---|
1962 | Dennis Claridge (8–2) / John Faiman (1–0) | [71] [72] |
1963 | Dennis Claridge (6–1) / Fred Duda (4–0) | [71] [73] |
1964 | Bob Churchich (6–2) / Fred Duda (3–0) | [73] [74] |
1965 | Fred Duda (8–1) / Bob Churchich (2–0) | [73] [74] |
1966 | Bob Churchich (9–2) | [74] |
1967 | Frank Patrick (6–4) | [75] |
1968 | Ernie Sigler (5–4) / Frank Patrick (1–0) | [75] |
1969 | Van Brownson (5–1) / Jerry Tagge (4–1) | [76] |
1970 | Jerry Tagge (8–0–1) / Van Brownson (3–0) | [76] |
1971 | Jerry Tagge (13–0) | [76] |
1972 | David Humm (9–2–1) | [77] |
1973 | David Humm (7–2–1) / Steve Runty (2–0) | [77] |
1974 | David Humm (9–3) | [77] |
1975 | Vince Ferragamo (5–2) / Terry Luck (5–0) | [78] [79] |
1976 | Vince Ferragamo (9–3–1) | [78] |
1977 | Randy Garcia (4–3) / Tom Sorley (5–0) | [80] [81] |
1978 | Tom Sorley (9–3) | [81] |
1979 | Tim Hager (7–0) / Jeff Quinn (3–2) | [82] [83] |
1980 | Jeff Quinn (10–2) | [83] |
1981 | Turner Gill (6–0) / Mark Mauer (2–2) / Nate Mason (1–1) | [84] [85] [86] |
1982 | Turner Gill (11–1) / Bruce Mathison (1–0) | [84] [87] |
1983 | Turner Gill (12–1) | [84] |
1984 | Craig Sundberg (5–1) / Travis Turner (5–1) | [88] [89] |
1985 | McCathorn Clayton (9–2) / Travis Turner (0–1) | [90] [89] |
1986 | Steve Taylor (9–2) / Clete Blakeman (1–0) | [91] [92] |
1987 | Steve Taylor (9–2) / Clete Blakeman (1–0) | [91] [92] |
1988 | Steve Taylor (11–2) | [91] |
1989 | Gerry Gdowski (10–2) | [93] |
1990 | Mickey Joseph (6–2) / Mike Grant (3–1) | [94] [95] |
1991 | Keithen McCant (8–2–1) / Mickey Joseph (1–0) | [96] [94] |
1992 | Tommie Frazier (5–2) / Mike Grant (4–1) | [97] [95] |
1993 | Tommie Frazier (11–1) | [97] |
1994 | Brook Berringer (7–0) / Tommie Frazier (5–0) / Matt Turman (1–0) | [98] [97] [99] |
1995 | Tommie Frazier (12–0) | [97] |
1996 | Scott Frost (11–2) | [100] |
1997 | Scott Frost (13–0) | [100] |
1998 | Bobby Newcombe (5–1) / Eric Crouch (4–2) / Monte Christo (0–1) | [101] [102] [103] |
1999 | Eric Crouch (10–1) / Bobby Newcombe (2–0) | [102] [101] |
2000 | Eric Crouch (10–2) | [102] |
2001 | Eric Crouch (11–2) | [102] |
2002 | Jammal Lord (7–7) | [104] |
2003 | Jammal Lord (10–3) | [104] |
2004 | Joe Dailey (5–6) | [105] |
2005 | Zac Taylor (8–4) | [106] |
2006 | Zac Taylor (9–5) | [106] |
2007 | Sam Keller (4–5) / Joe Ganz (1–2) | [107] [108] |
2008 | Joe Ganz (9–4) | [108] |
2009 | Zac Lee (8–4) / Cody Green (2–0) | [109] [110] |
2010 | Taylor Martinez (8–4) / Cody Green (2–0) | [111] [110] |
2011 | Taylor Martinez (9–4) | [111] |
2012 | Taylor Martinez (10–4) | [111] |
2013 | Tommy Armstrong (7–1) / Taylor Martinez (2–2) / Ron Kellogg (0–1) | [112] [111] [113] |
2014 | Tommy Armstrong (9–4) | [112] |
2015 | Tommy Armstrong (6–6) / Ryker Fyfe (0–1) | [112] [114] |
2016 | Tommy Armstrong (8–3) / Ryker Fyfe (1–1) | [112] [114] |
2017 | Tanner Lee (4–8) | [115] |
2018 | Adrian Martinez (4–7) / Andrew Bunch (0–1) | [116] [117] |
2019 | Adrian Martinez (5–5) / Noah Vedral (0–2) | [116] [118] |
2020 | Adrian Martinez (2–4) / Luke McCaffrey (1–1) | [116] [119] |
2021 | Adrian Martinez (3–8) / Logan Smothers (0–1) | [116] [120] |
2022 | Casey Thompson (4–6) / Chubba Purdy (0–2) | [121] [122] |
2023 | Heinrich Haarberg (5–3) / Chubba Purdy (0–2) / Jeff Sims (0–2) | [123] [122] [124] |
2024 | Dylan Raiola (7–6) | [125] |
Quarterback | Starts | Wins | Win pct. |
---|---|---|---|
Tommy Armstrong | 44 | 30 | .682 |
Taylor Martinez | 43 | 29 | .674 |
Eric Crouch | 42 | 35 | .833 |
Adrian Martinez | 38 | 14 | .368 |
Tommie Frazier | 36 | 33 | .917 |
Steve Taylor | 35 | 29 | .829 |
David Humm | 34 | 25 | .765 |
Turner Gill | 31 | 29 | .935 |
Jerry Tagge | 27 | 25 | .944 |
Jammal Lord | 17 | .630 | |
Scott Frost | 26 | 24 | .923 |
Zac Taylor | 17 | .654 | |
Bob Churchich | 21 | 17 | .810 |
Vince Ferragamo | 20 | 14 | .725 |
Dennis Claridge [f] | 17 | 14 | .824 |
Tom Sorley | 14 | .824 | |
Jeff Quinn | 13 | .765 | |
Fred Duda | 16 | 15 | .938 |
Joe Ganz | 10 | .625 | |
Dylan Raiola | 13 | 7 | .538 |
Gerry Gdowski | 12 | 10 | .833 |
Zac Lee | 8 | .667 | |
Tanner Lee | 4 | .333 | |
McCathorn Clayton | 11 | 9 | .818 |
Keithen McCant | 8 | .773 | |
Frank Patrick | 7 | .636 | |
Joe Dailey | 5 | .455 | |
Casey Thompson | 10 | 4 | .400 |
Van Brownson | 9 | 8 | .889 |
Mike Grant | 7 | .778 | |
Mickey Joseph | 7 | .778 | |
Ernie Sigler | 5 | .556 | |
Sam Keller | 4 | .444 | |
Bobby Newcombe | 8 | 7 | .875 |
Heinrich Haarberg | 5 | .625 | |
Brook Berringer | 7 | 7 | 1.000 |
Tim Hager | 7 | 1.000 | |
Travis Turner | 5 | .714 | |
Randy Garcia | 4 | .571 | |
Craig Sundberg | 6 | 5 | .833 |
Terry Luck | 5 | 5 | 1.000 |
Cody Green | 4 | 4 | 1.000 |
Mark Mauer | 2 | .500 | |
Chubba Purdy | 0 | .000 | |
Ryker Fyfe | 3 | 1 | .333 |
Clete Blakeman | 2 | 2 | 1.000 |
Steve Runty | 2 | 1.000 | |
Nate Mason | 1 | .500 | |
Luke McCaffrey | 1 | .500 | |
Jeff Sims | 0 | .000 | |
Noah Vedral | 0 | .000 | |
John Faiman | 1 | 1 | 1.000 |
Bruce Mathison | 1 | 1.000 | |
Matt Turman | 1 | 1.000 | |
Andrew Bunch | 0 | .000 | |
Ron Kellogg | 0 | .000 | |
Logan Smothers | 0 | .000 | |
Monte Christo | 0 | .000 |