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Cornhuskers’ tribute sets the bar high

Tributes to athletes are emotional experiences. Some of them are typical and rather ordinary, while others are humorous and light-hearted. The difficult ones are the ones based on sadness.

When a player dies, whether it is after a lengthy battle with a disease or from a sudden tragedy, you have to make sure you don’t go overboard. But you also want to convey how much that person mattered.

The University of Nebraska Cornhuskers football team pulled off that rare tribute, one that not only looked good, but was memorable as well. And not only for the people who were in attendance, but also for those around the world as the video has been posted to Facebook and retweeted numerous times on Twitter.

For those who don’t know, Nebraska punter Sam Foltz was killed in a vehicle accident along with former Michigan State University punter Mike Sadler on their way back from a kicking camp in Wisconsin this summer.

The Huskers were in tough spot. How do you honor someone who played a huge role on your team and died in horrific fashion?

They did something that Foltz did multiple times every game, lining up to punt after their first offensive series in their first game of the season against Fresno State last weekend.

Watching the video clip, you get the sense that the Huskers were going to do something fitting and perfect to remember Foltz and you can feel the enthusiasm of the crowd start to rise.

A banner with Foltz’s initials and his No. 27 emblazoned on it waved furiously in the crowd. With that backdrop, Nebraska sent 10 players out on its punt team instead of the required 11. The person missing was the punter.

Huskers freshman punter Caleb Lightbourn stood on the sideline, while his teammates trotted onto the field without him. Once the Huskers got onto the field, they simply stood at their assigned positions and waited as the play clock wound down.

The crowd roared as the fans began to see what was taking place, while the Nebraska players applauded and pointed to the sky. Tears started to well up in the eyes of some of Foltz’s former teammates on the sidelines as the noise got louder.

Meanwhile, the Fresno State players, with Foltz decals on their helmets, were applauding as well with some lifting their arms up and down, encouraging the crowd to get even louder.

When the play clock reached zero, Nebraska was issued a delay of game penalty. In another classy move, the Bulldogs declined the penalty, which was praised both by analysts and on social media.

Then seconds later, Lightbourn trotted out on the field and punted the ball to finish the tribute.

It was perfect and one of the best tributes I’ve seen in sports. A team takes a penalty to honor a former player and not only that, but leaves a spot open on the field as if he was still there.

On the other side of the ball, the opposition realizes the importance of the moment and not only supports it, but keeps itself from benefiting from the situation.

Then in an instant, it was back to business as usual. Lightbourn, who grew close to Foltz during their short time as teammates, came out and made the transition as the team’s punter in the new season.

It didn’t involve an excessive amount of hoopla. It was just a team remembering a good friend and for a few seconds, acted like he never left before going out and starting its season on a great note as the Huskers ended up defeating Fresno in convincing fashion.

Tributes can be a great sight to behold, and it’s going to be hard to top that one.

Ryan Stieg can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 252. His email address is rstieg@miningjournal.net.

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