Bugeaters and Cornhuskers:
Years ago University of Nebraska football players were called the Bugeaters, after the state-wide nickname which came from Nebraska’s numerous bull bats (Chordeiles minor), called bugeaters because they fed on bugs. The name was also apt because of the “poverty-stricken appearance of many parts of the state.”
In 1900 a sports correspondent began calling the team “the Cornhuskers,” and by 1907 the name was accepted. Charles S. ‘Cy’ Sherman, Lincoln sports editor, was credited with having conceived the name, and in 1933 the University Athletic Board presented him with a gold football, properly inscribed.
History Nebraska General Collection, (NSHS Object ID: 7294-7017)
