Conference Independent | 1919 record 3–3–2 | |
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Head coach Henry Schulte (1st year) | ||
The 1919 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team was the representative of the University of Nebraska in the 1919 college football season. The team was coached by Henry Schulte and played their home games at Nebraska Field in Lincoln, Nebraska.
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Before the season
After the disarray of the 1918 season, 1919 looked like it could be defined as the ultimate rebuilding year, for all college teams. Nebraska's previous coach, hurriedly installed last year as an interim leader in the upheaveal, was now replaced with the program's 15th leader in 29 years, continuing a pattern of frequent turnover at the top. The new coach was the result of a new athletic director, who also opted to withdraw Nebraska from the Missouri Valley conference, ending 13 years of league affiliation and resulting in the Cornhusker football program operating as an independent for the first time since 1906. The schedule for 1919 was a demanding one, with resurgent Iowa, Notre Dame, Minnesota and Syracuse looming on the horizon, the result of planning by the leadership to pit the Cornhuskers against the best challengers available.
After the season
Coach Schulte's first season, which started under so much uncertainty before diving into the abyss, turned around and ended on a surprisingly high note of optimism after the three emotional wins were secured to close the season. For the long-term picture, however, the 3-3-2 (.500) regular season hurt the program's record, dropping it to 166-54-12 (.741), the biggest percentage drop since the 6-4-0 season of 1906. With the rebuilding now out of the way, eyes turned to the hoped-for renewal expected in 1920.