AP No. 2 | Coaches No. 2 1983 record 12–1 (7–0 Big 8) | |
Offensive coordinator Tom Osborne (14th year) | ||
The 1983 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the 1983 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was coached by Tom Osborne and played their home games in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska. Nicknamed "The Scoring Explosion", the team was noted for its prolific offense, which is still widely considered one of the greatest in college football history. The team and some of its individual players set several NCAA statistical records, some of which still stand. Nebraska scored a total of 654 points on the season.
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After the season
Nebraska's high-octane offense was often unstoppable, averaging 52 points and over 400 rushing yards per game. Mike Rozier finished with a national best 2,486 total yards with 2,148 of those coming on the ground and twenty-nine touchdowns scored. Against Kansas, Rozier rushed for a staggering 230 yards in the first half and finished with 285 rushing yards total, at that time a school record. Rozier went over 200 yards in each of his last four regular season games of the 1983 season. His magical senior season was capped when he was awarded the Heisman Trophy, given to the best individual player in college football.
During his senior season, Turner Gill called the signals for one of the most prolific offenses in college football history. Gill finished fourth in the voting for the 1983 Heisman Trophy which was won by teammate Mike Rozier. The Huskers came within a whisker of a national championship, falling just one point short following a failed two-point conversion attempt in the 1984 Orange Bowl.
Overall, Gill finished with a 28-2 record in his three years as a starter, winning three consecutive outright Big Eight championships with a perfect 20-0 mark in conference play. Despite this, he was unable to lead the Huskers to a national title, falling agonizingly short in each of his three seasons.
NFL and pro players
The following Nebraska players who participated in the 1983 season later moved on to the next level and joined a professional or semi-pro team as draftees or free agents.