A History of Nebraska High School Big 10 Conference Football Playoffs

Posted Tuesday, June 23, 2020, at 12:47 AM

The Big Ten Conference, formed in 1945, was one of Nebraska high schools biggest name athletic conferences for 35 years running. It was Nebraska’s outstate link to Class A sports, a conference that included two divisions of five schools each.

The Conference setup looked like this and did not change one time in 35 years;

*BIG TEN WEST*---*BIG TEN EAST*

Alliance-----------------Columbus

Kearney-----------------Hastings

McCook-----------------Fremont

North Platte-----------Grand Island

Scottsbluff--------------Norfolk

And why was the Big Ten Conference so huge back in the day and not the Omaha metro or Lincoln area conferences? There were very few conferences that I recall in either Omaha or Lincoln back in my day in the early 1960s.

Omaha had an “inner city” league, as did Lincoln, but the Omaha Metro Conference did not debut until 1964, which meant the Big Ten was Big Stuff from 1945 until at least ‘64.

Lincoln finally became involved in the statewide football picture when the Trans-Nebraska Conference was formed in 1965 and there was an Eastern I-80 Conference I also remember existing in the early ‘60s.

The Trans-Nebraska included Lincoln SE, Lincoln NE, Lincoln High, Lincoln East, Grand Island, Hastings and North Platte. The Eastern I-80 also included the four Lincoln schools plus Millard, Papillion and Ralston.

Anyway, on to a history of the BIG TEN football championship games.

*ALL BIG TEN CONFERENCE FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS*

(* denotes home team)

1945 - *Scottsbluff 45-12 Grand Island

1946 - McCook 7-0 *Fremont

1947 - Grand Island 20-0 *North Platte

1948 - *Grand Island 41-0 Alliance

1949 - *North Platte 20-7 Fremont

1950 - *Grand Island 33-0 McCook

1951 - Fremont 28-6 *Scottsbluff

1952 - Scottsbluff 26-0 *Grand Island

1953 - Grand Island 40-0 *McCook

1954 - *Grand Island 38-14 *North Platte

1955 - Grand Island 41-13 *Scottsbluff

1956 - McCook 3-0 *Hastings

1957 - *Scottsbluff 28-6 Grand Island

1958 - Scottsbluff 28-0 *Columbus

1959 - *Scottsbluff 14-13 Norfolk

1960 - McCook 15-13 *Hastings

1961 - *North Platte 12-0 Hastings

1962 - North Platte 14-13 *Hastings

1963 - *Scottsbluff 19-14 Grand Island

1964 - *Columbus 27-6 North Platte

1965 - *Kearney 28-6 Grand Island

1966 - *Fremont 43-0 Scottsbluff

1967 - *Scottsbluff 26-6 Fremont

1968 - *Fremont 20-20 (tie) Scottsbluff

1969 - Fremont 65-14 *McCook

1970 - *Fremont 53-7 Scottsbluff

1971 - Columbus 27-13 *North Platte

1972 - *Fremont 28-7 Kearney

1973 - *North Platte 25-14 Grand Island

1974 - North Platte 16-0 Columbus

1975 - Fremont 20-0 *Kearney

1976 - North Platte 16-14 *Columbus

1977 - Norfolk 24-8 *Kearney

1978 - *Fremont 26-10 Kearney

1979 - Hastings 21-3 *North Platte

35 Games Played: East 18-17 West

Most Championships - Fremont 8

Most Championships - East - Fremont 8. West - Scottsbluff - 7

Most Championship Appearances - Grand Island, Scottsbluff - 12 each

Best Record in Championship Appearances - Fremont 8-3

And…..here is a wrap up of the very first Big 10 championship game;

*1945 - Scottsbluff 45-12 Grand Island (Thanksgiving Day, November 22nd in Scottsbluff)

Scottsbluff scoring-Gerald Ferguson (HB) led Bluffs 4 TDs (1, 1, 26 runs, 40 punt return), Harry Guzman-26 run, Verle Crock TD pass from Gerald Ferguson.

Grand Island scoring-Alan Dunn 2 run, Sam Huston 40 INT return.

Scottsbluff trailed Grand Island 12-7 until midway in the third quarter when the Bearcats, according to AP story, unleashed their “point and a half per minute ground attack”, resulting in a six touchdown rally to get the win over a “speedy Third City eleven.”

Scottsbluff, who outyarded the Islanders 301-198, ended the 1945 season undefeated, averaging 29 points per game.

The Starting Lineups for the very first Big 10 Conference Championship game:

Scottsbluff……………………Grand Island

LE - McWilliams……………..Horstman

LT - Evans……………………….Simpson

LG - Backer…………………….Langley

C ---Lacomer………………….Martin

RG - Meltenbarger………...Bick

RT - Nelson…………………….Muha

RE - Joyce……………………….Wilson

QB - Wray……………………...Huston (Sam)

LH - Ferguson (Gerald).....Post

RH - Crook……………………..Vandegrift

FB - Guzman (Harry)........Dunn (Alan)

Attendance was approximately 3,500 and played under clear skies with a chilling wind.

*Scottsbluff ended the 1945 season tied with Gothenburg and Boys Town for the Class A #1 slot in the Journal-Star, finishing with a 10-0-1 record. Bluffs only blemish was a 7-7 tie with Ralph Beechner’s Lincoln (High) squad.