[Steve Smith]Forever Red : Confessions of a Cornhusker Football Fan (pdf){Zzzzz}

On any given workday, any little thing might send Steve Smith’s thoughts spinning back to Saturday—last Saturday, Saturday two weeks ago, Saturday two years ago, back into the thrilling minutiae of game day—until reality reminds him: this is not how well-adjusted adults act. Steve Smith is not a well-adjusted adult. He’s a Nebraska football fan, and this is his rollicking account of what it’s like to be one of those legendary enthusiasts whose passion for the Cornhuskers is at once alarming and hilarious.

A journey into an obsessed Nebraska fan’s soul, Forever Red immerses readers in the mad, mad world of Cornhusker football fandom—where wearing the scarlet-and-cream Huskers gear has its own peculiar rules; where displaced followers act as the program’s ambassadors, finding Cornhusker subculture beyond the pale; and where the team’s performance can barely keep pace with its followers’ expectations but sometimes exceeds their wildest dreams. Blending wit and insight, Smith’s story of twenty-plus years following the team takes readers back to memorable game moments from 1980 to the new era under coach Bill Callahan, offering the uninitiated and the fellow fanatic alike a window on the world where fantasy and football meet, where dreams of glory and gritty gridiron realities forever join.

Publisher: University of Nebraska Press (September 1, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0803243103
ISBN-13: 978-0803243101

Editorial Reviews
Review
"Forever Red is a perfect blend of humor and insightful commentary."—Lincoln Journal Star
(Lincoln Journal Star)

“Thinking about these things with Smith will not spoil your fall season. In fact, ‘Forever Red’ might make it better. Worth a read in states well outside the domain of the old Big Eight or even the new Big 12.”—El Dorado Times
(El Dorado Times)

"Through the years, my experiences in the world of Big Red football have been fairly extensive so it isn't often that I come upon something unique and refreshing in our Husker realm. And I must admit that for the first time ever, I've come across 'velociraptors' roving from sideline-to-sideline and to being 'flummoxed' on the football field. Outstanding! This is all part of the deep post pattern for a score that Steve Smith has thrown in Forever Red: Confessions of a Cornhusker Football Fan. . . Although I'm sure he'd rather characterize it as a 76 yard speed option play for a touchdown and a national championship! This is a marvelous microcosm of where Big Red fever can take you. From the tether and pull of blind acceptance and unequivocal support of the program to disappointment, doubt, and frustration. As Smith mentions, when the years move on to more reasoned recognition, but in Nebraska, this microcosm easily morphs to a type of quasi Big Red macrocosm which engulfs the state and reaches far beyond into the world of college football. Smith captures all of this in this highly personal, soul-baring experience. And finally, Forever Red is all about passion . . . Having a passion for what you do and how you feel . . . How to use your passion to enhance your life, and, more importantly, enhance the world and the lives around us. Forever Red: Confessions of a Cornhusker Football Fan . . . Confessions which merit 3 Hail Marys and has nothing to do with absolution!"—Adrian Fiala, Nebraska football, 1965-1970, and Color Voice of the Huskers on the Pinnacle Sports Network, 17 years
(Adrian Fiala)

"In Forever Red Steve Smith captures the true spirit of the state of Nebraska and what makes it tick. You will quickly recognize yourself, family members, and friends in Smith’s hilarious observations and stories about Nebraska football history, as seen through the eyes of its fans. This is a must-read not only for Cornhuskers but for true sports fans everywhere."—Charlie McBride, former Nebraska defensive coordinator
(Charlie McBride)

"Much has been written about Nebraska football, but nothing quite like this. Steve Smith treats a sometimes-solemn subject with self-effacing humor and insight belying his assertion that Cornhusker football fans aren’t unique. In fact, they are. And Forever Red is Exhibit A. It is not only about football but also about growing up in small-town Nebraska, which is as good as it gets."—Mike Babcock, author of Stadium Stories: Nebraska Cornhuskers
(Mike Babcock)
About the Author
Steve Smith is an award-winning journalist now working as online editor for the Lincoln Journal Star.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

Required Reading for Everyone Who Considers Themselves to be a Sports Fan
By CFP Runner on July 25, 2005
Steve Smith is a gifted writer and he has captured his love of the Huskers in this witty narrative. I simply could not put this book down. Mr. Smith's true gift is his ability to translate the emotions of a die-hard fan-the very definition of fanatical-into a character set that leaves the reader both relating to, and endeared by his love and devotion for Nebraska Football. This book isn't just for Huskers; every sports fan will enjoy its insight and humor.

Great stuff-this book will last forever
By Jon Johnston on December 10, 2006
If you ever wondered what draws Husker fans to Lincoln on Saturdays in the fall, author Steve Smith lays it all out in this book. It is a humorous but honest look from one fan's perspective about the passion surrounding the draw of Husker football. Husker fans will immediately relate to this book. College football fans reading it will say to themselves "Aha! That's why they're so crazy!".

I wouldn't call this a 'fan' book as much as I'd call it a personal search by author Steve Smith trying to understand his love, passion, and fanaticism for Husker football. That search leads through his life starting with his first Husker game - a Nebraska 50-0 win over Iowa on September 20th, 1980 - to the firing of Frank Solich and the initial season of Bill Callahan. It's a journey that many of us have taken, coming from small town Nebraska to attend the University in Lincoln, where we would have expected, as Smith states "like countless hicks from the sticks, I assumed everyone in Lincoln wore Husker gear all the time".

Smith's writing is always entertaining, even when he's being brutally honest about Nebraska, saying things that we all know to be true but would never say out loud. You establish a personal relationship with him as he shares his life centered around Husker football. I thoroughly enjoyed this book as many of the memories related by Smith are similar to my own. Steve Smith has lived a mirror of my life due to our shared obsession with Husker football and coming from small-town Nebraska.

Forever Red is an excellent Husker fan book and would make a great present for any college football fan.