And so my grandson, Nicholas Perez, a mechanical engineering freshman at the Umiversity of Nebraska at Lincoln, sent me an email pumping the importance of the Nebraska vs. Penn State game today (Saturday) at Lincoln. Nebraska, he reported, was now being touted as a potential Rose Bowl candidate and needed to beat Penn State.
This was indeed big news, back where the Cornhusker football team rules the state. I emailed him back and pointed out that the last time Nebraska went to the Rose Bowl was in 1941.
In fact, I noted that that the 1941 game was still big news when the former Jean Dibble and I were students at the university in the 1950s. It wasn’t until later that we learned that Nebraska actually lost the game to Stanford and its famous quarterback, Frankie Albert.
The game will be broadcast nationally at l2:30 p.m. Saturday on ABC television (7). And it will be shown on the big screen at Final Final, the nifty neighborhood sports bar near the Presidio in San Francisco.
The bar has been owned for 35 years by Arnie Prien, a native Nebraskan from Lyons, Nebraska, and a graduate from the university. He loyally shows the Nebraska games every Saturday. The game attracts a host of NU faithful who come for the Husker camaraderie and the free popcorn, inexpensive beer and friendly ambience. Final Final got its name from the days when it was known as the final destination where the soldiers at the Presidio could get their final drink after a night on the town. Parking Tip: on street parking is difficult in this area, so park in the Presidio and walk to the bar.
There is no place like Nebraska, as the song says. Even in San Francisco. Go Big Red! B3
P,.S. The Nebraska alumni site lists three other “watch sites” in the Bay Area. Jack’s Brewing Company in Fremont. Legends and Heroes in Concord. And Knuckles Sports Bar in Monterey,
Watch the Huskers on these four Bay Area Watch sites: http://bayareahuskers.org/