September 25, 2025 • 11 mins
The Husker legend tells us what the ref said to him after that devestating hit vs Wisconsin, how the hair is doing these days, and why the Big Red's link to the Team Jack Foundation is still so special to him.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Scott Vordie.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
I was just watching this again thinking just how magnificent
this was one of the great wide receivers in Nebraska
football history. But he's known mostly for a block.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
Martinez, it can over the middle, e fins Tom on
the tournament.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
That's down Nebraska.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
That's the best we see this year.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
That's the best block I think we've ever seen in
Nebraska football history. Welcoming onto the program here on Big
Red Radio, Kenny Bell, Kenny, is that you it is.
It's good to have you back on the program. Thanks
a lot for calling up. It's it's Team Jack day
here on Big Red Radio. And I want to talk
about that certainly in just a moment. But when you
(00:49):
hear the TV play by play of that that call, uh, Nebraska,
I guess Wisconsin, and you think about not only that
block which laid out that poor defensive back for Wisconsin,
Devin Smith, but the fact that you were flagged for
a penalty when it was absolutely not a penalty. What
(01:09):
thoughts come rushing back to you.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
Yeah, Well, one is I wish we would have won
that football game. Number one. Serious, Yeah, it certainly wasn't
a penalty. I mean, and I played I played hard,
but I never played to injured guys. I never want
to see someone get seriously injured out there. But when
you're playing football, you're definitely playing to hurt people. And
I hope people know that. Like the difference, right, it's
(01:32):
a physical mentality. You want to impose your will. So
I was just playing to the whistle and I hit
him with my shoulder right in his chest, and I
just I mean, the timing of it, it was just violent.
I asked the ref, you know, what do you want
me to do there? And he goes, when you hit
him that hard, we had to throw a flag and
that's when I had like my homet off talking to
the ref. Yah, and I had like my hands up
(01:53):
because I was like, yeah, we're just playing football. I'm
not here trying.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
To hurt anybody, right, I mean, I mean, I'm I'm
a lander anybody right right right. There's a difference between
you know, hurt injure. You don't want to have dirty
plays that injure a guy. But when you're playing football, yeah,
you're you're trying to let a guy know I just
hit you. And I'm sure there wasn't a single defensive
back to pull it up when you were catching a
(02:17):
slant pattern across the middle.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
Right, certainly wouldn't. And I don't expect them to write
like in this day and age, like the defenseless player.
I don't believe in a defenseless football player. Right when
the whistle blows, you got to have your head on
a swivel. Now, are there dirty plays, Absolutely right, there's
guys that do stuff that are wrong. But when a
quarterback throws you over the middle a nice floater into
(02:40):
a one high safety on a post, like, you're gonna
feel that, right, you know. And I don't expect I
don't expect DB's and safety to not want to run
through wide receivers chests, right, that's their job. So I
think the game is a little water down in that
sense because we got wideivers. I think they can catch
(03:01):
it anywhere, and quarterbacks think that they can sew it anywhere,
when in reality, they're putting the onus on the defense
to keep the offense safe. And that's not the job
of the defense, right. The only job of the defense
is to stop what the offense is doing.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
So you are running across the middle, let's say a
ten yard slant and here comes the football and it's
laid out kind of in front of you, and you
can see there's a defensive back who's coming up on
you at full speed and he's gonna meet you at
the football. There are a lot of times that the
announcers on a call will say, man, the quarterback did
(03:35):
not do his receiver any favors on that one. Would
you go back to the huddle after getting laid out
for that hit and tell the quarterback like, look, you're
you're gonna get my head taken off if you keep
throwing it like that.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
Well, I was lucky enough in an era where I
came back to the huddle and I had quarterbacks that
would be like, hey, my bad. You know, like we
living in an era right now is watching another night
when like Dak Prescott, an NFL quarter like through his
tight end in down the green mile right, just got
him murdered. Uh, And then the tight end comes back
like stumble into the huddle and Dack like pass him
(04:10):
on the hemets like you had a good job. It's like, bro,
that kind of stuff would really make me mad to
tell you, all right, brother, don't sacrifice me for a
fifteen yard er. You know that ball shouldn't be there.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
Yeah, I know, and you know, you play football, you
you kind of understand how it goes, especially like I
never played quarterback. I played a receiver like you. Uh,
but that's the only comparison between us, as we both played.
We both played wide receiver, and that's where the comparisons end.
But you know, you we've all had that moment I
think where you're you know, maybe playing the quarterback with
(04:42):
your buddies out there in the field or something like that,
and you say, oh, that guy's open, and as the
ball is leaving your hand, you suddenly are like, oh no, no,
we can see that guy coming up now and there's nothing,
nothing you can do at that point. But man, this
this time of year, I know you're not you're not
playing anymore, but did all these feelings come rushing back
(05:03):
here this time of year about your time spent at
Nebraska and is how great it was to be a
part of that team.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
I gotta be honest with you. Sts So there's aspects
that do right. So absolutely in terms of I miss
my teammates and my coaches in like that game day
atmosphere is incredible. But people ask me, like, do I
miss playing football, and honestly, God question is absolutely not right.
I mean, I know that sounds ridiculous. So I love football.
I love the game. I love everything it did for me.
(05:31):
I had some of the best years of my life. Right.
But I think what people see is they see the
product on Saturday and they think, oh man, this is
so great, which it is, like it's the greatest feeling
in the world. But what they don't see is the
five ams in February, when you're walking across campus in
the snow and it's negative ten and you got to
go train. Right. So like I love football, I love
(05:54):
my time with it, but the day to day aspect
of getting that opportunity to play on Saturdays, because that's
what it is, right, It's not a right. You got
to earn it, and you got to earn it in
January and February and in March, and then you can
go show off in the fall. But I don't have
it in me to commit to that kind of rigorous
training mentally and physically anymore. But I do love the
(06:17):
game without a doubt. But the thing I miss most
is absolutely my teammates, the moments in the locker room,
my coaches that kind of stuff.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
Yeah, there are things that get me. In fact, I
was talking about this a couple of weeks ago and
got a little emotional on the air, you know, talking
about some of the good things that are happening every
single day in the wake of, of course, you know,
sad things that do happen. And the thing that I
didn't even realize and I think I can get through
it here. I didn't realize it was gonna get me
as I was talking about my son's basketball team, how
(06:46):
they're doing some really tough workouts outside, and there was
one player who was really struggling to do all these
this running they were doing is some really grueling runs,
and everyone else in the team was done. They looked
back at this guy sucking win and trying to get
to the finish line, and rather than mock him or
ignore him, they all ran out there with him and
(07:06):
cheered him along to the finish line, because we do
this as a team, and those are special things to
be a part of, which brings us to a certain
run in the spring game, which which is leads to
what we're doing here today, the Team Jack Foundation. What
do you think back on when you think of Team
Jack and Little Jack Hoffman.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
Yeah. Absolutely So when people ask me what my fondest
memory of being a Husker is, it's absolutely that of
Spring Day when the Jack scort that touchdown what not
only was that a powerful moment and as you know,
symbolic of what you know, I think our program represents,
you know, the love, the support, the family aspect of it.
I think it really drove the point home for our
(07:51):
entire team so much so that I mean all of
us are involved here thirteen years later, you know myself,
rex Burg, Heads, Searles Quality, Josh Mitchell, and Nate Gary.
I mean, the list goes on and on the number
of guys that show up for the gala, and then
we have the Team Jack golf event we just hosted.
We partnered with Omaha Steaks last week to put on
(08:13):
an event for the tailgate for the Michigan game. It's
something that we're I'm very passionate about. I know my
entire class and eras during that time is passionate about.
But to see you know, this new era of Huskers
taking part in the Team Jack run, doing all that stuff.
They're showing up to events, it kind of just speaks
(08:34):
to the culture of the entire university in my opinion,
how much love and support they have for the foundation
to this day too.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
Yeah, this is Team Jack Radiothon day and there are
more than two dozen radio stations across the state who
are in some way, shape or form acknowledging the day
and you'll hear about it throughout the day. Here on
eleven ten, kfab the number to call and donate to
the Team Jack Foundation so you can help families like
the Haffman family who never started this foundation for their family,
(09:03):
they did it for other families who were battling pediatric
brain cancer. The number to call is eight five to five,
Run Jack. Eight five five Run Jack. If you can
make a donation to the Team Jack Foundation, they would
love it as well the next round of families like
the Hoffman family and I miss Andy and certainly Jack
(09:26):
all the time. Kenny, it's so great to have you
on the program today. Always a pleasure talking to you.
How's the AFRO these days?
Speaker 1 (09:35):
Oh, Man, Scott. I appreciate you having me And it
was funny last weekend for the first time I got
called out for a few grades in my AFRO. Man,
so getting a little long in the tooth, but it's
it's still there.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
Man. Well someone has started going gray as twenty. I
don't feel bad for you finally happening now. But so
you're saying that maybe you're not like Adrian Martinez is
back in the NFL. You're not wanting to go back
and maybe give it a run.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
Oh please, don't got no, no, no, I've been doing
much too much in my job now over her Dad
is the greatest gig I've ever had. I'm I'm here
in Omaha. I get to work in the sports industry
talking all the great folks here, so I'm very happy. Great.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
I'm so glad to hear it. Kenny, You're always welcome
here on the program. Thanks so much for being a
part of Team Jack Day.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
Oh, I appreciate you having me, Scott give me a
call anytime. I appreciate you having me.
Speaker 2 (10:29):
All right, man, thank you so much. That's Kenny Bell
here on Big Red Radio eleven ten. Kfab again, Team
Jack Foundation Day. You can call right now to donate
and help Team Jack with their mission of supporting those
families who have been dealing with and are or will
be dealing with childhood brain cancer. Pediatric brain cancer diagnosis
(10:53):
and that fight call eight five five run Jack Scottes
News Radio eleven and k f AB
Scott Vordie.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
I was just watching this again thinking just how magnificent
this was one of the great wide receivers in Nebraska
football history. But he's known mostly for a block.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
Martinez, it can over the middle, e fins Tom on
the tournament.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
That's down Nebraska.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
That's the best we see this year.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
That's the best block I think we've ever seen in
Nebraska football history. Welcoming onto the program here on Big
Red Radio, Kenny Bell, Kenny, is that you it is.
It's good to have you back on the program. Thanks
a lot for calling up. It's it's Team Jack day
here on Big Red Radio. And I want to talk
about that certainly in just a moment. But when you
(00:49):
hear the TV play by play of that that call, uh, Nebraska,
I guess Wisconsin, and you think about not only that
block which laid out that poor defensive back for Wisconsin,
Devin Smith, but the fact that you were flagged for
a penalty when it was absolutely not a penalty. What
(01:09):
thoughts come rushing back to you.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
Yeah, Well, one is I wish we would have won
that football game. Number one. Serious, Yeah, it certainly wasn't
a penalty. I mean, and I played I played hard,
but I never played to injured guys. I never want
to see someone get seriously injured out there. But when
you're playing football, you're definitely playing to hurt people. And
I hope people know that. Like the difference, right, it's
(01:32):
a physical mentality. You want to impose your will. So
I was just playing to the whistle and I hit
him with my shoulder right in his chest, and I
just I mean, the timing of it, it was just violent.
I asked the ref, you know, what do you want
me to do there? And he goes, when you hit
him that hard, we had to throw a flag and
that's when I had like my homet off talking to
the ref. Yah, and I had like my hands up
(01:53):
because I was like, yeah, we're just playing football. I'm
not here trying.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
To hurt anybody, right, I mean, I mean, I'm I'm
a lander anybody right right right. There's a difference between
you know, hurt injure. You don't want to have dirty
plays that injure a guy. But when you're playing football, yeah,
you're you're trying to let a guy know I just
hit you. And I'm sure there wasn't a single defensive
back to pull it up when you were catching a
(02:17):
slant pattern across the middle.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
Right, certainly wouldn't. And I don't expect them to write
like in this day and age, like the defenseless player.
I don't believe in a defenseless football player. Right when
the whistle blows, you got to have your head on
a swivel. Now, are there dirty plays, Absolutely right, there's
guys that do stuff that are wrong. But when a
quarterback throws you over the middle a nice floater into
(02:40):
a one high safety on a post, like, you're gonna
feel that, right, you know. And I don't expect I
don't expect DB's and safety to not want to run
through wide receivers chests, right, that's their job. So I
think the game is a little water down in that
sense because we got wideivers. I think they can catch
(03:01):
it anywhere, and quarterbacks think that they can sew it anywhere,
when in reality, they're putting the onus on the defense
to keep the offense safe. And that's not the job
of the defense, right. The only job of the defense
is to stop what the offense is doing.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
So you are running across the middle, let's say a
ten yard slant and here comes the football and it's
laid out kind of in front of you, and you
can see there's a defensive back who's coming up on
you at full speed and he's gonna meet you at
the football. There are a lot of times that the
announcers on a call will say, man, the quarterback did
(03:35):
not do his receiver any favors on that one. Would
you go back to the huddle after getting laid out
for that hit and tell the quarterback like, look, you're
you're gonna get my head taken off if you keep
throwing it like that.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
Well, I was lucky enough in an era where I
came back to the huddle and I had quarterbacks that
would be like, hey, my bad. You know, like we
living in an era right now is watching another night
when like Dak Prescott, an NFL quarter like through his
tight end in down the green mile right, just got
him murdered. Uh, And then the tight end comes back
like stumble into the huddle and Dack like pass him
(04:10):
on the hemets like you had a good job. It's like, bro,
that kind of stuff would really make me mad to
tell you, all right, brother, don't sacrifice me for a
fifteen yard er. You know that ball shouldn't be there.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
Yeah, I know, and you know, you play football, you
you kind of understand how it goes, especially like I
never played quarterback. I played a receiver like you. Uh,
but that's the only comparison between us, as we both played.
We both played wide receiver, and that's where the comparisons end.
But you know, you we've all had that moment I
think where you're you know, maybe playing the quarterback with
(04:42):
your buddies out there in the field or something like that,
and you say, oh, that guy's open, and as the
ball is leaving your hand, you suddenly are like, oh no, no,
we can see that guy coming up now and there's nothing,
nothing you can do at that point. But man, this
this time of year, I know you're not you're not
playing anymore, but did all these feelings come rushing back
(05:03):
here this time of year about your time spent at
Nebraska and is how great it was to be a
part of that team.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
I gotta be honest with you. Sts So there's aspects
that do right. So absolutely in terms of I miss
my teammates and my coaches in like that game day
atmosphere is incredible. But people ask me, like, do I
miss playing football, and honestly, God question is absolutely not right.
I mean, I know that sounds ridiculous. So I love football.
I love the game. I love everything it did for me.
(05:31):
I had some of the best years of my life. Right.
But I think what people see is they see the
product on Saturday and they think, oh man, this is
so great, which it is, like it's the greatest feeling
in the world. But what they don't see is the
five ams in February, when you're walking across campus in
the snow and it's negative ten and you got to
go train. Right. So like I love football, I love
(05:54):
my time with it, but the day to day aspect
of getting that opportunity to play on Saturdays, because that's
what it is, right, It's not a right. You got
to earn it, and you got to earn it in
January and February and in March, and then you can
go show off in the fall. But I don't have
it in me to commit to that kind of rigorous
training mentally and physically anymore. But I do love the
(06:17):
game without a doubt. But the thing I miss most
is absolutely my teammates, the moments in the locker room,
my coaches that kind of stuff.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
Yeah, there are things that get me. In fact, I
was talking about this a couple of weeks ago and
got a little emotional on the air, you know, talking
about some of the good things that are happening every
single day in the wake of, of course, you know,
sad things that do happen. And the thing that I
didn't even realize and I think I can get through
it here. I didn't realize it was gonna get me
as I was talking about my son's basketball team, how
(06:46):
they're doing some really tough workouts outside, and there was
one player who was really struggling to do all these
this running they were doing is some really grueling runs,
and everyone else in the team was done. They looked
back at this guy sucking win and trying to get
to the finish line, and rather than mock him or
ignore him, they all ran out there with him and
(07:06):
cheered him along to the finish line, because we do
this as a team, and those are special things to
be a part of, which brings us to a certain
run in the spring game, which which is leads to
what we're doing here today, the Team Jack Foundation. What
do you think back on when you think of Team
Jack and Little Jack Hoffman.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
Yeah. Absolutely So when people ask me what my fondest
memory of being a Husker is, it's absolutely that of
Spring Day when the Jack scort that touchdown what not
only was that a powerful moment and as you know,
symbolic of what you know, I think our program represents,
you know, the love, the support, the family aspect of it.
I think it really drove the point home for our
(07:51):
entire team so much so that I mean all of
us are involved here thirteen years later, you know myself,
rex Burg, Heads, Searles Quality, Josh Mitchell, and Nate Gary.
I mean, the list goes on and on the number
of guys that show up for the gala, and then
we have the Team Jack golf event we just hosted.
We partnered with Omaha Steaks last week to put on
(08:13):
an event for the tailgate for the Michigan game. It's
something that we're I'm very passionate about. I know my
entire class and eras during that time is passionate about.
But to see you know, this new era of Huskers
taking part in the Team Jack run, doing all that stuff.
They're showing up to events, it kind of just speaks
(08:34):
to the culture of the entire university in my opinion,
how much love and support they have for the foundation
to this day too.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
Yeah, this is Team Jack Radiothon day and there are
more than two dozen radio stations across the state who
are in some way, shape or form acknowledging the day
and you'll hear about it throughout the day. Here on
eleven ten, kfab the number to call and donate to
the Team Jack Foundation so you can help families like
the Haffman family who never started this foundation for their family,
(09:03):
they did it for other families who were battling pediatric
brain cancer. The number to call is eight five to five,
Run Jack. Eight five five Run Jack. If you can
make a donation to the Team Jack Foundation, they would
love it as well the next round of families like
the Hoffman family and I miss Andy and certainly Jack
(09:26):
all the time. Kenny, it's so great to have you
on the program today. Always a pleasure talking to you.
How's the AFRO these days?
Speaker 1 (09:35):
Oh, Man, Scott. I appreciate you having me And it
was funny last weekend for the first time I got
called out for a few grades in my AFRO. Man,
so getting a little long in the tooth, but it's
it's still there.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
Man. Well someone has started going gray as twenty. I
don't feel bad for you finally happening now. But so
you're saying that maybe you're not like Adrian Martinez is
back in the NFL. You're not wanting to go back
and maybe give it a run.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
Oh please, don't got no, no, no, I've been doing
much too much in my job now over her Dad
is the greatest gig I've ever had. I'm I'm here
in Omaha. I get to work in the sports industry
talking all the great folks here, so I'm very happy. Great.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
I'm so glad to hear it. Kenny, You're always welcome
here on the program. Thanks so much for being a
part of Team Jack Day.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
Oh, I appreciate you having me, Scott give me a
call anytime. I appreciate you having me.
Speaker 2 (10:29):
All right, man, thank you so much. That's Kenny Bell
here on Big Red Radio eleven ten. Kfab again, Team
Jack Foundation Day. You can call right now to donate
and help Team Jack with their mission of supporting those
families who have been dealing with and are or will
be dealing with childhood brain cancer. Pediatric brain cancer diagnosis
(10:53):
and that fight call eight five five run Jack Scottes
News Radio eleven and k f AB
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