I went to college with Brook Berringer. I did not know him well.
Berringer was 17 months older than me. The few times I interviewed him for the school newspaper, I thought he seemed much older than that, probably because he somehow stayed above the fray -- especially late in his career as a quarterback that happened to coincide with the most controversial and successful period in Nebraska football history.
Because of my own youth and lack of awareness, I failed at the time to recognize the impact of Berringer on people in Nebraska.
I saw him as just another guy with a good story. That is, until April 20, 1996, two days after Berringer died when the small plane he piloted crashed in a field north of Lincoln.
At Nebraska’s spring game, instead of celebrating consecutive national championships or another batch of Cornhuskers drafted into the NFL -- Berringer likely would have been among them -- the school and state mourned its fallen hero by playing a video tribute on the big screens.
Sports are often emotional. But not like that. That was not about sports. The stadium went completely silent. It remains the only time I’ve shed tears while sitting in a press box. I was far from alone.
The Big Ten Network documentary, “Unbeaten,” a 54-minute production on the life and death of Berringer, set to premier after the Nebraska-Northwestern game on Saturday, will similarly stir emotions for those who remember Berringer, and it will educate a generation of fans too young to have watched him play.
This fall marks the 20-year anniversary of his greatest football achievement, leading Nebraska to eight wins in place of injured star Tommie Frazier.
The documentary, directed by Matthew Engel and Kevin Shaw with Bill Friedman, BTN coordinating producer for original programming, hits all the right notes on Berringer.
It features no narration, only sound from a diverse lineup of former Berringer teammates and testimony from others, including Nebraska assistant Ron Brown, who recruited Berringer to Lincoln, and Kyle Orton, who has worn No. 18 since high school as a tribute to the QB.
An archived Berringer interview away from the field is particularly haunting. Forgotten audio from Keith Jackson lends important historical perspective.
“We wanted Brook to have a voice,” Engel said.
For Nebraska fans, the first half of the film largely serves as review of the 1994 and ’95 seasons, with impressive insight into the complicated dynamic of the Frazier-Berringer relationship. The final 25 minutes includes powerful reporting on the plane crash and its aftermath, poignant footage and a final sequence certain to move viewers like that April Saturday 18 years ago in Lincoln.
“He’s a guy who represents all that’s good about a college football player,” Friedman said. “He was a symbol of how Nebraskans want their football to be portrayed.”
Berringer’s impact is lasting, memorialized with a statue of the quarterback in uniform with his coach, Tom Osborne, that stands outside the entrance Nebraska’s athletic offices on the north side of Memorial Stadium.
Shaw said he visited Lincoln prior to documenting Berringer and saw the statue without knowing its significance. In learning about Berringer and remembering the statue, Shaw said, it was a “wow moment.”
“It was like, that’s that guy,” he said.
With “Unbeaten,” BTN succeeded in creating a film that will touch Nebraskans and teach others across the Big Ten about a quarterback who’s worth remembering for another 20 years and beyond.
Let’s go around the league:
East Division
Michigan State's defense prepares for anything and everything against Indiana.
Rutgers coach Kyle Flood talks to his team about ebola as the Scarlet Knights prepare to travel.
Backup running back Rod Smith enjoys a breakout season for Ohio State.
Iowa presents a new set of challenges for the Maryland defense.
Survival mode is here for Penn State, writes David Jones.
Michigan's Board of Regents plans a extensive review of athletic director Dave Brandon.
West Division
Northwestern's defensive line prepares for another top Big Ten running back.
A look back at the Nebraska Hail Mary that beat Northwestern a year ago.
Purdue quarterback Austin Appleby on facing Minnesota.
Officials at Minnesota are among those searching for answers about poor student attendance at football games.
Iowa cornerback Desmond King looks forward to facing Maryland receiver Stefon Diggs.
Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon says he's hoping for a positive resolution to the autograph controversies surrounding Florida State QB Jameis Winston and Georgia running back Todd Gurley.
An examination of the recruiting successes and failures under coach Tim Beckman.