44 Nebraskaland • May 2023
the fi rst team to lose a game at Memorial
Stadium, falling to the Huskers 24-0.
Memorial Stadium was offi cially dedicated
the following week, when Kansas played
Nebraska to a 0-0 tie. Notre Dame was the fi rst
opponent to score in the new stadium, but one
touchdown wasn't enough for Coach Knute
Rockne's "Four Horsemen"-led team, which fell
to the Huskers 14-7 on November 10.
Who was the fi rst team to beat Nebraska in
Memorial Stadium? It's not easy to guess.
It was Syracuse. The Orangemen
defeated the Huskers 7-0 on November
24, 1923, before an estimated crowd of
35,000.
N
Visit History Nebraska's website at history.
nebraska.gov.
RIGHT: Almost a year later, the outer walls are
nearly complete in this August 18, 1924 photo.
HISTORY NEBRASKA, RG2758-21-A
FAR RIGHT: November 1953. The stadium was
expanded and enclosed starting in the 1960s.
HISTORY NEBRASKA, RG2758-21-19
BOTTOM: An early view of the stadium, circa
1923-24. HISTORY NEBRASKA, RG2758-21-13
