Nebraska Football Announces 2024 Hall of Fame Inductees

Seven Husker Football alums will be recognized in September as part of the 2024 Nebraska Football Hall of Fame class.

The 2024 inductees were announced Thursday as the chosen members to be added to the program’s hall of fame. The seven selected include offensive lineman Keven Lightner, safety Tyrone Byrd, linebacker Terrell Farley, defensive end Chris Kelsay, defensive tackle Jared Crick, running back Rex Burkhead, and lineman Monte Johnson.

The state college representative for this year’s class includes Mike Miller, an All-American running back for Nebraska-Kearney in the early 2000s.

Prior to 2015, players must have been either an All-American or first-team all-conference selection to make the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame ballot. Beginning in 2015, Huskers who earned second-team all-conference honors dating back to the expansion of the Big Eight to the Big 12 (1996) and now the 18-team Big Ten, are eligible.

Lightner, a tackle in the mid-1980s, was a first-team All-Big Eight selection in 1987 and a three-year letterwinner. Byrd was a safety in the early 1990s, just missing Nebraska’s championship window in that decade. The defensive back was a first-team All-Big Eight selection as a senior in 1992.

Farley, a linebacker in the mid-90s, was a standout Blackshirt who earned first-team All-Big Eight honors and was the Big Eight Defensive Newcomer of the Year in 1995 in which the Huskers earned the national title. Kelsay, a defensive end from Auburn, Neb., was a two-time All-Big 12 selection and aided the Huskers to the 2001 BCS National Championship game.

Crick, a Cozad native, was a member of the legendary 2009 Blackshirts and earned two All-Big 12 selections and was a second-team All-American while with Nebraska. He would later go on to play with the Houston Texans and Denver Broncos. Burkhead ended his Husker career as one of the top running backs in school history, having rushed for 3,329 yards and 30 touchdowns earning All-Big 12 honorable mention as a sophomore, being named first-team all conference and honorable mention All-American as a junior. He finished with two Super Bowl teams in New England and played ten NFL seasons playing with the Bengals, Patriots, and Texans.

In the Legends category, Johnson was a standout defensive lineman for Bob Devaney in his final three seasons as a head coach. He earned a second-round selection by the Oakland Raiders and helped winning Super Bowls XI and XV with the Raiders.

Nebraska Football will honor their 2024 class with the official induction and banquet on Sept. 13 in Lincoln and will be honored at the home game against Northern Iowa.

Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking All Huskers, following HuskerMax on X, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.