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61 days : Best #61 in Husker history

Most people will pick McCormick and he was a great O-lineman. But I have to give the nod to Clete Pillen, a fantastic LB from the 1970s. He wasn't nearly as physically talented as Lavonte David, but Pillen had the same amazing nose for the ball and was just a sideline-to-sideline tackling machine. A truly remarkable player.
 
John McCormick is my choice.
No way -- it's gotta be Clete. He just made another tackle against OU. The most mild-mannered, unassuming guy off the field (still is) whose switch just went on at game time. Dang, there's another tackle against OU.
If I may plug my old friend Paul Potadle for an honorable mention. He'd be the first to tell you he'd never be on anybody's "best of" list. Walk-on guard from Tekameh, toiled on the JV team, scout squad and as a tackling dummy for four years. Finally played enough to letter as a fifth-year senior. He won't mind me telling this story -- his last practice in Memorial Stadium was the day before leaving for the 79 OU game. He was pretty emotional leaving the field afterwards, which Dr. Tom picked up on. He stopped Paul and quietly said to him: "I wish everyone practiced as hard and as well as you." Potadle sat down on the sideline and cried his eyes out. To this day he'll tell you that it was one of the proudest moments of his life.
PS. Clete just made another tackle against OU.
 
No way -- it's gotta be Clete. He just made another tackle against OU. The most mild-mannered, unassuming guy off the field (still is) whose switch just went on at game time. Dang, there's another tackle against OU.
If I may plug my old friend Paul Potadle for an honorable mention. He'd be the first to tell you he'd never be on anybody's "best of" list. Walk-on guard from Tekameh, toiled on the JV team, scout squad and as a tackling dummy for four years. Finally played enough to letter as a fifth-year senior. He won't mind me telling this story -- his last practice in Memorial Stadium was the day before leaving for the 79 OU game. He was pretty emotional leaving the field afterwards, which Dr. Tom picked up on. He stopped Paul and quietly said to him: "I wish everyone practiced as hard and as well as you." Potadle sat down on the sideline and cried his eyes out. To this day he'll tell you that it was one of the proudest moments of his life.
PS. Clete just made another tackle against OU.
Another thing that stands out for me about Pillen is that at a time when OU had a group of all-time studs like Daryl Hunt, Reggie Kinlaw, Zac Henderson and Jerry Anderson, OSU had John Corker and Colorado had Ruben Vaughn, Pillen took home Big 8 Defensive POY honors.
 
No way -- it's gotta be Clete. He just made another tackle against OU. The most mild-mannered, unassuming guy off the field (still is) whose switch just went on at game time. Dang, there's another tackle against OU.
If I may plug my old friend Paul Potadle for an honorable mention. He'd be the first to tell you he'd never be on anybody's "best of" list. Walk-on guard from Tekameh, toiled on the JV team, scout squad and as a tackling dummy for four years. Finally played enough to letter as a fifth-year senior. He won't mind me telling this story -- his last practice in Memorial Stadium was the day before leaving for the 79 OU game. He was pretty emotional leaving the field afterwards, which Dr. Tom picked up on. He stopped Paul and quietly said to him: "I wish everyone practiced as hard and as well as you." Potadle sat down on the sideline and cried his eyes out. To this day he'll tell you that it was one of the proudest moments of his life.
PS. Clete just made another tackle against OU.

You guys are right. Somehow I overlooked Clete. Clete is one of my all time favorites. When he played it was like there were three of him on the field.
 
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Honorable mention to Spencer Long. He had a nice Husker career until injury, then stuck around in the NFL for a while.

I feel like Mike Huff was poised to break out until an injury. Foot?
 
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