1994 University of Nebraska National Championship Ring
This is a genuine player-issued ring from one of the most celebrated championship seasons in the history of college football. The 1994 Nebraska Cornhuskers went 13–0, defeated the Miami Hurricanes 24–17 in the Orange Bowl to claim the national title, and did it with a level of resilience that has made this team legendary in the sport.
"Unfinished Business" — the season with everything at stake
In January 1994, Byron Bennett's 45-yard field goal attempt drifted wide left in the final seconds of the Orange Bowl, and Nebraska lost 18–16 to Florida State. The Cornhuskers finished the season ranked third in the country, tantalizingly close to the title that slipped away. The team returned in 1994 with one goal. They called it "Unfinished Business." Twelve months later, they were back in Miami for the Orange Bowl — this time against the hometown Hurricanes — and this time, they did not let the championship escape. The 24–17 comeback victory over Miami, engineered by head coach Tom Osborne at halftime when his team trailed 17–7, gave Nebraska its first title under Osborne. The Huskers' locker room that night is described by those who were there as one of the most emotional scenes in college football history.
The 1994 championship was the first of three national titles Nebraska would claim in just four seasons — winning again in 1995 and 1997 under Osborne in one of the most dominant runs in college football history. The 1994 squad was the foundation of that dynasty, and the player rings issued that year represent the beginning of a golden era that Husker fans still regard as the program's greatest chapter.
| Year | 1994 |
| School | University of Nebraska — Cornhuskers |
| Championship | NCAA Division I-A National Championship |
| Material | 10k Gold with CZ stones |
| Type | Player-issued |
| Head coach | Tom Osborne (Football Hall of Fame) |
| Season record | 13–0 · Big Eight Champions |
| Championship game | Orange Bowl — Nebraska def. Miami, 24–17 |
1994 Nebraska Cornhuskers — Quick Facts
- The entire season was defined by the motto "Unfinished Business" — a direct response to the heartbreaking 18–16 loss to Florida State in the 1994 Orange Bowl that cost them the 1993 national title
- Nebraska lost their starting quarterback (Tommie Frazier, blood clots) and their backup (Brook Berringer, collapsed lungs) during the season — yet never lost a game, relying on walk-on Matt Turman and an elite rushing attack to stay undefeated
- Trailed Miami 17–7 early in the third quarter of the Orange Bowl before Tom Osborne's legendary halftime speech sparked a 17–0 second-half run to win 24–17 on the Hurricanes' home turf
- Tom Osborne's first national championship — arrived after 22 seasons as Nebraska's head coach and is widely considered one of the most emotional coaching achievements in college football history
- The 1994 title was the first of three national championships Nebraska claimed in just four seasons (1994, 1995, 1997) — one of the most dominant dynasties in the history of college football
- Nebraska outscored opponents 459–162 on the season — a margin of nearly 23 points per game across 13 contests against one of the strongest schedules in the country
- Tom Osborne was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1999; his 1994–97 dynasty at Nebraska is regarded as the standard of excellence in the modern college game