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Nemaha County Herald

Thursday

January 8, 1948

“Harry Miner’s “HUSKERLAND” Song

Has Hit The Melodic “Bull’s Eye”

A Nebraska University fight song “HUSKERLAND” which had its inception in the fertile brain of Harry Miner, one time Auburn resident, and a member of an early day Auburn High School football team, is finding big favor wherever it is played

Mr. Miner, who is visiting at the home of Ralph T. Hawkins, stated that the song had its inception in his thinking way back in 1910, when he played his last year of football with the University of Nebraska, and at that time was tagged as one of the greatest backs that the Scarlet and Cream school supporters has ever seen work on a gridiron.

Former Cornhusker Miner, who has never let the flame of enthusiasm and interest for Nebraska burn low, entered his song in the contest held by the University in 1939 for a new Cornhusker fight song.  The song was adjudged by Billie Quick, former director of the University of Nebraska band.

The song made its first public appearance, in what Mr. Miner says was a beautifully scrambled Associated Press reported story, which was erroneous, but when the error had been made and publicized from Nebraska to South Bend, Indiana, the song was shipped post-haste and the Notre Dame University band played it for the first time, when the Cornhuskers played there last November.

The song “HUSKERLAND” made its first big appearance November 8, 1947 when the Long Beach, California municipal band played the piece, through a special arrangement, for Nebraska.  Mr. Miner had records made of this in which the narrator Miner and dedicated to General John J. Pershing, a former University of Nebraska student and organizer of the Pershing Rifles and ROTC Director.

The song has a vast amount of that typical Indian-Cornhusker “stomp” and when Mr. Miner plays his record with the Long Beach band playing it, he puts himself into the number, in a manner that brings out the rock’em sock’em type of gridiron play the Nebraska University was formerly known to have, but which apparently has been lost in the shuffle and deal, which has been going on at the focal point of Cornhusker football.

In order to test his song, on Cornhuskers and followers, Mr. Miner had several records made and copies of his song sketched, he has sent these out and had received a number of letters in reply relative to the song.

Former Coach Biff Jones is a recipient of a record and copy of the song, and is greatly thrilled by its genuine Nebraska throb.

Joe Seacrest of the Nebraska State Journal has been favored with a record and copy, and he stated that while he’s not at all musically inclined, his wife is a critic of no mean ability and she praised the fight song to the sky.

Copies and a record went back to General John J. Pershing.  A letter from his secretary, Col. G. E. Adamson, stated that General Pershing extended his warmest thanks for the generous compliment paid by the songwriter in dedicating it to him. The director of the Army band has already asked for copies and these will eventually be forwarded to him.

Songwriter Miner expects to have a band arrangement made by Paul Yoder, probably the Nation’s outstanding arranger of band music, as soon as all arrangement can by completed.

The Original Harry Husker

Lyrics To

Dear Old Nebraska U

(No Place Like Nebraska):
There is no place like Nebraska
Dear old Nebraska U.
Where the girls are the fairest,
The boys are the squarest,
Of any old school that I knew.
There is no place like Nebraska,
Where they're all true blue.
We'll all stick together,
In all kinds of weather,
For Dear old Nebraska U!

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