We have 44 days until our first game of the 2026-2027 football season against the Ohio Bobcats on 9/5/2026.
Yesterday we looked at Johnson County, Nebraska.
https://www.on3.com/boards/threads/45-days-until-gameday-–-day-49-johnson-county-nebraska.8902829/
Kearney County, Nebraska
Former Huskers and Spotlights (years are letterman years)
According to University of Nebraska-Lincoln records, there have been 6 letterman football players from Kearney County, NE.
Jerry Brown – FB 1955-1957, Minden, NE.
Greg Jorgensen – OG 1975-1977, Minden, NE.
John Nelson – OG 1987-1988, Minden, NE.
William Schabacker – E 1951-1953, Minden, NE.
Fred Thomsen – E 1920-1922, Minden, NE.
Kris Van Norman – S 1980-1982, Minden, NE.
Other Notable or Prominent People from/born in Kearney County:
Carl Curtis – born near Minden on a family farm, Curtis was a Senator from 1955-1979 and a Congressman from 1939-1954.
Harold Warp – born and raised in Minden, he was the inventor of Flex-O-Glass and also founded Pioneer Village in Minden. He was in attendance of Game 3 of the 1932 World Series when Babe Ruth famously called his homerun before hitting it. Warp filmed that specific moment on his 16mm film camera.
Norbert Tiemann – Born in Minden and moved to Campbell in Franklin County during his youth. Served in the Army during WWII and later graduated from UNL. Tiemann would become the 32nd Governor of Nebraska, serving from 1967-1971.
Otto Miller – Born in Minden, Miller was a professional baseball player (Catcher) in the Brooklyn system from 1910-1922. In his 13-year career, he played in 927 games batting .245 with 5 HRs, 97 doubles, 33 triples, 231 RBIs, and 40 stolen bases. As a catcher, he had a .973 fielding percentage. He died in 1972 when he fell from a Brooklyn hospital window after having cataract surgery.
Charles Binderup – An immigrant from Denmark as a child, he eventually ended up near Minden where he began farming. He would serve in Congress for Nebraska from 1935-1939.
Harold Beck – A 3-sport star at Minden HS in the early 1950’s. All-State running back, All-State basketball player guiding his team to a 62-4 record over 4 years. Played football and basketball for Hastings College where he was an All-American in both sports. Set the Hastings College school record in career points in basketball. Member of the Hastings College Hall of Fame and Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame.
Taylor Kissinger - 4x All-State basketball player at Minden HS. She would go on to play basketball for Nebraska. She was the first sophomore ever to be named Kearney Hub Territory Player of the Year. She finished her Husker career playing in 60 games, starting 31. She averaged 9.3 points per game on 41.9% shooting.
Gary Anderson – Born in Holdredge and raised in Axtell, Gary was an Olympic sport shooter winning 2 Olympic Gold Medals in 1964 and 1968. He has also won 7 world championships and set 6 world records. He is also the first Nebraskan to win an Olympic Gold Medal.
GO BIG RED
Resources:
https://storage.googleapis.com/husk.../ZD6pyAK8hFocPYXCFPaVccH8170tcm1uOYyc7u0R.pdf
https://kearneycounty.ne.gov/
https://kearneycounty.ne.gov/about-our-county/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kearney_County,_Nebraska
Yesterday we looked at Johnson County, Nebraska.
https://www.on3.com/boards/threads/45-days-until-gameday-–-day-49-johnson-county-nebraska.8902829/
Kearney County, Nebraska
- Established in 1860 and named after Fort Kearny (yes that’s how it is/was spelt) which is spelt after Brigadier General Stephen Kearny of the Mexican-American War.
- Kearney began to be spelt that way when a postal error began adding the ‘e’ in the county name and it stuck.
- License plate prefix #52.
- The population is ~6,800 (2025) and has been rather stable since 1940.
- The county is approximately 516 square miles.
- The Platte River flows along the northern boundary of the county, with most it lying just outside the county line.
- Minden is the county seat and only city in the county.
- The county seat was originally in Kearny City and then moved to Lowell in 1872. It was moved to Minden in 1876.
- No, Kearney is not part of Kearney County.
- Fort Kearny was originally named Fort Childs and was a the first permanent Army outpost in central Nebraska to protect travelers on the Oregon Trail.
- Minden was settled and built up by German immigrants in 1876.
- Dobytown is a ghost town in the county three miles west of Fort Kearny.
- Every year since 1915, Minden lights up the town square and courthouse during the holidays, which officially earned it the nickname as the ‘Christmas City’ in Nebraska.
- The Harold Warp Pioneer Village is a 20-acre attraction containing over 30,000 historical artifacts across 25 buildings, including one of the earliest washing machines and the first patented airplane.
- The county is home to 8 historical places listed on the National Register of Historical Places, including Dobytown and Fort Kearny.
- Fort Kearny State Historical Park offers living history demonstrations in an interpretive center. There are also hiking trails. In the park you can find a reconstructed stockade, barracks, and a blacksmith shop.
- Lowell was named after poet James Lowell.
- Bethphage Village of Axtell was founded in 1913 by a minister and provides services for the developmentally disabled.
Former Huskers and Spotlights (years are letterman years)
According to University of Nebraska-Lincoln records, there have been 6 letterman football players from Kearney County, NE.
Jerry Brown – FB 1955-1957, Minden, NE.
- 5’11” 205lb fullback wearing #35, out of Minden HS.
- Tom Novak Award Winner for most outstanding senior player in 1957.
- Nebraska Football Hall of Fame member.
- The 1955 team would finish 5-5 in Bill Glassford’s 7th season.
- The 1956 team would finish 4-6 in Pete Elliott’s 1st and only season.
- The 1957 team would finish 1-9 in Bill Jenning’s 1st season.
Greg Jorgensen – OG 1975-1977, Minden, NE.
- 6’2” 235lb guard out of Minden HS wearing #63.
- Started 2 years on the offensive line at Nebraska.
- 1977 All-Big Eight
- 1977 All-American
- Nebraska Football Hall of Fame member.
- The 1975 team would finish 10-2 and co-Big Eight champions in Tom Osborne’s 3rd season
- The 1976 team would finish 9-3-1 and Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl champions.
- The 1977 team would finish 9-3 and Liberty Bowl champions.
- Selected in the 10th round of the 1978 NFL Draft by the New York Giants but opted to forego playing professional football.
John Nelson – OG 1987-1988, Minden, NE.
- 6’1” 260lb guard wearing #76.
- All-State lineman out of Minden HS
- Played at Nebraska from 1984-1988.
- Former walk-on.
- 1988 Academic All-American
- 1988 Honorable Mention All-Big Eight
William Schabacker – E 1951-1953, Minden, NE.
- 6’1” 180lb end out of Minden HS.
- Two-way player for the Huskers during Bill Glassford’s tenure.
- Nebraska Football Hall of Fame member.
Fred Thomsen – E 1920-1922, Minden, NE.
- Played at Nebraska from 1920-1923.
- After playing, he was the head coach at Gothenburg HS and then the University of Arkansas, leading them to a Southwest Conference championship in 1936.
- He was a member of the Chennault’s Flying Tigers Air Squad during WWII.
- The 1920 team would finish 5-3-1 as an independent in Henry Schulte’s 2nd and last season as head coach.
- The 1921 team would finish 7-1 and Missouri Valley Conference champions in Fred Dawson’s 1st season.
- The 1922 team would finish 7-1 and co-Missouri Valley Conference champions in Fred Dawson’s 2nd season.
- The 1923 team would finish 4-2-2-and co-Missouri Valley Conference champions in Fred Dawson’s 3rd season.
Kris Van Norman – S 1980-1982, Minden, NE.
- 6’1” 200lb safety and monster back wearing #38.
- 3x Academic All-Big Eight.
- Recorded 48 tackles and 5 INTs.
Other Notable or Prominent People from/born in Kearney County:
Carl Curtis – born near Minden on a family farm, Curtis was a Senator from 1955-1979 and a Congressman from 1939-1954.
Harold Warp – born and raised in Minden, he was the inventor of Flex-O-Glass and also founded Pioneer Village in Minden. He was in attendance of Game 3 of the 1932 World Series when Babe Ruth famously called his homerun before hitting it. Warp filmed that specific moment on his 16mm film camera.
Norbert Tiemann – Born in Minden and moved to Campbell in Franklin County during his youth. Served in the Army during WWII and later graduated from UNL. Tiemann would become the 32nd Governor of Nebraska, serving from 1967-1971.
Otto Miller – Born in Minden, Miller was a professional baseball player (Catcher) in the Brooklyn system from 1910-1922. In his 13-year career, he played in 927 games batting .245 with 5 HRs, 97 doubles, 33 triples, 231 RBIs, and 40 stolen bases. As a catcher, he had a .973 fielding percentage. He died in 1972 when he fell from a Brooklyn hospital window after having cataract surgery.
Charles Binderup – An immigrant from Denmark as a child, he eventually ended up near Minden where he began farming. He would serve in Congress for Nebraska from 1935-1939.
Harold Beck – A 3-sport star at Minden HS in the early 1950’s. All-State running back, All-State basketball player guiding his team to a 62-4 record over 4 years. Played football and basketball for Hastings College where he was an All-American in both sports. Set the Hastings College school record in career points in basketball. Member of the Hastings College Hall of Fame and Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame.
Taylor Kissinger - 4x All-State basketball player at Minden HS. She would go on to play basketball for Nebraska. She was the first sophomore ever to be named Kearney Hub Territory Player of the Year. She finished her Husker career playing in 60 games, starting 31. She averaged 9.3 points per game on 41.9% shooting.
Gary Anderson – Born in Holdredge and raised in Axtell, Gary was an Olympic sport shooter winning 2 Olympic Gold Medals in 1964 and 1968. He has also won 7 world championships and set 6 world records. He is also the first Nebraskan to win an Olympic Gold Medal.
GO BIG RED
Resources:
https://storage.googleapis.com/husk.../ZD6pyAK8hFocPYXCFPaVccH8170tcm1uOYyc7u0R.pdf
https://kearneycounty.ne.gov/
https://kearneycounty.ne.gov/about-our-county/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kearney_County,_Nebraska
