We have 26 days until our first game of the 2026-2027 football season against the Ohio Bobcats on 9/5/2026.
Yesterday we looked at Pawnee County, Nebraska.
https://www.on3.com/boards/threads/27-days-until-gameday-–-day-67-pawnee-county-nebraska.8923954/
Perkins County, Nebraska
Former Huskers and Spotlights (years are letterman years)
According to University of Nebraska-Lincoln records, there have been 4 letterman football players from Perkins County, NE.
Jeff Olsen – LB 1993, Grant, NE.
6’2” 210lb outside linebacker wearing #98.
All-State player out of Grant High School.
Played at Nebraska from 1992-1944, lettering in 1993.
1994 NCAA National Champion
2x Big Eight champion
Ryan Terwilliger – LB 1993-1996, Grant, NE.
6’5” 225lb will linebacker wearing #91.
2x All-State player out of Grant High School.
Played in 40 games with 11 starts, finishing with 76 tackles, 9 TFLs, 3 sacks, 2 forced fumbles.
2x NCAA National Champion
Academic All-Big Eight
Academic All-Big 12
Other Notable or Prominent People from/born in Perkins County:
John Mason – Born in Madrid and spent his early childhood in Madrid. John became an artist who did experimental works with ceramics, focusing on exploring the physical properties of clay and its plasticity. He taught sculpture at Pomona College in California.
Frank Anderson – born in Grant, NE. JUCO All-American at Mid-Plains College in North Platte and All-Area outfielder at Nebraska-Kearney. Coached college baseball from 1984-2025 when he left the University of Tennessee to join the San Francisco Giants coaching staff. His son, Brett, pitched 13 years in the MLB for the A’s, Rockies, Dodgers, Cubs, Blue Jays, and Brewers.
Hugh Davidson – Born in Grant and played fullback at Colorado from 1950-1951. He was the head coach at the University of Montana from 1964-1966, but resigned after going 8-20 in that span.
Gary Glick – Born in Grant and grew up in Laporte, CO. Joined the Navy and served in the Korean War. While in the Navy he played service football where he said that’s where he refined his skills and gained weight. After 4 years in the Navy, he played for the Colorado A&M Rams (later became Colorado State). Gary is 1 of 4 Glick brothers to letter at Colorado State. He was a two-way player who excelled on the field as a quarterback, halfback, linebacker, safety, and kicker. He led the Rams in rushing and scoring in 1954, snagged 8 interceptions that year. He set the season record and career record in interceptions with 8 and 14, respectively. The 8 in a season still stands today. A 1955 All-American and 1955 Team Captain. He was selected first overall in the 1956 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played 7 years in the NFL, winning the 1963 AFL Championship and finishing his career with 14 interceptions and 12 fumble recoveries. He is a member of the Colorado State University Athletics Hall of Fame.
Bill Jackman – Born and raised in Grant, NE and graduated from Perkins County High School. 3x football state champion. 2x basketball state champion. Led the basketball team on a state-record 52 game winning streak. 2x All-State basketball player. Played 2 years for Mike Kryzewski at Duke and then transferred to Nebraska where he played the rest of his career. Bill played 4 years of international basketball. Today he is a member of the executive committee and board member of the Cotton Bowl Classic and the board chair for the University of Nebraska Foundation. He is a member of the Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame.
GO BIG RED
Resources:
https://storage.googleapis.com/husk.../ZD6pyAK8hFocPYXCFPaVccH8170tcm1uOYyc7u0R.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perkins_County,_Nebraska
https://perkinscounty.ne.gov/
https://nebraskacounties.org/nebraska-counties/county/perkins.html
https://nebraskacounties.org/file_download/inline/bf3e594b-08ae-409f-8e89-7e6cef4ac5ef
Yesterday we looked at Pawnee County, Nebraska.
https://www.on3.com/boards/threads/27-days-until-gameday-–-day-67-pawnee-county-nebraska.8923954/
Perkins County, Nebraska
- Established in 1887 and formed with lands from Keith County.
- The county is named after Charles Elliott Perkins, president of the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad at the time.
- License plate prefix #74.
- The population is ~2,850 (2025) and has been declining since 1930, though it did experience a brief period of growth in the 1970s.
- Grant is the county seat and only city in the county. No, Grant is not in Grant County.
- Grant Packing is where most of my family’s beef processing is done.
- Grainton was named because it was a shipping point of grain on the railroad.
- The Madrid General Store in Madrid is a small general store that alos makes a lot of homemade goods (absolutely delicious, the cinnamon rolls are some of my favorite).
- Madrid is pronounced “mad” as in ‘I am mad at you’.
- The Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad runs through the county with Venango, Grant, Madrid, and Elsie all platted along the railroad.
- Grant, NE is named after President Ulysses S. Grant.
- Venango is historically known as the ‘Buckle of the Wheat Belt’ due to its rich soil and being a winter wheat farming hub.
- Venango was settled by Pennsylvania natives who named all the streets after counties in western Pennsylvania and the main street named Pennsylvania Avenue.
- Middle of Nowhere Bar & Grill is a restaurant in Venango, NE.
Former Huskers and Spotlights (years are letterman years)
According to University of Nebraska-Lincoln records, there have been 4 letterman football players from Perkins County, NE.
Jeff Olsen – LB 1993, Grant, NE.
6’2” 210lb outside linebacker wearing #98.
All-State player out of Grant High School.
Played at Nebraska from 1992-1944, lettering in 1993.
1994 NCAA National Champion
2x Big Eight champion
Ryan Terwilliger – LB 1993-1996, Grant, NE.
6’5” 225lb will linebacker wearing #91.
2x All-State player out of Grant High School.
Played in 40 games with 11 starts, finishing with 76 tackles, 9 TFLs, 3 sacks, 2 forced fumbles.
2x NCAA National Champion
Academic All-Big Eight
Academic All-Big 12
Other Notable or Prominent People from/born in Perkins County:
John Mason – Born in Madrid and spent his early childhood in Madrid. John became an artist who did experimental works with ceramics, focusing on exploring the physical properties of clay and its plasticity. He taught sculpture at Pomona College in California.
Frank Anderson – born in Grant, NE. JUCO All-American at Mid-Plains College in North Platte and All-Area outfielder at Nebraska-Kearney. Coached college baseball from 1984-2025 when he left the University of Tennessee to join the San Francisco Giants coaching staff. His son, Brett, pitched 13 years in the MLB for the A’s, Rockies, Dodgers, Cubs, Blue Jays, and Brewers.
Hugh Davidson – Born in Grant and played fullback at Colorado from 1950-1951. He was the head coach at the University of Montana from 1964-1966, but resigned after going 8-20 in that span.
Gary Glick – Born in Grant and grew up in Laporte, CO. Joined the Navy and served in the Korean War. While in the Navy he played service football where he said that’s where he refined his skills and gained weight. After 4 years in the Navy, he played for the Colorado A&M Rams (later became Colorado State). Gary is 1 of 4 Glick brothers to letter at Colorado State. He was a two-way player who excelled on the field as a quarterback, halfback, linebacker, safety, and kicker. He led the Rams in rushing and scoring in 1954, snagged 8 interceptions that year. He set the season record and career record in interceptions with 8 and 14, respectively. The 8 in a season still stands today. A 1955 All-American and 1955 Team Captain. He was selected first overall in the 1956 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played 7 years in the NFL, winning the 1963 AFL Championship and finishing his career with 14 interceptions and 12 fumble recoveries. He is a member of the Colorado State University Athletics Hall of Fame.
Bill Jackman – Born and raised in Grant, NE and graduated from Perkins County High School. 3x football state champion. 2x basketball state champion. Led the basketball team on a state-record 52 game winning streak. 2x All-State basketball player. Played 2 years for Mike Kryzewski at Duke and then transferred to Nebraska where he played the rest of his career. Bill played 4 years of international basketball. Today he is a member of the executive committee and board member of the Cotton Bowl Classic and the board chair for the University of Nebraska Foundation. He is a member of the Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame.
GO BIG RED
Resources:
https://storage.googleapis.com/husk.../ZD6pyAK8hFocPYXCFPaVccH8170tcm1uOYyc7u0R.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perkins_County,_Nebraska
https://perkinscounty.ne.gov/
https://nebraskacounties.org/nebraska-counties/county/perkins.html
https://nebraskacounties.org/file_download/inline/bf3e594b-08ae-409f-8e89-7e6cef4ac5ef
