Mohamed Barry remembers walking into the Nebraska locker room on the days when the coveted Blackshirts were handed out and seeing them hanging in his teammates’ lockers.
He remembers the looks on their faces when they first saw the jerseys, and how some guys almost fainted because they were so overcome with emotion.
Barry finally got to experience that feeling for himself on Monday, and in a way none of his teammates had before him.
After the Huskers wrapped up their first game week practice, head coach Scott Frost gathered the defense together for a meeting. There, several former Blackshirts spoke to the unit about the famous program tradition and what it meant to them as players and even still today.
After their speeches, the former players took turns handing out the jerseys to the newest crop of Blackshirts individually. It was a moment that was not lost on any of the 14 recipients.
“You had the people that actually wore that shirt and did something with it,” said Barry, who had his Blackshirt presented by his position coach Ruud. “Now, the shirt is not just a shirt; it comes to life. It’s a real thing, with the person who’s worn it - a representative of all that went into that shirt - and he’s giving it to you, telling you, ‘You have to earn it every day.’ So, it meant a lot how they did it this year.”
Barry was joined by fellow linebackers Will Honas, Collin Miller, Alex Davis, and Caleb Tannor; defensive linemen Darrion Daniels, Carlos Davis, Khalil Davis, and Ben Stille; and defensive backs Lamar Jackson, Dicaprio Bootle, Deontai Williams, Marquel Dismuke, and Cam Taylor as the 2019 Blackshirts.
Daniels, who arrived as a grad transfer from Oklahoma State in the spring, is by far the least versed in Nebraska traditions of the group. But he immediately understood what it meant to have so many former Huskers take part in the Blackshirt ceremony.
“I don’t know how to explain it, just seeing them come back, it matters that much to them,” Daniels said. “Just seeing them come back, to want to spend time out of their day to come talk to us and to, in a way, pass the torch and hold us to the standard of the Blackshirts, it was great. It was really great just seeing that the tradition is that rich here."
Former NU defenders Jason Peter, Jay Foreman, Steve Warren, Chris Kelsay, Chad Kelsay, Marc Munford, Tony Veland, Kenny Wilhite, Keyuo Craver, Zack Bowman, and Barrett Ruud all gave speeches during the event.
Each talk was unique, but Frost said all delivered exactly the message he wanted.
“Their message to the team was spot on,” Frost said. “It was an inspiring and neat to see that happen after practice… Jay Foreman was one of the neatest ones to me. He said there’s only two jerseys in his office: his first Husker jersey and his Blackshirt.
“Actually, in his will, he said he’s going to be buried with his Blackshirt. So if anything tells you what it means to those guys, his message told us that.”
Defensive coordinator Erik Chinander said on Tuesday that seeing so many former Blackshirts come back and describe the meaning of the tradition not only had a big impact on the current players, but also for the coaches.
"It was an awesome experience," Chinander said. "It meant the world to me and the guys. I never like to talk about what those guys say, because I want them to feel like they can come back and say anything they want. But you're talking about a deal where you had some grown men shedding a tear, and there's one of them right here.
"They just told those guys what it mean to be a Blackshirt, and I don't think they've heard that from enough guys yet to really get this tradition back to where it needs to be. It was an awesome, awesome deal, and one that I'll cherish for the rest of my life."
