Remembering John Blake

Former Nebraska defensive line coach John Blake may never be remembered as a Husker legend by fans, but he was a legendary figure to those that knew him during his short time in Lincoln.

The 59-year-old Blake passed away from a heart attack while out on a walk Thursday according to multiple reports. He will be best known as a player and former head coach for the Oklahoma Sooners as well as winning two Super Bowls as the defensive line coach for the Dallas Cowboys. However, the larger than life Blake made a huge impact during the three years he was at Nebraska.

Blake was hired away from Mississippi State in 2004 by new Nebraska head coach Bill Callahan. It proved to be a wise hire by Callahan as Blake was known to be one of the best recruiters in the nation and certainly lived up to that billing. He helped the Huskers land eventual NFL second-round draft pick running back Brandon Jackson out of Mississippi in that 2004 transition class.

Next, Blake played a pivotal role in helping the Big Red sign its top-rated class in the modern recruiting era in 2005. Blake was either the lead recruiter, position coach or simply played a key role in the recruiting process for players such as Ndamukong Suh, Marlon Lucky, Barry Turner, Phillip Dillard, Ola Dagunduro, Barry Cryer and Steve Octavien just to name a few. In all, Blake was an important figure in helping sign well over a third of that 2005 signing class that ended up ranked No. 5 in the nation.

His defensive lines at Nebraska were some of the better ones NU has had over the last 20 years as well. In 2004 the Huskers ended the season ranked 11th nationally in run defense. The Blackshirts set a single-season school record for tackles for loss in 2005 with 140. Blake's defensive line played a huge role in setting that school record.

Blake's larger-than-life personality and genuine nature is what I will personally remember the most about him.

I was fortunate enough to work with Blake during his time at Nebraska and he always made time to talk with you, ask how you were doing and put a smile on your face. He was non-stop entertainment between telling stories, dance competitions between he and running backs coach Randy Jordan, or random phone calls with guys like Deion Sanders, Emmitt Smith or Leon Lett that he would include you in on.

The ability to form an instant connection with virtually anyone that crossed his path was something I had never really seen before and what really set him apart as a recruiter.

That along with the love he had for his players and especially his wife Freda and son Jourdan are the things I will never forget about John Blake.