80. Danny Noonan
Football / Lincoln / Born: 1965
QUICK FACTS:
Played for: Lincoln Northeast High, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers
Best athlete from Nebraska played with or against: Dave Rimington. Noonan did not face the former Omaha South star until the NFL.
Best moment as an athlete: Making all-city as a junior in high school. "It's the first time where I knew I really could make it in football," he said.
The scholarship offer from Nebraska came late in November 1982. But why waste time on an undersized middle guard out of Lincoln Northeast?
"I don't know," Danny Noonan said. "They must have thought I had a little football sense. I'm glad they saw it."
Coach Tom Osborne later admitted to Noonan that he was just about the last player to survive the cut on Nebraska's recruiting board 23 years ago. Not only was Nebraska his only offer, but Noonan had not even one other opportunity to visit a Division I campus.
Osborne, like Noonan, is glad the decision was made. From 1984 to 1986, Noonan helped anchor the NU defensive line. His 25 sacks rank fourth in school history and second among linemen.
After landing with the Dallas Cowboys in the first round of the 1987 draft, Noonan played six seasons in the NFL and finished his career in 1992 with the Green Bay Packers. He collected half of his 15 career sacks in 1988, when he also intercepted his only pass and returned it for a touchdown.
--Mitch Sherman
QUICK FACTS:
Played for: Lincoln Northeast High, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers
Best athlete from Nebraska played with or against: Dave Rimington. Noonan did not face the former Omaha South star until the NFL.
Best moment as an athlete: Making all-city as a junior in high school. "It's the first time where I knew I really could make it in football," he said.
