Eric the Red
Team HuskerBoard
Mike Matya
HuskersIllustrated.com Staff Writer
Talk about it in Red Sea Scrolls
The Pillen name carries a lot of clout in the history of Nebraska Cornhusker football, especially in the storied tradition of the Blackshirts.
Pillen will follow in the footsteps of his dad and uncle in playing for NU.
In the late-70s, Jim Pillen was a standout monsterback who contributed big plays to some of the most notable victories in Tom Osborne's early tenure as a head coach. He recovered the late-fourth quarter Billy Sims fumble deep in NU's territory to preserve coach Osborne's first victory over Oklahoma in 1978. He also had two interceptions in the fourth quarter of Nebraska's 31-24 win over Bear Bryant's Alabama team in 1977.
Clete Pillen, who played from 1974-76, was a perennial All-Big Eight linebacker, and he was named the 1976 Big Eight defensive player of the year. He was also the fifth all-time leading tackler in the Huskers' program. Now, Clete's son and Jim's nephew, David Pillen, will be joining NU's program as a walk-on this coming season.
David Pillen is a 5-foot-11, 230-pound three year letterman from Sugar Land (Texas) Stephen F. Austin High.
"David played defensive end and power fullback for us," Stephen F. Austin head coach Tom Stuart told HuskersIllustrated.com. "We're based out of the 'I', and he played more fullback as sophomore and junior. He played more defense for us this year."
On the defensive side of the ball as a senior, Pillen 30 solo tackles (50 total), three sacks, three quarterback hurries, and two fumbles recovered. He also handled all the deep snapping for the past two and a half years.
"Where I was most impressed with David is that we were running short on the defensive side of the ball last year, and he came in and said, 'Coach, I don't care where you play me, I'll play where you most need me'," coach Stuart said. "Not too many high school players would do that. He showed team leadership by doing that.
"David is a quiet person, and he leads by example rather than by talking about it. He's been a part of our Peer Assistant Leadership (PALs), which is an elite group of 22 kids in our school. It's a service oriented program, and it's a very prestigious program here at school. Of course, David's father and uncle played at Nebraska, so he loves Nebraska and has been a Cornhusker all his life. He's just always literally bled red."
HuskersIllustrated Magazine
David's uncle, Jim Pillen, was a standout monsterback for NU in the late-70's.
David Pillen has had it in his mind that he was going to play for the Huskers no matter what, and he told all other suitors not to waste their time recruiting him.
"I didn't have any offers or anything like that yet, but I had TCU and U of H looking at me," David Pillen said. "I basically told everyone I was going to Nebraska, so that just shooed them all away. I've always wanted to pay for Nebraska my entire life, mainly because I was brought up in the (Nebraska) family. Just from past experiences, Nebraska is the only place I've wanted to go."
Pillen said that he had a good relationship with both the previous staff and the new regime under head coach Bo Pelini.
"I was going to be walking on with the old staff, too," Pillen said. "I was pretty welcomed by both staffs, there's just a bit of a difference in the way things are dealt with between the staff now and the previous staff. The last staff was more business, and the staff now wants to get things going on a roll. They want to do things the right way.
"I went to the Cotton Bowl when they played down here in Texas, and the last game I went to at Memorial Stadium was the Colorado game two years ago. I went to the spring game last year, and I'll be coming up to the spring game this year as well."
Pillen's family is 100 percent behind his decision to play for the Huskers.
"You have no idea," David Pillen said. "My brother has a website with my pictures all over the place on his blog. He's ecstatic. It kind of makes it fun because he's almost more excited than I am."
David Pillen's brother, Mark Pillen, will be a senior on the Husker golf team next season.
HuskersIllustrated.com Staff Writer
Talk about it in Red Sea Scrolls
The Pillen name carries a lot of clout in the history of Nebraska Cornhusker football, especially in the storied tradition of the Blackshirts.
Pillen will follow in the footsteps of his dad and uncle in playing for NU.
In the late-70s, Jim Pillen was a standout monsterback who contributed big plays to some of the most notable victories in Tom Osborne's early tenure as a head coach. He recovered the late-fourth quarter Billy Sims fumble deep in NU's territory to preserve coach Osborne's first victory over Oklahoma in 1978. He also had two interceptions in the fourth quarter of Nebraska's 31-24 win over Bear Bryant's Alabama team in 1977.
Clete Pillen, who played from 1974-76, was a perennial All-Big Eight linebacker, and he was named the 1976 Big Eight defensive player of the year. He was also the fifth all-time leading tackler in the Huskers' program. Now, Clete's son and Jim's nephew, David Pillen, will be joining NU's program as a walk-on this coming season.
David Pillen is a 5-foot-11, 230-pound three year letterman from Sugar Land (Texas) Stephen F. Austin High.
"David played defensive end and power fullback for us," Stephen F. Austin head coach Tom Stuart told HuskersIllustrated.com. "We're based out of the 'I', and he played more fullback as sophomore and junior. He played more defense for us this year."
On the defensive side of the ball as a senior, Pillen 30 solo tackles (50 total), three sacks, three quarterback hurries, and two fumbles recovered. He also handled all the deep snapping for the past two and a half years.
"Where I was most impressed with David is that we were running short on the defensive side of the ball last year, and he came in and said, 'Coach, I don't care where you play me, I'll play where you most need me'," coach Stuart said. "Not too many high school players would do that. He showed team leadership by doing that.
"David is a quiet person, and he leads by example rather than by talking about it. He's been a part of our Peer Assistant Leadership (PALs), which is an elite group of 22 kids in our school. It's a service oriented program, and it's a very prestigious program here at school. Of course, David's father and uncle played at Nebraska, so he loves Nebraska and has been a Cornhusker all his life. He's just always literally bled red."
HuskersIllustrated Magazine
David's uncle, Jim Pillen, was a standout monsterback for NU in the late-70's.
David Pillen has had it in his mind that he was going to play for the Huskers no matter what, and he told all other suitors not to waste their time recruiting him.
"I didn't have any offers or anything like that yet, but I had TCU and U of H looking at me," David Pillen said. "I basically told everyone I was going to Nebraska, so that just shooed them all away. I've always wanted to pay for Nebraska my entire life, mainly because I was brought up in the (Nebraska) family. Just from past experiences, Nebraska is the only place I've wanted to go."
Pillen said that he had a good relationship with both the previous staff and the new regime under head coach Bo Pelini.
"I was going to be walking on with the old staff, too," Pillen said. "I was pretty welcomed by both staffs, there's just a bit of a difference in the way things are dealt with between the staff now and the previous staff. The last staff was more business, and the staff now wants to get things going on a roll. They want to do things the right way.
"I went to the Cotton Bowl when they played down here in Texas, and the last game I went to at Memorial Stadium was the Colorado game two years ago. I went to the spring game last year, and I'll be coming up to the spring game this year as well."
Pillen's family is 100 percent behind his decision to play for the Huskers.
"You have no idea," David Pillen said. "My brother has a website with my pictures all over the place on his blog. He's ecstatic. It kind of makes it fun because he's almost more excited than I am."
David Pillen's brother, Mark Pillen, will be a senior on the Husker golf team next season.
