It's a little ironic that Tommie Frazier was voted by World-Herald readers the No. 2 Husker of the century, when he had so much to do with Nebraska's return to No. 1 in the 1990s.

	Tommie Frazier

Frazier was the starting quarterback in back-to-back seasons when Nebraska went 25-0 and won two national championships in 1994-95. His career numbers are also spectacular: 33-3 record in four years as starter, two titles in three national championship games, Nebraska's all-time total offense leader with 5,476 yards and 79 total touchdowns and a three-time bowl MVP.

No less an authority than former Nebraska Coach Tom Osborne said if he were to choose one player "who has had the most impact on the outcome of the greatest number of games over the longest period of time since I've been at Nebraska, it would be Tommie Frazier."

Statistics and trophies scarcely reflect Frazier's leadership. His intangibles made him and the Huskers the most feared team in the land. If Nebraska's bread and butter on offense was the quarterback option, then Frazier was the knife that sliced opposing defenses. When 75,000 in red gasped as they saw a linebacker closing fast from behind, Frazier knew exactly when to cut upfield. He knew when to keep it, he knew when to pitch out, so many times at the last possible second before absorbing another grinding hit.

"What I remember is the dominance that we had those two years," Frazier said. "And actually all the years I was there. It was special because it was a team thing. There was no one individual who stood out. We never thought of ourselves as anything but a team."

They were a team, one of the best ever, but Frazier was the undisputed leader. Calm, fearless, hard-working. Not too fast, just faster than those chasing him. Not a great passer, just good enough to set the NU career record for touchdown passes (43) on a predominantly running team. No showboating, no whining, no settling for second.

There also hasn't been much looking back for the kid who put his faith in Osborne and spurned the football-rich universities in his home state of Florida to come to Nebraska. He says he doesn't follow the Huskers anymore.

"When people ask me about it, I can't say much because I have to tell them I don't pay much attention to them anymore," Frazier said.

Recurring blood clots in his leg shortened Frazier's playing career, but he said "the leg is fine" now.

Frazier was speaking from his football office at Baylor where he is the running backs coach. Life with the Bears hasn't exactly been one victory parade after another. They won as many games in 1999 as Frazier lost in his last three years with the Huskers.

"We only won one out of 11, but we are in the rebuilding process," Frazier said. "The situation we (Head Coach Kevin Steele) came into wasn't the best predicament. We're at the bottom now, but we're going to be competitive. You can't have a perfect season every year."

Frazier said he has learned to be patient with his players. "You're here to teach, and if the players are doing the best they can, you just make sure they know the system."

At Nebraska, where the fans take pride in being fiercely proud of their team, Frazier was under a lot of pressure to come through, not just for the team, but for the whole state. But he said he was only interested in gaining the approval of his peers.

"I think as players we went out and gave it everything we have, but we were playing for ourselves," Frazier said. "The fans, they are great when you are winning and they are happy, but if you're not there is a lot of negative stuff about what's happening. So I think we played for each other."

If there is an indelible image from the 1995 season, it would be that of Frazier breaking tackles and high-stepping down the sideline toward the end of a 75-yard touchdown run during the 62-24 demolition of Florida in the 1996 Fiesta Bowl.

Frazier, however, doesn't hold any one particular memory above the rest.

"There isn't one specific moment, and I've never tried to single one out," Frazier said. "I value them all."

As for being No. 2 on the list of all-time Huskers, Frazier said he has no problem with the man who beat him out.

"I've always thought Johnny Rodgers was the best who ever played at Nebraska," Frazier said.