Game Day Traditions

White tells the history behind how school spirit developed at the University of Nebraska, and Husker game day traditions. In sharing her book, The Spirit of Nebraska, White describes her journey to attending college, becoming a college cheerleader and the path to writing her first book. With her story, she conveys the message that no matter how irregular or divergent a person’s path, if they follow their passion and heart, anyone can accomplish their dreams.

With a PowerPoint presentation for added interest, White guides the audience through some of the interesting and unknown information that she uncovered about Husker history and traditions. White displays vintage University of Nebraska cheer memorabilia from her collection, tells stories and interjects humor throughout her presentation, which ends with the first all campus cheer created at the University of Nebraska in 1889.

About the Speaker: Debra Kleve White

Debra Kleve White is a native Nebraskan. As a graduate of the University of Nebraska (UNL) and a former Yell Squad member (1977-1980), her education and college experiences led her toward a path of gratitude and a desire to give back to the University. In doing so, she developed her passion for history and research, concentrating on the UNL athletic department and Spirit Squad, where her love lies. Her background is in education where she worked at the University of Texas at Austin for 12 years in the College of Education’s Institute for Public School Initiatives. Also, she worked in a career as a real estate broker in Austin, Texas for 38 years. In her spare time White would return to Lincoln to research the history of the UNL Spirit Squad and sports. After 15 years of research and 5 years of writing, her first book was released titled: The Spirit of Nebraska: A history of Husker Game Day Traditions – The Tunnel Walk, Mascots, Cheer & More. The foreword to the book was written by Tom Osborne.