Nebraska fans thank Fresno State for show of sportsmanship

Several Nebraska football fans reached out to The Bee to express their appreciation for Fresno State’s show of sportsmanship during Saturday’s game in Lincoln.

The season-opener was emotional for the Cornhuskers, coming after Nebraska punter Sam Foltz was killed in a car crash in July.

“We in Husker nation are so grateful for the classy way your Fresno State football team behaved in Lincoln,” wrote Judi Korte. “When our team was honoring our fallen punter, Sam Foltz, by only putting ten men on the field for our first punt and were flagged for delay of game, Fresno State declined the penalty. That was so touching to us and we will forever think of them as a first class bunch of people. The SF sticker on their helmets were also a nice touch. Thank you for putting sportsmanship ahead of field position. We salute you!”

And Mark Slevin wrote, “To Fresno State Fans: Thank you, and your team for honoring Sam Foltz yesterday. I’ve been a Cornhusker fan for nearly 52 years and I’ll always remember Fresno State’s courtesy and sportsmanship on such an emotional day in Lincoln. We want our student athletes to grow into outstanding citizens and it’s obvious Coach DeRuyter is a leader with character.

“Best wishes to the Bulldogs.”

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This story was originally published September 4, 2016 at 12:23 PM with the headline "Nebraska fans thank Fresno State for show of sportsmanship."