Nate Metschke Scores Recognition For Going Above and Beyond

Even a thick, grey stocking cap pulled down low on his forehead couldn’t hide the glimmer in Nate Metschke’s eyes as he looked around Memorial Stadium on Saturday morning.

It was 10 a.m.  The Huskers weren’t even on the field yet for their game against Michigan State, but the Neligh-Oakdale band director was there, wide-eyed and standing on Tom Osborne Field as he turned in a circle trying to take in the entire stadium.

“Isn’t this wild?” Metschke said as the Huskers ran out to begin warming up for their last home game of the season. “This is just incredible. It’s so much better than I ever imagined.”

Although the snow was starting to float down, Saturday was still Metschke’s moment to shine as one of four teachers honored before the football game as a Nebraska Loves Public Schools Touchdown for Teachers winner.

Metschke learned about two weeks ago that we was selected for going above and beyond in the classroom, but as for who nominated him, he still doesn’t know.

“It’s one of life’s mysteries, I guess,” he said. “I thought by now someone would tell me, but they haven’t. I’m very grateful they thought enough of me to do this and very humbled that they did. It was such a neat day and neat experience, so thank you to whomever nominated me.”

Saturday morning started early for Metschke and his wife, Darcy, who joined others being honored with a tailgate catered by Famous Dave’s. They then ventured down to Tom Osborne Field in preparation for being honored on camera. Despite temperatures in the high 20s and snow falling, the smile never left Metschke’s face as the excitement kept him warm on the sidelines watching his favorite college team.

With quarterback Adrian Martinez just a few feet behind him, Metschke motioned to his wife to take a photo showing him on the field with the Husker starter in the background. Metschke’s smile may have been too large to fit in the frame.

Saturday actually marked just the third time Metschke had been on Nebraska’s football field and the first during a game. Metschke’s fourth-grade class at Chambers toured the facility back in the late 1980s, and he drove the Neligh-Oakdale school bus to a spring football game a few years ago.

This time was totally different, Metschke said, as he watched the players warm up, the seniors being recognized by Coach Scott Frost, the band playing the national anthem, and later, the honoring of fallen players Sam Foltz and Mike Sadler.

“There was so much happening that made it such a special day for me,” Metschke said. “The best part was being on the field for pregame. I’d never seen any of that from that vantage point from the flyover to the band playing. I’m a band teacher, so the band was really special for me. It was all just a really neat experience.”

Metschke and the other honorees — Betsy Hoxmeier of Southern Valley, Julie Albrecht of Emerson-Hubbard and Anna Spears of Lincoln Public — sat together during the game in Section 9 next to the band, which was also a highlight for the Metschkes.

“I’ve never sat that close to the band, so I really got a buzz out of that,” he said with a chuckle. “It was great. Even though it was really cold, it
was great. And we won, so what’s better than that?”

Sitting just in front of the Husker sideline, Metschke said he kept an eye out for Ben Lingenfelter, who is one of two Huskers who Metschke has taught during his tenure at Neligh-Oakdale. Lingenfelter, a redshirt freshman, played tuba for Metschke, and Tyler Legate, who was formerly a starting fullback for the Huskers, played the trombone while at Neligh-Oakdale.

It’s been a roller-coaster year for the Metschkes with Nate battling cancer for the second time. Tuesday will mark his seventh round of chemotherapy with surgery approaching sometime in the next month or so.

​“It was such a great opportunity,” Metschke said, still visibly touched by the experience. “When you’re married with three kids, you don’t get too many weekends away like this, so it meant a lot to us. It was very special, and I can’t thank the person enough for this experience.”