Diedrick Overcomes the Doubters

Running back Dahrran Diedrick had much to prove when he became the first high school player from Canada to receive a football scholarship to Nebraska.

Though he’d rushed for nearly 1,900 yards in nine games as a senior at Cedarbrae Collegiate Institute in Scarborough, Ontario--he gained 311 in 11 carries in his final game--he knew that other Cornhusker recruits questioned his talent when he arrived in Lincoln, Neb., in 1998.

“When I came in, they were like, ‘How good could he be?”’ Diedrick said. “Those guys were from Texas, California, Florida and every other state. I was the foreigner. I had to come in and use toughness. Whatever happens, you bounce up and you show the other guys that you are willing to stick your nose in there and get the job done and be physical.”

After a redshirt year and two seasons as a backup, the 6-foot, 225-pound Diedrick used his bruising running style to gain 1,299 yards and score 15 touchdowns in 233 carries this season. He led the Big 12 Conference in rushing, even though he shared time with Thunder Collins and played in an offense with Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Eric Crouch.

Diedrick was born in Jamaica and moved to Canada when he was 12. He is one of three players from Canada on the Cornhusker roster.

“Michigan, Ohio State and the teams closer to Canada have had Canadian players for a long time,” Diedrick said. “It’s finally being figured out by others that there are a lot of athletes up there [in Canada] not getting recognized. So a lot of schools are going up there now to make sure they don’t lose out on a great player.”

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Nebraska practiced for the final time Tuesday, working out for 1 hour 45 minutes in helmets and sweats.

Diedrick, who had ankle problems earlier this season, and defensive end Demoine Adams returned to practice after sitting out Monday for precautionary reasons.

The Cornhuskers will have a walk-through today at either a high school or the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

“The attitude of the team is excellent and they are ready to play some great football,” Nebraska Coach Frank Solich said. “It’s time to wrap this thing up.”

The Cornhuskers are eight-point underdogs for their national championship game Thursday against Miami, but Solich said he is not using that to motivate his team.

“We’ve never tried to build up the fact that we’ve been favored in almost every game that we’ve played since I can remember, so we don’t try to play that up,” Solich said. “With all that’s riding on it you wouldn’t have to search very far for extra motivation.”

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A Nebraska contingent attended the taping of the “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno” Tuesday afternoon, but Solich said he was not planning to join his players.

“They are looking forward to it and they’re excited about the opportunity but we have an opportunity to play in a national championship game too, so I think I may need to make sure that I’m prepared,” he said.

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Randy Garcia, who played quarterback at Nebraska after being named City Section player of the year at Los Angeles Wilson High in 1972, watched the Cornhuskers practice Tuesday.

Garcia, an LAPD officer for 22 years, backed up Vince Ferragamo at Nebraska in 1975 and 1976 and started in 1977. Ferragamo was the City player of the year at Wilmington Banning in 1971.

Garcia said he had intended to play college football on the West Coast. But that was before Tom Osborne, then preparing for his first season as Nebraska’s head coach, visited his home.

“When he comes out to your house in northeast L.A. and makes the impression that he does, guess what? You’re going to Lincoln,” Garcia said.