Warren Alfson

Alfson was born and raised in Wisner, Nebraska. He graduated from Wisner High School in 1933, where he was a halfback on the school's single wing football team.

After graduating from high school, Alfson worked and farmed for several years until earning enough money to attend the University of Nebraska, Class of 1941, where he was a member of the Chi Phi fraternity. When he attended school, he decided to try out for the Cornhusker football team (at the urging of fellow Wisner native Jerry LaNoue, a Cornhusker quarterback), but as a lineman.

After one year on the freshman squad, he asked the school's permission to continue practicing, but to not play, so that he could get himself into proper condition as well as to wait for the upperclassmen ahead of him to graduate.{{efn|Contemporary reporting of this arrangement appears to be lacking. After the season, a February 1938 newspaper article mentioned that "Alfson was with the varsity last year at guard, but he didn't break into the lineup."{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/117634941/dobson-and-pfeiff-top-husker-guards/ |title=Dobson and Pfeiff Top Husker Guards |newspaper=Evening World-Herald |location=Omaha, Nebraska |page=17 |date=February 24, 1938 |accessdate=January 31, 2023 |via=newspapers.com}}}} This made Alfson the first recorded redshirt in Cornhusker history, and likely the first in collegiate history—the inventor of "redshirting"—a jersey with the Nebraska color, but without a number.

Alfson's year of conditioning paid off well, as he returned to become a three-year starter for Nebraska. In the era of one-platoon football, he was a guard on offense, and a linebacker on defense. He wore jersey number 22 throughout his Cornhusker career. He was recognized with first-team All Big Six Conference honors in 1939 and 1940, second-team All-America honors in 1939, and he earned first-team All-America status in 1940. In the latter year, the Cornhuskers went 8–1 during the regular season under coach Biff Jones then played Stanford in the 1941 Rose Bowl.

In December 1940, Alfson was selected in the 16th round of the 1941 NFL draft by the Brooklyn Dodgers of the National Football League (NFL).{{Cite web |title=1941 NFL Draft Listing |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1941/draft.htm |access-date=2023-03-31 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}} In August 1941, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy in a special ceremony at the preseason Chicago College All-Star Game.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/117631742/five-all-star-gridders-sworn-into-navy/ |title=Five All-Star Gridders Sworn Into Navy |newspaper=The Bristol News Bulletin |location=Bristol, Tennessee |page=5 |date=September 1, 1941 |accessdate=January 30, 2023 |via=newspapers.com}} Alfson played for the Dodgers during the 1941 NFL season.{{cite web |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/A/AlfsWa20/gamelog/1941/ |title=Warren Alfson 1941 Game Log |website=pro-football-reference.com |accessdate=January 30, 2023}} Then aged 26, he was nicknamed "Pops" and "Dad" by his younger teammates. Following the Attack on Pearl Harbor, his professional career was cut short as he began naval training in January 1942.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/117632163/ex-husker-alfson-enlists-in-navy/ |title=Ex-Husker Alfson Enlists in Navy |agency=AP |newspaper=Beatrice Daily Sun |location=Beatrice, Nebraska |page=10 |date=January 11, 1942 |accessdate=January 30, 2023 |via=newspapers.com}} That same month, he was engaged to his hometown girlfriend, Marjorie Horst;{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/117632373/alfson-is-engaged-to-hometown-girl/ |title=Alfson Is Engaged to Hometown Girl |newspaper=Omaha World-Herald |page=17 |date=January 18, 1942 |accessdate=January 31, 2023 |via=newspapers.com}} they were married in May 1942.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/117632668/four-in-one-variety-column/ |title=Four-in-One Variety (column) |newspaper=The Lincoln Star |page=7 |date=May 18, 1942 |accessdate=January 31, 2023 |via=newspapers.com}}

Alfson served in the Navy until November 1945, and was discharged at the rank of lieutenant.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/117636417/to-get-discharge/ |title=To Get Discharge |newspaper=West Point News |location=West Point, Nebraska |page=5 |date=November 8, 1945 |accessdate=January 31, 2023 |via=newspapers.com}} He then returned to his hometown and farmed, and also served on the Wisner school board as well as other organizations. He served as Wisner's acting mayor in 1965 upon the death of the incumbent.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/117633469/march-2-city-caucuses-to-name-school-ci/ |title=March 2 City Caucuses To Name School, City Office Candidates |newspaper=News-Chronicle |location=Wisner, Nebraska |page=1 |date=February 18, 1965 |accessdate=January 31, 2023 |via=newspapers.com}} Alfson took great pride in his Cornhusker connections, and attended many Nebraska games. In 1975, he was inducted into the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame.{{cite web |url=https://huskers.com/sports/football/roster/warren-alfson/24427 |title=Warren Alfson |website=huskers.com |accessdate=January 31, 2023}}

Alfson died at his home in Wisner in 2001.{{cite news |first=Andrew |last=Nelson |title=Former NU football player dies |date=June 6, 2001 |work=Lincoln Journal Star |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/15322332/former_nu_football_player_dies/ |via=Newspapers.com }} He had two daughters and one granddaughter. In 2005, Alfson was posthumously recognized as an honorable mention in the state of Nebraska's top athletes of all time, as selected by the Omaha World-Herald.

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• {{cite book |last=Babcock |first=Mike |title=Go Big Red : The Ultimate Fan's Guide to Nebraska Cornhusker Football |year=1998 |location=New York |publisher=St. Martin's Griffin |isbn=0-312-19457-9 |url=https://archive.org/details/gobigredcomplete0000babc |url-access=registration |via=Internet Archive }}

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• {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20070408103655/http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=ALFSOWAR01 NFL Career Statistics]}} at databasefootball.com via Wayback Machine

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Category:1915 births

Category:2001 deaths

Category:People from Wisner, Nebraska

Category:Players of American football from Nebraska

Category:American football linebackers

Category:American football guards

Category:Nebraska Cornhuskers football players

Category:Brooklyn Dodgers (NFL) players

Category:Mayors of places in Nebraska

Category:United States Navy personnel of World War II

Category:20th-century Nebraska politicians