This beautifully framed NCAA football piece features an original piece of watercolor artwork glass-framed in an attractive two inch wide black resin frame with a double mat. The outer dimensions of the framed piece are approximately 17” wide x 28” high, although the exact size will vary according to the size of the original piece of art.

At the core of the framed piece is the actual piece of original artwork as painted by the artist on textured 100% rag, water-marked watercolor paper. In many cases the original artwork has handwritten notes in pencil from the artist (be sure to “See the actual artwork without the frame” elsewhere in this website). Simply put, this is beautiful, one-of-a-kind artwork.

The outer mat is a rich textured black acid-free mat with a decorative inset white v-groove, while the inner mat is a complimentary colored acid-free mat reflecting one of the team’s primary colors. The website image of this framed piece shows the mat color that we suggest (Red), but since each piece is custom framed, we are happy to use whatever color mat you wish (depending on availability) – our standard mat colors are:

Light Blue / Dark Blue / Brown / Maroon (close to brown) / White / Silver / Gold / Yellow (bright yellow) / Green (dark green) / Orange / Purple / Red (bright red, somewhat close to PMS 186)

Beneath the artwork is a silver plate with black text describing the original artwork. The text for this piece will read:

This is an original, one-of-a-kind watercolor painting of the 1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers uniform worn by 1972 Heisman Trophy winner #20 Johnny Rodgers and was used in the creation of this Nebraska Cornhuskers uniform evolution print and thousands of Nebraska products that have been sold across North America. This original piece of art was painted by artist Nola McConnan for Maple Leaf Productions Ltd. 1971 was a National Championship season for the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Beneath the silver plate is a 6.5” x 7” reproduction of a uniform evolution print that celebrates the history of the team. The print beautifully illustrates the chronological evolution of the team’s uniform and shows you how the original art was used in the creation of this print. If you look closely, you will see that the print features the actual artwork being offered for sale. The 6.5” x 7” print looks like this:

The piece is framed with an extremely high quality framing glass. We have used this glass style for many years with excellent results. We package every piece very carefully in a double layer of bubble wrap and a rigid double-wall cardboard package to avoid breakage at any point during the shipping process, but if damage does occur, we will gladly repair, replace or refund. Please note that all of our products come with a 90 day 100% satisfaction guarantee.

Each framed piece also comes with a two page letter signed by Scott Sillcox describing the history behind the art. If there was an extra-special story about your piece of art, that story will be included in the letter. When you receive your framed piece, you should find the letter lightly attached to the front of the framed piece.

If you have any questions, at any time, about the actual artwork or about any of the artist’s handwritten notes on the artwork, I would love to tell you about them. Simply email me, Scott Sillcox, at scott@heritagesportsart.com and I will tell you everything I can about your original piece of art. The artists and I spent well over ten years of our lives creating these pieces of original artwork, and in many cases there are stories I can tell you about your actual piece of artwork that might add an extra element of interest in your one-of-a-kind purchase.

Please note that all reproduction rights for this original work are retained in perpetuity by the University or the designated licensing body unless specifically stated otherwise in writing by the University or their designate. For further information, please contact Heritage Sports Art at questions@heritagesportsart.com .

 

History

This painting honors the 1971 University of Nebraska football team and #20, worn by Johnny Rodgers. Coached by Cornhusker icon Bob Devaney and co-captained by Jerry Tagge and Jim Anderson, the 1971 team went an undefeated 13-0, en route to winning the second of back-to-back National Championships. Nebraska capped off their undefeated, championship season by beating Alabama 38-6 in the Orange Bowl.Johnny Rodgers, also known as the Jet, was a Halfback/Wingback for the University of Nebraska and a staple in Coach Bob Devaneys offense - helping lead the Cornhuskers to three Big 8 Conference titles and back-to-back National Championships in 1970 & 1971. A two-time All-American known for his rapid acceleration and speed, he also excelled on kick returns and receiving. Rodgers tremendous 1972 season included winning ABCs Player-of-the-Year, the Walter Camp Award and the Heisman Trophy - awarded to the outstanding intercollegiate football player in the United States. In the 1972 Orange Bowl against Notre Dame, Johnny scored 4 touchdowns and threw for a fifth - leading the Cornhuskers to a 40-6 victory. Following his career at the University of Nebraska, though drafted by the San Diego Chargers, Johnny opted instead to sign a lucrative contract with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Known as the ordinary superstar during his CFL playing days, Rodgers won the Most Outstanding Rookie Award in 1973, the Jeff Russel Memorial Trophy twice and helped lead the Alouettes to the Grey Cup championship game in 1974. He played a total of 4 seasons for the Alouettes before heading to the NFL and signing with his original draft team, the Chargers. His brief NFL career was marred by hamstring ailments - with a freak knee injury (sustained in practice) ending his professional football career in 1978.He is a member of the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame:http://www.huskers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=8&SPID=22&DB_OEM_ID=100&ATCLID=323861He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2000:http://www.collegefootball.org/famersearch.php?id=70060He was recognized as the 44th best College Football Player of all time by the College Football News in their 2000-ish ranking:http://cfn.scout.com/He went on to the CFL where he played for 4 seasons:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreal_Alouettes#Players_of_noteHe went on to the NFL where he played for 2 seasons:http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=RODGEJOH01Here is what our friends at Wikipedia have to say about Johnny Rodgers:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Rodgers