Dennis Claridge, who quarterbacked the Nebraska Cornhuskers to a 13-7 Orange Bowl victory over Auburn following the 1963 season under second-year coach Bob Devaney, died Tuesday after a 3-year battle with bladder cancer. He was 76.
Claridge, a native of Robbinsdale, Minnesota, was a recruit of former coach Bill Jennings and largely credited for the Big Red Renaissance under Devaney, who replaced Jennings in 1962. Claridge and Devaney were key figures in the Memorial Stadium’s NCAA record sellout streak that began with a homecoming game against Missouri in 1962 and lasts to this day.
The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Claridge led Nebraska to a 9-2 record in 1962, Devaney’s first season, and a 10-1 record in 1963, including a perfect 7-0 mark in Big Eight Conference games.