Nebraska Football: All-Time Leaders in Passing Yards

ALL-TIME LEADERS IN PASSING YARDS – NUMBER 10: TURNER GILL (3,317)

Nebraska Quarterback from 1980-1983

Turner Gill spent four years at Nebraska and passed for 3,317 yards during that time. Gill didn’t get into the action in 1981 until both guys ahead of him on the depth chart had failed to get the job done. He took over full-time in the fifth game of the season.

Just as things were really starting to roll with Turner Gill at the helm, he suffered a leg injury and missed the rest of his sophomore campaign. Gill could do nothing but watch that year as his Cornhuskers fell to Clemson in the Orange Bowl.

Turner Gill was a tremendous quarterback for Nebraska, but injuries and concussions prevented him from playing in some big time games.

Gill was able to play again and took over as the starter in 1982 where he threw for 1,182 yards and 11 touchdowns while rushing for 497 and four scores. Gill led the Cornhuskers to a 12-1 record, Big 8 title, and an Orange Bowl victory over LSU.

As a senior, Gill threw for 1,516 yards and 14 touchdowns while adding 531 yards on the ground and a whopping 11 scores. Turner Gill would finish fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting as a senior, losing out on the prestigious award to fellow Husker Mike Rozier. The Huskers went 12-1 again in 1983, but lost in the Orange Bowl that year to Miami.

Gill opted to go to the Canadian Football League and spent just a year in the league. He then moved onto coaching, which is what he’s still doing to this day. Living in Kansas City, I was excited for Gill when he got the job at Kansas, but that was short lived. He’s now in his fifth year as the head coach at Liberty.

Turner Gill was a tremendous quarterback for Nebraska, but injuries and concussions prevented him from playing in some big time games. He still was able to crack the top ten of the all-time passers list though and that’s a huge accomplishment.