Ryan Held, UNK bring Lopers to Council Bluffs for spring scrimmage
In a first-of-its-kind scrimmage for the Lopers, the University of Nebraska at Kearney football program faced off against Concordia University, St. Paul on Saturday.
The email arrived mid-January from Concordia University, St. Paul (Minnesota) football head coach Shannon Currier. The man on the receiving end of the email was Ryan Held, head coach of the University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK) football program.
The proposition: what would Held and UNK say to hosting a spring scrimmage between the two programs? As of this year, Division II football programs, according to the NCAA, are allowed “to scrimmage against a four-year college during its spring practice period as one of its three permissible 11-on-11 scrimmages outside the playing season.”1 CSP would find the location if UNK was willing to hire the officials and help promote it. The two sides got to work, which resulted in a 4 p.m. scrimmage on Saturday, April 13 at Lewis Central High School in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
“We’ve been working on this for two-plus months,” Held said post-scrimmage, reflecting on what it took to make Saturday happen.
A big part was the support of UNK’s administration. Traveling from Kearney to Council Bluffs — a 191-mile drive each way — for a spring scrimmage would create an added expense the team wouldn’t have if it stayed put.
“This is not a cheap trip,” Held said. “This is not cheap to get two buses and get a post-game meal and referees and all of that. I can’t thank our administration enough to be able to give us this opportunity because, you know, when we originally planned this — going budget-wise — this wasn’t in the plans.
“But our administration wants football to be successful and they want us to get better. Last year wouldn’t have made sense for us (to do this). This year, in Year 2? That made sense. I can’t thank our administration enough for allowing us to do this.”
The support also meant Held could bring UNK to the Omaha metro, a valuable recruiting tool for the Lopers staff. Held tweeted an invitation to recruits in Omaha and surrounding areas, asking them to “come check out the Lopers.” It worked, because a number of recruits from area schools like Papillion La Vista High School, Westside High School and Plattsmouth High School were in attendance.
At the end of the scrimmage, Held thanked those recruits for coming. He had them introduce themselves to his team, and the Lopers met each introduction with loud cheers.
That’s not where the outreach ends for Held and UNK. In his second year with the Lopers — Held became the 19th head coach in UNK history in Dec. 2022 — Held is putting an emphasis on recruiting Nebraska. It began with his first recruiting class in Kearney in 2023, where 13 of the 25 players — a mix of transfers and high school seniors — were Nebraska natives. For the 2024 class — announced in early February — Held and the Lopers welcomed 52 newcomers (17 transfers and 35 high school seniors). Of that, 24 are Nebraska natives.
“That’s what we’re trying to do,” Held said. “We got some Nebraska kids in my first class, but we signed (24) Nebraska kids this year. We’re building that up.”
It’s personal for Held. He loves Nebraska, having played for the Cornhuskers from 1993-96. His coaching tenure includes multiple stops at Nebraska institutions as well, like Nebraska as a student assistant in 1997, Peru State in 2001 and Nebraska again as the running backs coach from 2018-21.
Because of his familiarity with the state, Held knows that part of building that Nebraska pipeline for UNK means he needs to get the Lopers out and about around the state. He already plans to host satellite camps this summer — one in Omaha and one in Lincoln.
“It sets us apart because we’re the only program (in Nebraska) that plays in the MIAA2 which means we play in the best DII league in the country,” Held said. “We have that when no one else does.”
That’s why Held wants to — and will — show up in Omaha, Lincoln and beyond. He wants all of Nebraska to know UNK. It doesn’t just benefit his program. It also benefits the state’s athletes for a couple of reasons. First, it highlights another option to play in-state for Nebraska athletes. Second, staying in state also means family can attend games and practices more regularly.
That was the case on Saturday in Council Bluffs. Roughly 300 or so were in attendance to see the Lopers in action.
“We have a great following in Omaha and a lot of alumni,” Held said. “We have a lot of kids in state on our team so for both the alumni and parents of our kids to be able to come and watch their sons play against somebody else — we can do that at this level — and I think we got going pretty good. We did what we’re supposed to do and I think we had really good enthusiasm on the sideline and that’s the deal.
“It’s an infectious deal.”
Saturday’s scrimmage was a controlled one, with the coaches from both sides discussing throughout what they wanted to see next from each team. This allowed both UNK and CSP the opportunity to get a number of looks that they’ll be able to use in preparation for the 2024 season. That also meant certain scoring plays were eliminated and no official score was kept. Held even told his players in a post-game huddle that he didn’t want anyone sharing on social media what they did or didn’t think the score was and what happened on Saturday.
That didn’t stop the crowd from getting excited when players scored touchdowns. Parents nudged those sitting next to them when their sons made a big play. It may not have been a “real” game, but it was pretty darn close — both in what was shown on the field and in proximity to home for many in the crowd.
At some point midway through the scrimmage, a woman toward the back of the crowd swapped stories with a parent nearby. Her son plays for UNK. The person she was speaking with had driven down from St. Paul, Minnesota, for the day. He asked about the Lopers’ head coach.
“It’s a new staff, but his name is Coach Held,” she replied. “My son really likes him. He says he cares a lot.”
After the scrimmage ended, Held spent time greeting those in attendance and shaking hands with anyone who had made their way to the field. His smile wide, a clear indication of how much Saturday meant to the second-year head coach.
It’s evident how much Held cares — for UNK, for Nebraska and for all of the athletes looking for an opportunity.
That’s why when an email arrived in his inbox mid-January, Held jumped at the chance.
The proposal was adopted in January 2023.
Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association, just in case you’re not overly familiar with Division II conferences. Chadron State, for example, is in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. Wayne State is in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.
Keep our boys home! Great article.
I concur.