Nebraska State Nickname
The Cornhusker State
NE is the Two-letter or Postal Abbreviation and Neb. is the Traditional or Standard Abbreviation for the State of Nebraska. The 1945 Legislature changed the official state nickname to the “Cornhusker State”. The name is derived from the nickname for the University of Nebraska athletic teams – the “Cornhuskers” –
which was coined in 1900 by Charles S. “Cy” Sherman, a sportswriter for the Nebraska State Journal in Lincoln.
“Cornhuskers” replaced earlier nicknames, such as “Golden Knights, “Antelopes,” and “Bug-eaters”. The term “cornhusker” comes from the method of harvesting or “husking” corn by hand, which was common in Nebraska before the invention of husking machinery.