Nebraska Qb Berringer Killed When Small Plane Crashes In Alfalfa Field

Brook Berringer, the backup quarterback who helped Nebraska win the 1994 national title, was killed Thursday when the small plane he was piloting crashed in an alfalfa field.

Plane owner Harry Barr said the other person killed in the two-seater was Toby Lake, brother of Berringer’s girlfriend.

Berringer, 22, who was expected to be selected in the NFL draft this weekend, held a pilot’s license and often flew the plane, including earlier this week, Barr said. Berringer often said he wanted to be a commercial airline pilot.

The 1946 Piper J-3 Cub struggled to a height of 250 feet before crashing on a farm near this east-central Nebraska village minutes after takeoff from a grass airstrip.

Lancaster County Sheriff Terry Wagner said the bodies were removed from the crash site and were taken to a Lincoln hospital.

The sheriff said he was told the plane took off, then began to shake. He said the left wing dropped as the plane attempted to turn around and strong winds slammed the plane into the ground, where it burst into flames. Wagner said dental records would be used to officially identify the charred bodies.

Berringer had been scheduled to speak Thursday night at the Fellowship of Christian Athletes banquet at the Devaney Center in Lincoln, where players and fans hugged one another.

Nebraska coach Tom Osborne, who spoke with the sheriff at the crash site, told the audience: “I know he would want it to be done in the spirit with which it was intended to honor God. Brook honored God. Brook enjoyed life to the fullest.”

The university canceled a celebration of the back-to-back national championships that had been scheduled for today.