~ Southeast's coach leans on his Cornhuskers ties to draw interest.

Southeast Missouri State football coach Tony Samuel is again dipping into his University of Nebraska roots to add some spice to his program's golf tournament fundraiser.

Samuel said former Nebraska stars Tommie Frazier, Rich Glover, Broderick Thomas, Jamie Williams, Paul Miles and Neil Harris will all participate in the June 25 event at Cape Girardeau Country Club.

"I'm real excited about having all those guys here," said Samuel, who played at Nebraska from 1974 to 1977 and was an assistant coach there from 1986 to 1996.

The second annual TEAM (Together Everyone Achieves More) Tournament, a four-person scramble, costs $100 per person. There are morning and afternoon flights, but only morning slots are still available.

Flag, hole and cart sponsorships are available. Various prizes will be awarded, and there will be closest to the pin and long drive contests. Outback Steakhouse will provide food on the course.

Also, in conjunction with the tournament, there will be a silent and live auction June 24 beginning at 6:30 p.m. at Cape Girardeau Country Club. A wide range of items will be auctioned off, including sports memorabilia. The auction is free for those playing in the tournament and tickets for non-golfers are $15.

"I think we've got a great two days planned," said Samuel, who added that the ex-Cornhuskers plan to attend the auction in addition to playing in the tournament. "The auction is a nice addition to this thing. We'll have all kinds of items available, not just sports items.

"I thought last year's event went very well and we're looking forward to this one. I can already tell that it's grown. Last year we did one flight of 30 teams. This year we've got an afternoon flight already filled up with 30 teams, and we're more than halfway there with the morning flight."

Added Samuel: "It's something we'll do every year. It's a nice way to get the community together, and our program needs the money. It's a nice boost for us."

Samuel is pleased that for the second straight year several fellow former Cornhuskers are lending their support as he continues the process of rebuilding Southeast's program.

"It's always good to get the guys wanting to come back and help out," he said. "We've always stayed in touch. They're all great people."

There is probably not a bigger name in the storied history of Nebraska football than Frazier, who quarterbacked the Cornhuskers to consecutive national championships in 1994 and 1995. Samuel was an assistant coach for those teams.

A four-year starter for Nebraska, Frazier captured most valuable player honors in both national championship games.

In 1995, Frazier was a first-team All-American, won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting and received the UPI's Player of the Year and The Sporting News Offensive Player of the Year awards.

Named one of the 10 greatest college football players of the century by Sport magazine, Frazier's No. 15 jersey was retired by Nebraska in 1996.

"He was something special," Samuel said.

So was Glover, a middle guard who is rated among the premier defensive players in college football history.

Glover anchored Nebraska's defense during the early 1970s, helping the Cornhuskers capture consecutive national titles in 1970 and 1971. He was a consensus All-American in 1971 and 1972, and finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1972.

In addition, Glover is one of only 10 players in college football history to win both the Lombardi and Outland Trophies -- the awards that are given to the top interior player and top lineman in the country, respectively -- in the same season, sweeping the awards in 1972.

Like Frazier, Glover's jersey -- No. 79 -- was retired by Nebraska in 1972. And also like Frazier, Glover was one of six Cornhuskers named to Sports Illustrated's 85-player All-Century Team.

"He was an unbelievable player," said Samuel, who like Glover grew up in Jersey City, N.J., and played at Nebraska a couple of years after Glover. "I followed his career when I was growing up."

Glover was an assistant under Samuel when he was the head coach at New Mexico State.

While Frazier never played in the NFL and had only a brief CFL career -- primarily due to health problems resulting from a blood clot -- and Glover spent only two seasons in the NFL, Thomas and Williams both enjoyed lengthy NFL careers.

Thomas, an All-American linebacker at Nebraska in 1987 and 1988, was the No. 6 overall pick in the 1989 NFL draft by Tampa Bay. He played 10 seasons in the NFL.

Williams, a Nebraska tight end from 1979 to 1982, had a 12-year NFL career from 1983 to 1994. He won a Super Bowl championship with San Francisco in 1990.

Miles played linebacker at Nebraska from 1983 to 1985 and he spent one season in the NFL.

Harris was a Nebraska cornerback from 1982 to 1984.

Frazier, Williams and Harris all participated in last year's event in Cape Girardeau.

"The whole day should be a lot of fun," Samuel said. "I think people will really enjoy it."

To reserve a spot in the golf tournament, or for more information on the tournament and auction, call 334-1095 or 986-6165.