• 2001 First-Team Academic All-Big 12
• Big 12 Commissioner's Fall Academic Honor Roll (1999, 2000, 2001)
• Big 12 Commissioner's Spring Academic Honor Roll (2000, 2001, 2002)

Gabe Fries (pronounced FREEZE) earned first-team academic All-Big 12 Conference honors last season, while contributing to Nebraska's strong group of linebackers. The senior from Benkelman, Neb., will again back up senior returning starter Scott Shanle and sophomore Ira Cooper at Sam linebacker this season. The Sam linebacker position is the most experienced of the three linebacker spots, with Shanle, a two-year starter, and two additional lettermen returning. Fries posted the team's eighth-best Performance Index (2,534) in winter conditioning.

2002: Fries played in four games (Arizona State, McNeese State, Kansas, and Mississippi), making one solo tackle against Ole Miss in the Independence Bowl.

2001: Fries played in seven games for the Huskers, while backing up Shanle and Cooper. Fries also saw action on Nebraska?s kickoff coverage, kickoff return and punt return units. Fries recorded one unassisted tackle in the Huskers' win at Kansas. He also saw action against TCU, Rice, Missouri, Iowa State, Baylor and Kansas State.

2000: Fries played in three games (San Jose State, Notre Dame and Baylor) but did not record a tackle as a sophomore for the Huskers.

1999: Earning a spot on the Husker roster as a Will linebacker, Fries did not see any action as a redshirt freshman in 1999.

1998: A recruited walk-on, Fries redshirted in his first season.

At Dundy County HS: Fries earned all-state honors as a standout at Dundy County High School in Benkelman, Neb. He earned three letters as a linebacker and quarterback for Coach Dan Parks, while claiming four letters in both basketball and track and field. He won the Nebraska Class C State Title in the 110-meter hurdles in both his junior and senior seasons, while winning the 300-meter hurdles his senior year. Fries was also an academic honor student.

Personal: The son of Kenny and Marla Fries, Gabe was born Aug. 27, 1979, in Imperial, Neb. An agribusiness and finance major, Fries earned first-team academic All-Big 12 honors in 2001 and has a 3.148 cumulative grade-point average. He is on track to graduate in December 2002.