Shatel: Autograph session? This was more like a Suh-nami

Make way, people. Celebrity coming through.

Ndamukong Suh, the world's largest rock star (literally, not figuratively), had finally arrived at Westroads Mall. He slipped in the backdoor of Crescent Collectibles, the way rock stars do, and emerged through the front door, where he was blinded by the cell phone paparazzi.

“SSSUUUUUUUUUUHHH!!'' the crowd called out. There were several hundred of them there, 400 of them with tickets to get an autograph and a few hundred others just showing up to tell their Facebook friends.

There were security guards waiting by a table where Suh would sit for the next two hours. Now that's funny. Suh, with security guards (Colt McCoy will never believe it). He also had them with him when Nebraska toured the San Diego Zoo last month. I hate to break it to the security guards, but Suh was guarding them.

Finally, the rope was dropped and the line started moving. One of the first in line was an 8-year-old kid, who, after having Suh sign his photo, stuck out his hand. Suh shook it. Sorry, Mom. Can't wash my hands before dinner. I shook Suh's hand.

On and on they came through, with helmets and jerseys and photos and little Nebraska toy trucks and anything with a Husker logo on it. The lucky 400 who got tickets (owner Scott Hunt shut it off at 400 but said he could have sold more than 1,000) paid $50 for the privilege to meet and get a signature from ...

A lineman?

Suh mania has hit Omaha. He has been everywhere, seemingly, in the past 24 hours, leaving waiters, bell men, mall store clerks (“Hey, did you hear? Suh's coming!”) and the man on the street craning their necks and texting their friends that they just had a Suh encounter. Good thing George Clooney left town. He might get a complex.

Suh is in Omaha to get his Outland Trophy tonight, and it will be a night like no other.

When the Football Writers Association of America brought the Outland Trophy dinner to Omaha back in 1996, one of the selling points was that the event was a natural in Nebraska. The state treats linemen like rock stars. We have an affection for them. I think Nebraskans see a lot of themselves in linemen: anonymous, blue-collar, not in it for the glory, etc.

But now we get a real, honest-to-goodness rock star.

Tonight's shindig is sold out, more than 600 strong, and they could have tripled that somewhere else. Good for Bob Mancuso and the Omaha Sports Committee for showing loyalty to the downtown Doubletree Hotel, which has hosted the dinner for more than 10 years. Mancuso would not have left Tennessee after one year to go to USC.

Still, there will likely be many more folks just hanging out at the hotel, looking for Suh. He's become that huge. Suh is the most iconic lineman ever at Nebraska, and he's right up there in the pretty boy Heisman Trophy category when it comes to getting normal folks to throw on their favorite red shirt, get in the car and drive down to the mall to get a look.

“It's the biggest response we've ever had for a signing,'' Hunt said. “Even when we had the three Heisman winners from Nebraska and the three Heisman winners from Oklahoma, we had 1,000 people here. But this week alone I've had 1,000 people contact me and many more just showing up. He is so popular.''

Interestingly, Hunt said he didn't call Suh. Suh called him. Or, rather, a “middleman,'' as Hunt put it, called the store and offered Suh's services — for a fee slightly larger than other stars who have come to sign at Crescent. So this may have been Suh's first card shop rodeo, but he's acting like a savvy veteran already.

“He wanted to do it in the area (Omaha), because he's not sure how many more times he'll be in this area again,'' Hunt said. “He wanted everyone to have an opportunity. He said no signing for dealers and such, no mail orders. Just for the public here. I thought that was great.''

Suh has the celebrity thing down. He was a champ with the media all season, showing up every week and doing every request, but he picks his spots. He'll chat with most anyone. He is still a lineman, after all.

“It comes with the territory of what I've accomplished,'' Suh said. “I don't like being in the limelight, but I know it's part of the responsibility I have.''

There are 48 hours of responsibilities here. After a downtown Rotary Club lunch Wednesday with 1973 Outland winner John Hicks of Ohio State (who finished second in the 1973 Heisman race), Suh and Hicks went to Boys Town for an appearance. They hit it off well, and it was fun watching the old vet give Suh advice and call him “rookie.'' Then it was off to Westroads, Suh with mother and sister in tow, and then back to the Old Market for dinner at Omaha Prime — a Mancuso pre-Outland night tradition.

Today he attends The World-Herald All-Nebraska Team lunch, where he will hand out the individual awards to the athletes and offer a few words. Then finally there's tonight, when he'll turn the Outland dinner into the Golden Globes. Even Clooney couldn't get a ticket.

When we put this Outland dinner together, we didn't think we'd have to wait 12 years to get another Nebraska winner after Aaron Taylor in 1997. But tonight it will be worth the wait. The rock star goes on stage at 7.

Contact the writer:

444-1025, tom.shatel@owh.com

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