A cursory glance at the eight-player football section of the NFHS’ online National High School Sports Record Book reveals that Cory Eikmeier virtually owns that section with his numerous outstanding performances.

Cory Eikmeier

Eikmeier, who terrorized opposing defenses when he was a 5-foot-8, 175-pound tailback for Dodge (Nebraska) High School from 1993 to 1996, has his name listed no fewer than 20 times in the Record Book.

A complete listing of those performances is below:

• Most 100-Yard Games, Career – 41 – 1993-96 – National Record (NR)
• Most 100-Yard Games, Consecutive – 22 – 1995-96 - NR
• Most 100-Yard Games, Consecutive – 8 – 1994 – Ranks No. 9
• Most Points, Career - 1,013 – 1993-96 – NR
• Most Points, Season - 448 – 1996 – NR
• Most Rushing Attempts, Game – 31 – vs. Humphrey St. Francis, 1996 – Tied for No. 24 (T24)
• Most Rushing Attempts, Game – 31 – vs. East Butler, 1994 – T24
• Most Rushing Touchdowns, Career – 155 – 1993-96 ‑ NR (No. 2 is 113)
• Most Rushing Touchdowns, Season – 67 - 1996 – NR (No. 2 is 43)
• Most Rushing Touchdowns, Season – 43 - 1995 – T2
• Most Rushing Touchdowns, Season – 29 - 1994 – No. 15
• Most Rushing Touchdowns, Game – 8 – 1996 vs. Friend – T3
• Most Rushing Touchdowns, Game – 8 – 1996 vs. Mead – T3
• Most Rushing Touchdowns, Game – 7 – 1996 vs. Newman Grove – T13
• Most Rushing Touchdowns, Game – 7 – 1996 vs. Mead – T13
• Most Rushing Yards, Career – 8,336 – 1993-96 ‑ NR (No. 2 is 6,959)
• Most Rushing Yards, Season – 2,971 – 1996 - No. 3
• Most Rushing Yards, Per Game, Season – 228.5 – 1996 ‑ No. 14
• Most Touchdowns, Career – 155 – 1993-96 – No. 2
• Most Touchdowns, Season – 67 – 1996 – NR

In addition, Eikmeier still holds 10 Nebraska state records – all of which are for both eight-player football and all enrollment classifications collectively.

Perhaps making Eikmeier’s state records and national records even more impressive is the fact that among the 20 states that sponsor eight-player football, Nebraska is highly competitive as it ranks No. 1 in the nation both in terms of the number of high schools fielding an eight-player football team (121) and in terms of the number of players (3,211).

According to the 2014 NFHS Football Rules Book, the primary differences between 11-player football and eight-player football is the smaller field (11-player is 100 yards by 53-1/3 yards, while eight-player is 80 yards by 40 yards – both lengths less the end zones); and eight-player has two fewer players in the line and only one running back.

Shown above is Cory with the trophies from the three state football championships

Eikmeier’s prodigious running exploits clearly didn’t go for naught as he helped lead the Pirates to great team success. During his sophomore, junior and senior seasons, he helped lead Dodge High School to a collective 36-3 win-loss record and to three Nebraska School Activities Association (NSAA) Class D-1, Eight Man state championships.

Under the direction of coach Gordon Pilmore, during the autumn of 1994, Dodge capped off a perfect 13-0 campaign with a 52-33 victory over Overton in the state championship game. The following season, Dodge went 12-1 and defeated Orchard, 30-25, in the title tilt. Eikmeier finished his prep gridiron career in exemplary style as he helped pace the Pirates to an 11-2 record and to a 42-34 decision over Anselmo-Merna in the state championship game.

Gordon Pilmore

“Cory wasn’t exceptionally fast, but was quick and strong, had a lot of balance, and was hard to take down,” the now-80-year-old Pilmore recalled. “He had great straightaway quickness and the ability to change direction real quick. Cory was already a very good running back in junior high school - we knew back then that he was a special player coming up.

“For a small town, that three-year run really brought everybody together. There were people who normally didn’t follow football who followed our team and many just to watch Cory play. We had a sign at one end of town that read ‘Last person out of town, turn out the lights.’ When we went to those state championship games, that’s exactly the way it was.”

Today, Eikmeier and his family live in Elkhorn, and he is a senior recruiter for RTG Medical in Fremont. In that capacity, he helps place medical professionals into positions across the country in settings such as hospitals, clinics and nursing homes. With 18 autumns having now passed his heyday as a standout high school football tailback, Eikmeier can now look back at his accomplishments from a historical perspective.

“Back then, I never envisioned that these records would still be standing this many years later,” Eikmeier began. “It was more of something where I looked at a record as a short-term accomplishment. As the old saying goes, ‘Records are meant to be broken.’ I definitely didn’t anticipate that they’d hang on as long as they did.”

Being raised in a small town in the Cornhusker State helped lay the groundwork for Eikmeier’s athletic career and also helped mold the strong value system and work ethic he still holds today.

“Growing up in Dodge – which is a pretty small town – there are not a lot of opportunities as far as other activities,” Eikmeier stated. “Sports was one of those things that everyone pretty much did back then.

“Although we’d play informal pick-up type games when I was younger, I didn’t start playing organized football until junior high school. In addition to playing tailback, I’d also play safety on defense, as well as a little bit of monster back (outside linebacker). I also played basketball and baseball and ran track.

“One of the things that I attribute my success to was the work ethic my parents instilled in me. We grew up on a farm – you’d get up early in the morning, do your chores and then do them again after school. That became a way of life that carried over into athletics. If I started something, I was going to finish it.”

With a bushelful of still-standing individual records and an extraordinary level of team success, Eikmeier is understandably challenged to select a singular greatest memory of his career.

“While there were probably several highlights to my high school football-playing experience, I’d have to say that probably the summation of those final three years and winning the state titles three years in a row were the greatest,” Eiknmeier said. “The whole town would literally be empty during those games. It was like that old saying ‘Last one out of town, turn out the lights.’ The excitement around that and the accomplishments we had were something we will never forget.

“Although you generally don’t throw a lot in eight-man, I would have to say we were pretty balanced between running and passing. We had some skilled quarterbacks and fullbacks. We also had some big kids – farm kids who were used to working their butts off.”

As a youngster growing up, Eikmeier quickly found an exemplary football role model after whom to fashion his particular playing style.

“Growing up, my idol was Walter Payton,” Eikmeier said without hesitation. “When I was a kid, I was always a Bears fan. Although he wasn’t a huge guy, he was a punishing runner. Payton was very agile, could really deliver a blow and could take one too.”

Shown above left to right are Maclain (6), Eliana (9), Cory, Elin (2), Erica, and Xavier (4)

Following high school, Eikmeier played football two years for the University of Nebraska-Omaha. According to Eikmeier, these days he works out “pretty consistently,” the result of which is clearly evidenced by the fact that he is no more than five pounds over his high school playing weight.

Eikmeier and his wife Erica are the parents of five children - daughter Eliana (nine years old), daughter Anessa (passed away at the age of four months), son Maclain (six years old), son Xavier (four years old) and daughter Elin (two years old). Cory and Erica home-school their children and envision that sports will be part of their lives.

“Our avenue of education (home-schooling) is a little different with our kids,” Eikmeier noted. “Sports will definitely be something that we do incorporate into their lives – it’s been an extreme part of my life and I expect it to be the same with my kids. They know dad played football and they heard all the joking that goes about it at family gatherings. Although they may not yet know all about it, I think they will someday.”