UNO student loved Husker football, had many friends

Even if you didn't know him personally, you've probably seen the bus he and his family drove down to Lincoln every Saturday in the fall.

Drew Hanson, a senior finance major at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, was found dead in his bed at his parent's house in Omaha on Wednesday, April 8.

Greg and Julie Hanson, Drew's parents, said for every Nebraska home football game, Drew would ask "one, two or six" friends to ride down on a small school bus turned Huskers bus – painted red with "Nebraska" written in white across the sides and "Huskers" on the front and back.

The Hansons' parking spot is on Stadium Drive across from Richards Hall, adjacent to gate one.
"He would always see somebody he had some type of relationship with," Greg said. "That was just as important to him as the game."

Drew's friend, Jeff McGill, agreed.

"It didn't matter what time he woke up on game day, he just had constant energy," said McGill, a former University of Nebraska-Lincoln student and employee of McGill Restoration. "And I don't think it was for the game. He basically turned tailgating into a sport."

Tailgating wasn't the only thing Drew did better than most. In high school, Drew started on the offensive line for Creighton Prep's state championship football team in 2004 and played on one of Prep's first hockey teams before graduating in 2005.

A bear hug or slap on the back from Drew could knock the wind out of you, his friends said.  
McGill and Mike Brown, a senior criminal justice major, started on the offensive line with Drew at Prep.

Brown said he will remember how Drew led the team's chant before every game.

"Drew was a competitor, and he loved to win," Brown said. "Drew was a great guy."

Drew's sister, Kellie DaSilva, wrote and read a eulogy to her younger brother at his funeral last Tuesday at St. Vincent de Paul. DaSilva said her brother was a "self-proclaimed mama's boy" with "37 pairs of shoes to match any outfit he wore."

Julie Hanson said family vacations were always planned so they could watch a baseball game in every city they visited. Drew would buy a baseball with the home team's logo on it at every game, and all the baseballs are still lined up neatly in his bedroom.

"As social as he was, he always needed his alone time," Julie said.

Drew was on pace to graduate from UNO in December and had just started an internship at Northwest Mutual Life. He had planned to go buy clothes for the job with his mom the day he died.

"He was always a deep thinker," Julie said as she remembered Drew pursing his lips together and concentrating intently on a coloring book at a young age.

As Drew got older, he concentrated on issues more serious than staying in the lines.

ryanboetel@dailynebraskan.com