Cornfield of dreams: UNL senior sells handmade corn gloves to Husker fans (2024)

A lifelong Husker fan and University of Nebraska-Lincoln student is spreading cheer by adding a field of corn to the red sea.

Senior Carrie Wehrman has been gaining traction for her small business selling corn gloves to students and fans for Husker sports.

“Just like any other classic entrepreneurial story, I started making them in my parents’ garage,” Wehrman said.

It all started back in 2022 when Wehrman’s cousin, Jada Scribner, learned from students in Texas that southern schools had different hand signals for their college mascots. While some students “throw the bones,” at UNL, the cousins decided they wanted a unique hand signal resembling corn for the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

After tossing around a few hand signal ideas, Wehrman realized none would be easily recognizable, leading her to create a corn glove. The thumb and pinky fingers would resemble the husk of the corn while the middle three would be the golden kernels.

Before the football season kicked off, Wehrman got to work, coloring each glove with markers in her dorm room. The process was long and tedious, but worth it. For two years in a row, the small group would bring the gloves to each game.

“The camera people would find us in the student section and we’d get some time on the big screen,” Wehrman said. “It was always kind of a dream of like what if this just blows up and everyone has a corn glove, everyone knows what it is.”

It felt like a far-off dream for Wehrman until UNL featured her corn gloves on social media and a small business was launched.

“It’s been crazy,” Wehrman said. “It’s really fun to know that people like the idea and they think it’s cute.”

In the past month, she’s sold over 100 gloves, created a website and solidified an assembly process to streamline creating the gloves. She’s also upgraded from markers to paint and stencils her dad created.

“You learn and you adapt and you improve as you go along,” Wehrman said.

Now, Wehrman and her friend group aren’t the only ones waving their corn hands in the air at Nebraska football and volleyball games.

“It’s just really fun to see people are enjoying them and wanting to be part of it,” Wehrman said. “It’s something that I can share with other people.”

With the Huskers looking at a so-far successful season, Wehrman said the gloves have added another element of joy. The students will wave them around during touchdowns, when the band plays and especially whenever they see the camera coming.

“It’s goofy, but it’s fun, especially since I’ve had people to do it with me,” Wehrman said.

It was an easy decision to attend UNL for Wehrman. With UNL alum among her grandparents, parents and an older brother, she grew up knowing the camaraderie surrounding the Huskers.

“The Huskers are definitely a big thing in my own family,” Wehrman said. “There’s definitely excitement and like a culture just built around Nebraska.”

As much enjoyment as it brings, it can be a lot for Wehrman to handle during her final year of college. She will graduate with her bachelor’s degree in May, majoring in child, youth and family studies with five minors in business administration, entrepreneurship, communication studies, coaching and psychology.

For the time being, she’s not quite sure what the future of the corn gloves will look like after graduation.

“I’m giving up on the dream of it becoming big because it wasn’t necessarily the thing I was striving for post-college,” Wehrman said. “I have other career things that I want to do and it was just something super fun that my friends and I were doing.”

Perhaps Wehrman will return as an alumna and find the gloves for sale around campus someday, but for the time being, she said she’s thankful for all the opportunities that have come along for her.

“I’ve learned a lot,” Wehrman said. “Practical, business-related things, or just learning about myself and the ways that I handle different situations.”

The gloves are $10 for a single glove and $18 for a pair and can be purchased at originalcorngloves.com. Wehrman said she recommends fans purchase gloves for their nondominant hands.