I am writing to request that whoever stole my father's (Jim Murphy's) red Cornhusker hat on Sept. 14 please return it to our family. Shame on you! An article regarding the theft appeared in yesterday's The Daily Collegian. If you return the hat to the Collegian office, they could send it back to our family. I will leave them my address. Yes, we are talking about hat amnesty.

This hat has been to Nebraska football games all over the country for over 30 years, including the 1998 Orange Bowl, Coach Tom Osborne's last game, in which Nebraska won the 1997 national championship. My father wore the hat on ESPN Game Day with my two brothers and I in the front row during the Game Day broadcast when Nebraska played Notre Dame in Lincoln last year.

It was like our family's Irish good luck charm at football games. It is not worth a lot of money, but it does hold many valuable memories for our family.

Thanks to whomever took the hat, my entire family has a chip on its shoulder about Penn State fans. I don't want this story to end this way.

You are a disgrace to the wonderful coach you have in Joe Paterno; you are a disgrace to a great football team, your fans and your school. As Coach Paterno reminded you at the pep rally, Penn State beat Nebraska in Lincoln in the early 1980s and were rewarded by a standing ovation by Cornhusker fans. Please return the favor.

Please return the hat.

Do the right thing.

It's as simple as that.