The name was originally taken from the Rock Island Rocket, a passenger train that once passed through northeast Lincoln.

In the 1960s, a decommissioned Nike Ajax missile was donated to the school and placed on the front lawn.

The missile was repeatedly stolen and recovered; in 1990, it disappeared permanently.

In 2016, members of the booster club raised $55,000 for a new 16-foot (4.9 m), 10,000-pound (4,500 kg) rocket sculpture.

[3][4] Lincoln Northeast teams have won state championships in the following years: