125th Monon Bell Classic

[SaintsFAN]

Just read the Indianapolis Monthly article about the Bell game. The last 4 sentences sort of sums up a lot about the differences between the 2 schools. Mamma's boys can't guard the bell so they need the police to do it for them. Note: Wabash does not.

"The last successful heist was in 1998. Wabash students pulled off a daring raid on Halloween and brought the Bell back to Wabash. Today, when DePauw has possession, it places the Bell on a pressure sensor wired to the local police station. Wabash does not."

Thats almost an entire generation of students.

Wally - were you a part of the last heist?

[wally_wabash]

Just read the Indianapolis Monthly article about the Bell game. The last 4 sentences sort of sums up a lot about the differences between the 2 schools. Mamma's boys can't guard the bell so they need the police to do it for them. Note: Wabash does not.

"The last successful heist was in 1998. Wabash students pulled off a daring raid on Halloween and brought the Bell back to Wabash. Today, when DePauw has possession, it places the Bell on a pressure sensor wired to the local police station. Wabash does not."

Thats almost an entire generation of students.

Wally - were you a part of the last heist?

I was heist-adjacent at best. 

I was sports editor of our student newspaper in the fall of 1998 and late on the evening (early in the morning) of the Halloween Heist, the staff of the paper had basically all but put the edition to bed when the EIC rolls into the office and announces "Gentlemen, we have the Bell!"  It took us all a minute to grasp exactly what it was that he was saying, but needless to say we had to shuffle the entire edition to make room for very late breaking front page news.  I know that we got art for the front page of that issue with the Bell in Wabash possession, but the Bell wasn't around for long that night.  It was whisked away to parts unknown and didn't resurface until the Monon Bell chapel the Thursday before the game at which point our administration, having "found" the missing property after what I assume was an exhaustive weeks long search, did the right thing and returned the Bell to DePauw. 

I always thought it would have been cool for the Great Eight who pulled off that heist to shed their cloaks of anonymity and give an oral history of the event on the 20 year anniversary, but alas, they remain nameless legends. 

[SaintsFAN]

Just read the Indianapolis Monthly article about the Bell game. The last 4 sentences sort of sums up a lot about the differences between the 2 schools. Mamma's boys can't guard the bell so they need the police to do it for them. Note: Wabash does not.

"The last successful heist was in 1998. Wabash students pulled off a daring raid on Halloween and brought the Bell back to Wabash. Today, when DePauw has possession, it places the Bell on a pressure sensor wired to the local police station. Wabash does not."

Thats almost an entire generation of students.

Wally - were you a part of the last heist?

I was heist-adjacent at best. 

I was sports editor of our student newspaper in the fall of 1998 and late on the evening (early in the morning) of the Halloween Heist, the staff of the paper had basically all but put the edition to bed when the EIC rolls into the office and announces "Gentlemen, we have the Bell!"  It took us all a minute to grasp exactly what it was that he was saying, but needless to say we had to shuffle the entire edition to make room for very late breaking front page news.  I know that we got art for the front page of that issue with the Bell in Wabash possession, but the Bell wasn't around for long that night.  It was whisked away to parts unknown and didn't resurface until the Monon Bell chapel the Thursday before the game at which point our administration, having "found" the missing property after what I assume was an exhaustive weeks long search, did the right thing and returned the Bell to DePauw. 

I always thought it would have been cool for the Great Eight who pulled off that heist to shed their cloaks of anonymity and give an oral history of the event on the 20 year anniversary, but alas, they remain nameless legends.

I'd buy the book about that night. 

[Breckenridgebear]

Just read the Indianapolis Monthly article about the Bell game. The last 4 sentences sort of sums up a lot about the differences between the 2 schools. Mamma's boys can't guard the bell so they need the police to do it for them. Note: Wabash does not.

"The last successful heist was in 1998. Wabash students pulled off a daring raid on Halloween and brought the Bell back to Wabash. Today, when DePauw has possession, it places the Bell on a pressure sensor wired to the local police station. Wabash does not."

https://youtu.be/FfrQj0l6_xA "Masterminds"

[sigma one]

Wally, you will recall, I'm sure, that at the beginning of Monon Bell Chapel, 1998, a "group" paraded the Bell to much applause down the center aisle to a site near the stage.  The Bell's clanger had been silenced because in the view of those involved in the heist they/Wabash did not yet deserve to ring it because Wabash had not won the game the previous year.  The Wabash Dean of Students had been informed earlier in the day that the Bell would show up at Chapel.  He called DPU to inform their administration that the Bell would be returned that day.  He had promised shortly after DePauw found the Bell missing that he was confident it would be returned in plenty of time for DPU to prepare for the game.  After Chapel the Bell was loaded into the Dean's van and driven south to the Montgomery/Putnam county line, about mid way from Crawfordsville to Greencastle.  There the Bell was transferred to a DPU maintenance truck for transport back to DePauw.
     And that's the rest of the story.

[BashFan74]

That was the same year that Coach Nick and staff stole the Wabash signs.  The game was a runaway for the Tigers.  DPU did not deny that they did this - even as, I recall, there was an agreement not to do so.  I believe this was reported to the NCAA but no action was taken. This has always seemed to me a blemish on the integrity of the coach and university.

[WabashBob]

I can't help but think; what was it like on the Greencastle campus after the various successful heist attempts?  I remember my sophomore year the group of Rhynies guarding the Bell fell asleep and a group of full Sphinx club members taught them a lesson by hiding the Bell behind some of the bushes next to the Chapel before waking them, inducing quite the panic.  It was Thursday morning and the mood prior to Monon Chapel on campus was incredibly morose.  When the Bell was brought into the Chapel it was quite a relief.

[sigma one]

DePauw won the 1998 game 42-7.  Yes, that was the year of the sign stealing.  Wabash players were saying during the game that the DPU players were calling out what was coming just before the snap of the ball.
     Indeed, the Wabash head coach complained to the NCAA, but the Wabash AD was unwilling (or perhaps there was no formal mechanism) to file a formal complaint.  There were bitter feelings than usual at the time.
     Was there an agreement not to steal signals from the sidelines?  I think there were different interpretations from the two sides.   
     The 1998 DePauw win was #3 on their way to 5 in a row.  The streak was broken in 2001--the year of "the Catch."  Wabash then won 3 back to back to back.  And from 2009 to 2015 Wabash took 7 consecutively, including in 2010 the first shut out for either team (47-0) since the 7-0 victory in the Mud Bowl of 1967.
     

[cave2bens]

11/7/1970 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCqLDL2x5eU

Thanks for posting this reminder, "1837."  Max Urick seemed to have a fascination with a "balanced" season - 3 wins, followed by two ties, and concluding with three straight losses - a perfect .500.  As a rhynie at the 1970 edition, following a long night of running around a bonfire, this was a tough way to lose but certainly applauded the decision to go for a win.  Really appreciate your historical posts.

[1837Tigers]

11/9/1985 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_CsS9l3e6Q

11/9/2012 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyqwingCCDk

Today from Evansville- https://www.depauw.edu/news-media/latest-news/details/33997/

[1837Tigers]

And, of course, The Ballad:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnvZx9FpnWs

[1837Tigers]

Hot off the press - a 2018 Monon Memory.  Hats off to the Little Giants.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdp4OEQhZ-I

[1837Tigers]

Made a tiny tweak to 2018 MM - new link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSXwKj-392E