The 122nd Monon Bell game

[Fripp52]

Bear, Been a while since I have been on here.  I assume you and the boys are attending this year?  Wife and I will be there.  Should be there Friday eve.  Looking forward to it.

[wabndy]

Been looking back at the record books to see when the last time the bell game included more than a bell - that is a conference championship on the line.  First things first, remember that AQs didn't come into play until the 1999 season.  Before that we had a 16 team tournament with no guaranteed bids and an insane amount of politics. 


Before then, DePauw and Wabash both played in the ICAC (the precursor to the HCAC - the conference simply changed names to drop the specific reference to the state of Indiana once Rose Hulman and DePauw left and the addition of Ohio schools Bluffton, Mt St Joseph and Wilmington).  DePauw's last season in the ICAC was 1997.  Wabash's in 2000.


A piece or the entire portion of the ICAC championship was on the line for the bell games in 1996 and 1991.  1991 was a true winner-take-all showdown where the bell and sole possession of the conference championship went to Wabash.  In 1996 - in a mirror reflection of 2015, a Wabash win would have made both the tigers and little giants conference co-champions.  Alas - DePauw retook the bell and sole possession of the conference crown.


The ICACs record book opens in 1989.   I want to say Wabash played as an independent before that - but don't have any records.  Certainly no conference championship records are noted in the Wabash football media guide before 1989.


So this bell game is only the third conference championship game, the first in nineteen years, and the first with an automatic ticket to the postseason on the line.

[WAF78]

Back in the late 60/s and early to mid 70's, Wabash and DePauw were both members of the ICC, Indiana Collegiate Conference. The ICC consisted of Butler, Evansville, Valparaiso, St. Joseph, University of Indianapolis (Indiana Central back then), Wabash and DePauw. Wabash, DePauw and St. Joe usually fought not to be at the bottom of the conference. The last year we were in the ICC was for the 1975 season, when Wabash dropped out and became a part of the newly formed Division III. For the next few years, we played Butler, U of I, St. Joe and Valpo, eventually dropping them off the schedule as we started playing more D-3 competition. In the 1976 we lost three games...one to Butler, one to University of Indianapolis and one to Albion, who went undefeated and won the MIAA. The next year, the Stagg Bowl year, we defeated St. Joe and Valpo during the season. So thankful those days of only 8 teams going to the playoffs is over as it was all politics, who you knew and who you could get to vote for you. I don't think we would have gone to the playoffs in '77 if anyone over than Frank Navarro had been our coach. He had coached at Columbia had a lot of eastern connections. 

[Breckenridgebear]

Bear, Been a while since I have been on here.  I assume you and the boys are attending this year?  Wife and I will be there.  Should be there Friday eve.  Looking forward to it.

I hope to see you this weekend. You know where to find us.

"Because the history of contentiousness between the Wabash and DePauw fans, we separate everything."

                                                                -  Stevie Baker-Watson

[wally_wabash]

Any logistical information posted about what county Wabash fans are allowed to tailgate in this year?  Or is the DePauw athletic department not sharing that information because it might be too "contentious" and needs to be kept separate? 

[wabndy]

Any logistical information posted about what county Wabash fans are allowed to tailgate in this year?  Or is the DePauw athletic department not sharing that information because it might be too "contentious" and needs to be kept separate?

If some in the DePauw administration had their way - I'm sure this would be it.

[Breckenridgebear]

Any logistical information posted about what county Wabash fans are allowed to tailgate in this year?  Or is the DePauw athletic department not sharing that information because it might be too "contentious" and needs to be kept separate?

If some in the DePauw administration had their way - I'm sure this would be it.

"Wabash will be tailgating by the intramural fields. The distance from the field is not intentional; however, it keeps the possibility of potential vandalism associated with the game at a low risk."

[wally_wabash]

Any logistical information posted about what county Wabash fans are allowed to tailgate in this year?  Or is the DePauw athletic department not sharing that information because it might be too "contentious" and needs to be kept separate?

If some in the DePauw administration had their way - I'm sure this would be it.

"Wabash will be tailgating by the intramural fields. The distance from the field is not intentional; however, it keeps the possibility of potential vandalism associated with the game at a low risk."

Do you have a link to some kind of official release?   

[sigma one]

Does that mean the distance from the field is "unintentional"?   What !?  Does that mean it was accidental?  What!?    If I recall, and I do because I was there for the discussions, there did not seem to be significant problems when Wabash and DPU tailgaters shared the large parking lot where DPU has now constructed new playing fields.  So why not just say something like--
"With the loss of the large parking lot to the south of the stadium, we have done the best we can and provided Wabash fans with a suitable place to tailgate."  That's intentional.  Just the DPU administration being the, uh,  DPU administration and raising the spector of vandalism and contentiousness while unsuccessfully explaining its decisions.   Paranoia runs deep.

[bashbrother]

So why not just say something like--
"With the loss of the large parking lot to the south of the stadium, we have done the best we can and provided Wabash fans with a suitable place to tailgate."  That's intentional.  Just the DPU administration being the, uh,  DPU administration and raising the spector of vandalism and contentiousness while unsuccessfully explaining its decisions.   Paranoia runs deep.

Losing 6 straight runs deeper    how dare we.

[BayernFan]

Any logistical information posted about what county Wabash fans are allowed to tailgate in this year?  Or is the DePauw athletic department not sharing that information because it might be too "contentious" and needs to be kept separate?

If some in the DePauw administration had their way - I'm sure this would be it.

"Wabash will be tailgating by the intramural fields. The distance from the field is not intentional; however, it keeps the possibility of potential vandalism associated with the game at a low risk."

Where are the intramural fields?

[Breckenridgebear]

Does that mean the distance from the field is "unintentional"?   What !?  Does that mean it was accidental?  What!?    If I recall, and I do because I was there for the discussions, there did not seem to be significant problems when Wabash and DPU tailgaters shared the large parking lot where DPU has now constructed new playing fields.  So why not just say something like--
"With the loss of the large parking lot to the south of the stadium, we have done the best we can and provided Wabash fans with a suitable place to tailgate."  That's intentional.  Just the DPU administration being the, uh,  DPU administration and raising the spector of vandalism and contentiousness while unsuccessfully explaining its decisions.   Paranoia runs deep.

Although I disagree with it, the number of red Ws painted around campus would justify the vandalism basis for keeping the boyzz in one area.

As always, please come visit our tailgate, we are inclusive of everyone.

[wally_wabash]

Aw man, I honestly thought the Bear was making up quotes here, but no.  Those are actually things said by their AD and written by their journos. 

It's really unfortunate that the rhetoric from the people in charge down there insists on perpetuating an overly hostile context around this game that hasn't really existed for 15 years.   

[wabndy]

Aw man, I honestly thought the Bear was making up quotes here, but no.  Those are actually things said by their AD and written by their journos. 

It's really unfortunate that the rhetoric from the people in charge down there insists on perpetuating an overly hostile context around this game that hasn't really existed for 15 years.   

"Within Blackstock Stadium, crowd control fences are riddled throughout as well as the additional 650 seats."

650 extra seats?  Really?  Didn't blackstock get renovated not that long ago and that is the best they can do?

[wabndy]

The 1979 CBS Sunday Morning feature on the bell game.  Hadn't seen this in a while.  Remember Joe O'Rourke showing a video of this in speech class.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRgnsfsoFzE