The reality is in my memory time, which began with the undefeated 1945 best IU football team ever, there have been very few BIG GAMES in which the season hung in the balance and winning made it a memorable event. On Nov 24, 1945 with World War II having ended in August, IU completed their undefeated season by beating #18 ranked Purdue in Bloomington 26-0. IU was led by its most illustrious coach BoMcMillin its most successful coach until John Pont and later Bill Mallory arrived. There were no bowl games available in 1945 to IU then although there was talk about setting up a match with undefeated Army as a benefit game, but it never happened.
IU then went from 1948 till the arrival of Phil Dickens from a successful career at Wyoming did not have a winning season until 1958. Dickens did in my memory two notable things-he changed IU's colors and initiated the chant-Lucky Blue win for IU (who lost their last game in the old stadium to Purdue (I was there). More notably numerous coaching scandals were attached to him which resulted in IU getting the equivalent of a four year "death" sentence covering all sports, including virtually destroying Branch McCrackens basketball program and Bill Councilmans championship swimming teams who were denied Big Ten championships. (Note-all of this is from my memory-so its possible I have mis rembered something-that happens at age 87).
In 1965 John Pont formerly coach of Yale arrived. His first two years teams went 2-8 and 1-8, but strangely a "buzz" developed in the program. The "buzz" showed up big time in 1967, now remembered as the Cinderella team. IU started winning, pulling games out at the end, the stadium being filled to capacity and then some until I woke up on Saturday Nov 18, 1967 and IU is undefeated and playing at Minnesota that day. The emotion was too great-SO I did what about 5,000 other people who also did the same thing, I got on a plane and flew with high hopes to Minnesota-for the BIG GAME.
Alas while the flights were safe, the team crashed and lost 33-7.
The following Saturday #3 ranked Purdue a 15 point favorite played at IU. There are no words to describe the game, the crowd, the memory. With my IU met wife in the crowd and IU a huge underdog in the most memorable sporting event I ever saw (and I have seen a lot of them including IU NCAA basketball championships) and the newspaper headline on the day of the game which read, "PURDUE FAVORED BY 15, IU BY THOUSANDS). I still feel the memory and yes, my wife and I went to the Rose Bowl.
The Bill Mallory successful era arrived-marked by the BIG GAME-the ticket to the Rose Bowl on Nov 14, 1987 playing at Michigan State. Win the game an IU goes to the Rose Bowl-was not to be IU lost 27-3. Ultimately no matter that Mallory had years of winning football success in his last two years, 1995 and 1996 his teams won only a Big Ten game and his tenure came to an onglorius end.
Which brings us to tomorrows game-is the game against Cincinnati really a BIG GAME. Will it be remembered forever if we win or lose. Who knows-but a lot of hope and in my view the foundation of IU is a football team and school to be thought of rides on tomorrow. Tom Allen has certainly proved his worth and what he has done so far is by any standard incredible, still.....still---there's that shadow of doubt. A win tomorrow or at least an end to the wire competitive game will go a long way to saying this team, this coach, this era is real.
At 87 I yearn to go to another Rose Bowl again-preferably not in an urn.
GO HOOSIERS
JK BS 1956
Indiana thought it had finally gotten a big time coach when it hired Sam Wyche and announced a strong committmen to football, fut after one year Wyche found greener NFL pastures and left, to be follow by a coach who had recently coached Colorado and then Northern Illinois. His new carrer at IU started in 1984 and the Hoosiers went 0-11. But on Nov 14, 1987 IU was on the cusp of the Rose Bowl needing only to beat Michigan State and they would represent the Big Ten in the Rose Bowl. Alas IU lost 27-3 and the Mallory era, successful as it was, ended with IU winning only one Big Ten game in 1995 and 1996 and he was let go.
IU then went from 1948 till the arrival of Phil Dickens from a successful career at Wyoming did not have a winning season until 1958. Dickens did in my memory two notable things-he changed IU's colors and initiated the chant-Lucky Blue win for IU (who lost their last game in the old stadium to Purdue (I was there). More notably numerous coaching scandals were attached to him which resulted in IU getting the equivalent of a four year "death" sentence covering all sports, including virtually destroying Branch McCrackens basketball program and Bill Councilmans championship swimming teams who were denied Big Ten championships. (Note-all of this is from my memory-so its possible I have mis rembered something-that happens at age 87).
In 1965 John Pont formerly coach of Yale arrived. His first two years teams went 2-8 and 1-8, but strangely a "buzz" developed in the program. The "buzz" showed up big time in 1967, now remembered as the Cinderella team. IU started winning, pulling games out at the end, the stadium being filled to capacity and then some until I woke up on Saturday Nov 18, 1967 and IU is undefeated and playing at Minnesota that day. The emotion was too great-SO I did what about 5,000 other people who also did the same thing, I got on a plane and flew with high hopes to Minnesota-for the BIG GAME.
Alas while the flights were safe, the team crashed and lost 33-7.
The following Saturday #3 ranked Purdue a 15 point favorite played at IU. There are no words to describe the game, the crowd, the memory. With my IU met wife in the crowd and IU a huge underdog in the most memorable sporting event I ever saw (and I have seen a lot of them including IU NCAA basketball championships) and the newspaper headline on the day of the game which read, "PURDUE FAVORED BY 15, IU BY THOUSANDS). I still feel the memory and yes, my wife and I went to the Rose Bowl.
The Bill Mallory successful era arrived-marked by the BIG GAME-the ticket to the Rose Bowl on Nov 14, 1987 playing at Michigan State. Win the game an IU goes to the Rose Bowl-was not to be IU lost 27-3. Ultimately no matter that Mallory had years of winning football success in his last two years, 1995 and 1996 his teams won only a Big Ten game and his tenure came to an onglorius end.
Which brings us to tomorrows game-is the game against Cincinnati really a BIG GAME. Will it be remembered forever if we win or lose. Who knows-but a lot of hope and in my view the foundation of IU is a football team and school to be thought of rides on tomorrow. Tom Allen has certainly proved his worth and what he has done so far is by any standard incredible, still.....still---there's that shadow of doubt. A win tomorrow or at least an end to the wire competitive game will go a long way to saying this team, this coach, this era is real.
At 87 I yearn to go to another Rose Bowl again-preferably not in an urn.
GO HOOSIERS
JK BS 1956
Indiana thought it had finally gotten a big time coach when it hired Sam Wyche and announced a strong committmen to football, fut after one year Wyche found greener NFL pastures and left, to be follow by a coach who had recently coached Colorado and then Northern Illinois. His new carrer at IU started in 1984 and the Hoosiers went 0-11. But on Nov 14, 1987 IU was on the cusp of the Rose Bowl needing only to beat Michigan State and they would represent the Big Ten in the Rose Bowl. Alas IU lost 27-3 and the Mallory era, successful as it was, ended with IU winning only one Big Ten game in 1995 and 1996 and he was let go.
