I might be one of the few who actually saw the great IU football team of 1945-they tied Northwestern 7-7.
Today I am still a season ticket holder and have been for many of the intervening years. Seemed some really bad IU teams from Bernie Crimmins to the present. Outside of Corso, Cameron prospectively and Mallory-and of course John Pont there hasn't been much to see. I thought Hep had the best chance to be successful here, even though he didn't have anywhere near the facilities or support that exists now. (some day we can talk about the 1969 and the problems and also how they got over 56,000 in for the Purdue game that year, but that's for another day.
To the present-what happened yesterday is another classic collapse. For many, many years IU has more often than not failed to win the "big one", the season changer or even in too many cases the game we're supposed to win. Like it or not, it's the football culture here.
I actually believe Wilson is an improvement as a coach over some of his predecessors . The problem is he doesn't win. There are many things to blame that on, probably most beyond his control. The simple fact is, my opinion only, is that some guys are winners and others are not. Five years is a long time to go without ever having an "upset" win, winning on the road-it just doesn't seem to happen. Often a glimmer of hope, none that have lasted.
Urban Meyer won everywhere he coached. Mallory coached at Colorado and Northern Illinois and was a winner at both schools and over time did the same here-somehow he taught the team defense. The choice between hiring a new coach and starting over is very tough. How do you decide, who is to blame.
For yesterdays debacle there has to be blame. To say, at the press conference some players were "smiling", presumably suggesting they lost focus is ridiculous!! In the after game press conference I heard no sense of urgency-when it was critically important. The loss vacates a lot of support from already tested die hard fans and hope for the team. Jobs, careers, fan support, maybe even the athletic director and more are on the red line-maybe it's already been crossed.
In real life, and big time football is real life you can only sell hope for so long-and my life and others who have been around for decades, ever with all the losses, this was very painful. Last year IU honored many alumni donors who had contributed for 50 years or more, consecutively-I was and remain among them.
Should you retain a coach who has won exactly six conference games (lost 29) in four plus years, and only a couple of road games in that whole time? Few would.
I bleed for IU-and no matter where or how (much easier now) I watch their games and still get to some. On my bucket list is a wish to go to one more Rose Bowl (I was there for our only one) and while I'm at it one more national basketball banner. My wife is huge IU fan too (and one daughter graduated from IU. She has, not entirely joking promised to take me to those championship games-alive or in an urn. Also been to the last two bowl games, Shreveport and Phoenix.
OH well-wife and me, daughter and son in law will be in Maui in a few weeks for the Maui Invitational. Hope to run into some of you there.
EPILOUGE-
I realize some of you may read this or call me an idiot or worse-hope you don't. Lifetime ardent IU fans, in my case 81 years old an counting really don't deserve that. I think we all deserve a better football team though. GO HOOSIERS
Today I am still a season ticket holder and have been for many of the intervening years. Seemed some really bad IU teams from Bernie Crimmins to the present. Outside of Corso, Cameron prospectively and Mallory-and of course John Pont there hasn't been much to see. I thought Hep had the best chance to be successful here, even though he didn't have anywhere near the facilities or support that exists now. (some day we can talk about the 1969 and the problems and also how they got over 56,000 in for the Purdue game that year, but that's for another day.
To the present-what happened yesterday is another classic collapse. For many, many years IU has more often than not failed to win the "big one", the season changer or even in too many cases the game we're supposed to win. Like it or not, it's the football culture here.
I actually believe Wilson is an improvement as a coach over some of his predecessors . The problem is he doesn't win. There are many things to blame that on, probably most beyond his control. The simple fact is, my opinion only, is that some guys are winners and others are not. Five years is a long time to go without ever having an "upset" win, winning on the road-it just doesn't seem to happen. Often a glimmer of hope, none that have lasted.
Urban Meyer won everywhere he coached. Mallory coached at Colorado and Northern Illinois and was a winner at both schools and over time did the same here-somehow he taught the team defense. The choice between hiring a new coach and starting over is very tough. How do you decide, who is to blame.
For yesterdays debacle there has to be blame. To say, at the press conference some players were "smiling", presumably suggesting they lost focus is ridiculous!! In the after game press conference I heard no sense of urgency-when it was critically important. The loss vacates a lot of support from already tested die hard fans and hope for the team. Jobs, careers, fan support, maybe even the athletic director and more are on the red line-maybe it's already been crossed.
In real life, and big time football is real life you can only sell hope for so long-and my life and others who have been around for decades, ever with all the losses, this was very painful. Last year IU honored many alumni donors who had contributed for 50 years or more, consecutively-I was and remain among them.
Should you retain a coach who has won exactly six conference games (lost 29) in four plus years, and only a couple of road games in that whole time? Few would.
I bleed for IU-and no matter where or how (much easier now) I watch their games and still get to some. On my bucket list is a wish to go to one more Rose Bowl (I was there for our only one) and while I'm at it one more national basketball banner. My wife is huge IU fan too (and one daughter graduated from IU. She has, not entirely joking promised to take me to those championship games-alive or in an urn. Also been to the last two bowl games, Shreveport and Phoenix.
OH well-wife and me, daughter and son in law will be in Maui in a few weeks for the Maui Invitational. Hope to run into some of you there.
EPILOUGE-
I realize some of you may read this or call me an idiot or worse-hope you don't. Lifetime ardent IU fans, in my case 81 years old an counting really don't deserve that. I think we all deserve a better football team though. GO HOOSIERS
