20 years ago today (well, tonight)

[CappyNU]

Who was there?

Full game:

Highlights:

#33, on his 33rd carry of the day, scores the 33rd point for NU to beat OSU for the first time in 33 years.

 

[KramerCat91]

I was there.

 

[Ilvolino]

I was there.

I was there too. And it was unbelievable. Buckeye fans were shocked and literally crying. So sweet

 

[mickbula]

My Dad and I were there. Second best game ever seen in person. Mich/nu was the best. When we won with Kustok at qb. I am a nu fan/alum...and after both wins, I was shocked and literally close to crying as well in joy

 

[its_the_sauce]

I was...

Also remember buying Sun-Times the following day at Walgreens(CVS?) at Western & Irving Park on way to Bears game. Not sure why that still sticks out LOL.

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

Wait, this thread isn't about the Beatles?

What a win for Randy Walker and the Wildcats.

How many coaches would have kicked the winning field goal in OT from the 5 yard line? Not Walker!
Punch it into the endzone and make sure the Buckeyes couldn't whine about Nugent missing his field goal in OT.

Regrettably, I was not there.

 

[winnetkat]

My Dad and I were there. Second best game ever seen in person. Mich/nu was the best. When we won with Kustok at qb. I am a nu fan/alum...and after both wins, I was shocked and literally close to crying as well in joy

My dad (who lives in Cleveland) and I were there, too. Also at the Municipal Stadium game. The 2004 one was more fun.

 

[Hungry Jack]

I was there. I will never forget it.

 

[GOUNUII]

I was there.

Me too. Had visions of Woody coming back to life to punch somebody when Noah went straight up the gut untouched for the winning points. Had to be the ultimate insult to his legacy.

Cats dominated the LOS on both sides all night. Something that for many years I was certain I would never see. And Baz was special.

GOUNUII

 

[SDakaGordie]

I was there! Sitting in my NU friend’s 50-yard line seats. The most often used quote of my NU sports lifetime!

 

[No Chores]

Who was there?

Full game:

View embedded media

Highlights:

View embedded media

#33, on his 33rd carry of the day, scores the 33rd point for NU to beat OSU for the first time in 33 years.

I just watched the highlights version and plan to watch it only 6 or 8 more times. It never gets old!

 

[1060Ivy]

Was there with a couple none too happy Buckeye fans who also happened to lose some serious cash on the game

 

[Baz=Heisman]

Who was there?

Full game:

View embedded media

Highlights:

View embedded media

#33, on his 33rd carry of the day, scores the 33rd point for NU to beat OSU for the first time in 33 years.

I remember it like it was yesterday. My buddy and I, then in HS, bought tickets from the older Asian scalper, who I knew from NU and Cubs game, in a handicapped seats (not sure how?) and then rushed the field after the win. Was amazing!

 

[NJcatsfan]

Stormed the field.

 

[Arlcatsfan]

Was there also. What a great night. Herron was a bull all night. And that OL man could we use them now. Ulrich, Ndukwe, Rees, Big Zach Strief and Trai Essex who had one of the greatest blocks by a NU lineman on Basanez's run in OT.
RW sure could put an offense together.
Ended up on the field at the 50 yd line and remember looking at the press box and just thinking man this is something else.

 

[Alaskawildkat]

I was at a Sports Bar in Alaska surrounded by Ohio State Fans. The place was eerily silent.

 

[zeek55]

I was in the stands. Probably best sporting event I've ever attended.

I still remember the Ohio State fans leaving and acting as if they had just attended a funeral.

 

[GOUNUII]

I was at a Sports Bar in Alaska surrounded by Ohio State Fans. The place was eerily silent.

I was in the stands with an NU buddy surrounded by - you guessed it - Ohio State fans. I believe we were 1-3 going into that game.

Then on the walk back to campus we were again surrounded by Scarlet and Grey.

Then we hit a bar. Same thing. Two purple dots in a sea of Scarlet and Grey. I turned to my friend - both of us happily married middle aged men with families - and asked:

Does this mean we get to take their women?

We toasted to that barbaric thought and had a great laugh. The cruel mongrels from the Buckeye state had been conquered in trench warfare by a small but powerful band of nerds led by one of their own native sons.

God bless Randy Walker.

GOUNUII

 

[Catreporter]

I was there and will never forget it. I had talked to Coach Walker earlier in the week about being in the broadcast booth the last time the Cats had beaten Ohio State in 1971 at Columbus. And he replied that he was also there while being recruited by Woody! RIP, Randy

 

[hdhntr1]

Who was there?

Full game:

View embedded media

Highlights:

View embedded media

#33, on his 33rd carry of the day, scores the 33rd point for NU to beat OSU for the first time in 33 years.

Therese and I were.. Remember going to Goose Island Beer tent (as not really a tent at that point. ) and having a couple dOSU fans behind us in line and telling them that the reason they were being given the free beer was so that they would not feel so bad when we beat them. How sweet and prophetic it was. Good times.

 

[pschatz25]

I... had a ticket to the game. But I had tickets to a concert that night so I knew well in advance that I would miss it. I didn't even bother asking anyone to text me the score because I didn't think it would be close (and this was before score apps, or at least before I had a phone with such capabilities). I'll never forget watching ESPN the next morning and seeing the score appear on the bottom line.

The concert was excellent and I'm at peace with what happened. After 30+ years of following NU football I've seen them beat every Big Ten team- not including the ones that just joined- except Ohio State. I ended up getting tickets for this year's game so maybe this will be the year for me.

 

[hdhntr1]

I... had a ticket to the game. But I had tickets to a concert that night so I knew well in advance that I would miss it. I didn't even bother asking anyone to text me the score because I didn't think it would be close (and this was before score apps, or at least before I had a phone with such capabilities). I'll never forget watching ESPN the next morning and seeing the score appear on the bottom line.

The concert was excellent and I'm at peace with what happened. After 30+ years of following NU football I've seen them beat every Big Ten team- not including the ones that just joined- except Ohio State. I ended up getting tickets for this year's game so maybe this will be the year for me.

Good luck with that

 

[mountaindrew]

Was there also. What a great night. Herron was a bull all night. And that OL man could we use them now. Ulrich, Ndukwe, Rees, Big Zach Strief and Trai Essex who had one of the greatest blocks by a NU lineman on Basanez's run in OT.
RW sure could put an offense together.
Ended up on the field at the 50 yd line and remember looking at the press box and just thinking man this is something else.

Our linebackers - Pickens, McGarigle, Roach, plus safety Dominique Price .... I never saw them play with their hair on fire like that game. Constant pressure, the most speed I've ever seen NU linebackers play with (before Nate Hall)... outside of the OL's superb performance, that's what I remember most....

.... and inexplicably I was not there. Even though I was in town, in fact, I was in that old bar in Evanston, on Sherman and Lake (gone now, right? What was its name?) watching the game and going absolutely berserk. Why the hell did I not go to the game?!?! I can't remember.

That could be a topic of another thread - what punishment does Mountain Drew deserve for going to a bar in Evanston, instead of being at our greatest win of that decade? Or another topic option - why wasn't Mountain Drew there?
Example answer: the dog ate my ticket.

 

[Sheffielder]

Here's what I remember from that night:

* Had just moved to Chicago over the summer of '04 for grad school at NU (but I had been a fan for many years before...all my other friends rooted for Big Ten teams and Northwestern seemed to be the odd one out, so I adopted them - not the reason I found my way to Chicago, but probably one of the reasons I looked.) Took the red line up to purple. Ohio State fans on the train. They were drinking, one was giving a handy to her boyfriend (yes, really) and several were shouting "f*ck Northwestern" even though I remember there being a mom on the train with her young son who was just commuting and had nothing to do with the game. It was then that I decided...I hate Ohio State. Everyone Hates Ohio State.

* Couldn't believe my eyes as we tied things up. I can still literally remember the moment that Noah made it into the end zone. He is one of my all-time NU favorites, so it breaks my heart that he's joined one of the lawsuits.

* Joined everyone in storming the field, bumped into a couple of linemen and I remember thinking, how are we even the same species? They're HUGE.

* Went into Welsh-Ryan after the game and unwittingly meandered into a special event with an open bar, where we got drinks because the bartender didn't seem to care that we obviously weren't dressed for the occasion (whatever it was). Perfect end to a perfect night.

 

[montana_cat]

Out here in Billings, Montana, I streamed the first half on WGN. As halftime approached, I said to my late wife, Carolyn, "I think we're gonna beat Ohio State tonight, and I want to watch that." So we headed to a neighborhood sports bar and caught the second half and overtime on TV. A night to never forget!

 

[CappyNU]

Our linebackers - Pickens, McGarigle, Roach, plus safety Dominique Price .... I never saw them play with their hair on fire like that game. Constant pressure, the most speed I've ever seen NU linebackers play with (before Nate Hall)... outside of the OL's superb performance, that's what I remember most....

.... and inexplicably I was not there. Even though I was in town, in fact, I was in that old bar in Evanston, on Sherman and Lake (gone now, right? What was its name?) watching the game and going absolutely berserk. Why the hell did I not go to the game?!?! I can't remember.

That could be a topic of another thread - what punishment does Mountain Drew deserve for going to a bar in Evanston, instead of being at our greatest win of that decade? Or another topic option - why wasn't Mountain Drew there?
Example answer: the dog ate my ticket.

Tommy Nevin's, and yes, it's long gone now unfortunately. Loved that place.

 

[CappyNU]

My memories of the night...

I was a junior that year, and I organized a large group of fraternity brothers to paint up, spelling LET'S GO CATS!" on the front and "BUCKEYES SUCK!" on the back. We got to the stadium before the gates opened in order to get the front row of the student section and had to negotiate with a sorority group to work a deal out, don't remember the particulars but we ended up in front.

It was an unseasonably cold evening, which I recall specifically because my muscles started stiffening sometime in the 3rd quarter and if I hadn't caught a t-shirt from a cheerleader, I would've been in real trouble.

Kinda had the feeling it would be our night when Nugent missed what should've been a gimme for him, and we of course rushed the field at the end. So many people climbed the goalposts trying to take them down, which of course was futile since they were deeply cemented in the ground. I remember one poor soul got dragged down from the crossbar by NUPD and hit the ground hard. I made my way up to near the north tunnel to look out at the mass of people and then ran into Zach Strief's aunt and uncle.

On the way back home, I called my OSU cousin who was supposed to hang out with me afterwards, but instead she hung up on me. We then found someone's discarded OSU hat, which we took back to our house and lit it on fire on our grill to celebrate the victory. Still my favorite sporting event I've ever attended. Oh, and I remember it being a real downer learning the next day that a student died while storming the field because he had a heart condition.

 

[SmellyCat]

I just watched the highlights version and plan to watch it only 6 or 8 more times. It never gets old!

This is a really great one. I know it was only NU highlights and OSU lowlights, but watching that made me think that OSU (and Zwick in particular) were terrible. Go Cats!

That TD to Philmore was such a different play than we've seen NU have in so long that it almost feels like a trick play.

 

[mickbula]

You know what? Johnny Obrien from fremd might be as good or better than basanez! A lefty but I have seen him play! How cool would it be to repeat that night in the near future!! He is our best qb recruit since thorson

 

[4IUSox2]

Great game!! Had given up our NU season tickets by then with 3 kids under 5 at that point when we lived on the north side. Watched some of it, then turned on Dave Eanet and Ted late in the game to get the NU-WGN call. Walk was a heck of coach. He did his college coach at Miami of Ohio, Bill Mallory, proud.

A week or 2 later, Troy Smith would be inserted at QB for OSU replacing Zwick.

 

[SimpsonElmwood]

I was there! This completed my seeing the Cats win over every B1G team in person. Only took 20 years. Then they add teams. Check. Then add more.

 

[Medill '03]

Who was there?

Full game:

View embedded media

Highlights:

View embedded media

#33, on his 33rd carry of the day, scores the 33rd point for NU to beat OSU for the first time in 33 years.

I was!