POLL: Is this what the Dark Ages felt like?

[CatManTrue]

Ok, here’s a more honest attempt at a poll. I was blasted on the Rock for not being more objective, so this is an honest question.

By the time I truly knew what a football was, Northwestern had been in the Rose and Citrus Bowls and won a couple of conference championships. I’ve only followed the team since 2000 and have enjoyed some relative expectation of decency on the gridiron.

Is this what the Dark Ages felt like? AKA Pure, objective desolation with no near-term light at the end of the tunnel. I have confidence that, with certain changes, we could return to our winning ways quickly. However I don’t have a crystal ball and am a realist: this could get worse before it gets better.

 

[FeralFelidae]

No, because this is just a single season and the dark ages were much longer than that. I don't think you can compare one miserable season to the prolonged suffering of the dark ages.

 

[stpaulcat]

I don't know exactly what brought on the Dark Ages, since it began somewhat after my time when we were very highly regarded under Ara, and Dennis Green who followed proved to be a good coach. I believe it was the combination of a faculty who were vehemently opposed to investment in football and Robert Strotz. That is not the case now as we have great support from President Shapiro, although an antagonistic faculty could pull us down, which I don't believe will happen since we are the #9 university in the country and the faculty are a bit less uptight. HOWEVER, unless Fitz is able to clearly assess what the problems are/have been, and have the motivation to fix them we're gonna continue down for a while. And one thing builds on another, so I hope the cascading effect doesn't result in a prolonged trend (not DA2, which is an unfortunate euphemism for Dark Ages 2) but only a brief decline followed by the glorious result of another Rose Bowl.

 

[CatManTrue]

I don't know exactly what brought on the Dark Ages, since it began somewhat after my time when we were very highly regarded under Ara, and Dennis Green who followed proved to be a good coach. I believe it was the combination of a faculty who were vehemently opposed to investment in football and Robert Strotz. That is not the case now as we have great support from President Shapiro, although an antagonistic faculty could pull us down, which I don't believe will happen since we are the #9 university in the country and the faculty are a bit less uptight. HOWEVER, unless Fitz is able to clearly assess what the problems are/have been, and have the motivation to fix them we're gonna continue down for a while. And one thing builds on another, so I hope the cascading effect doesn't result in a prolonged trend (not DA2, which is an unfortunate euphemism for Dark Ages 2) but only a brief decline followed by the glorious result of another Rose Bowl.

So is that a No or an Other?

 

[Alvious]

The Dark Ages were much, much worse. It wasn't a Dark "Age", it went on so long we have to use the term Dark Ages. It seemed like there was no chance, no hope that things would ever improve. At my first NU game, I went home happy that we held Michigan State to "only" 38 points. Oh sure, once in a while we would beat Minnesota or Indiana, but then we'd lose to Iowa by 50 or so.
I think most sane people realize that this season is just a bump in the road, that in the next year or two we'll be out of this funk and back to being the Cardiac Cats.

 

[Noah121]

My answer was Other for Abstain, as the Dark Ages preceded my life.

 

[Hungry Jack]

I caught the tail end of the Dark Ages (85-89). We won 10 games in 4 years, with 4 of those coming in my freshman year. We all got excited about the prospect of a bowl. LOL.

The Dark Ages were marked by not only futility on the field, but an utter lack of expectations of success. "Expect Victory" would have gotten you laughed out of the room, or pelted with marshmallows. It was nearly impossible to take NU football seriously.

We practiced rugby on the turf at "old" Dyche. We did not tackle on it. It was hard. I would not have wanted to play football on that. The facilities were the joke of the conference.

The angst and anger we see today are the consequence of heightened expectations for the program. We fans expect--almost demand--to have a competitive team that can challenge for a conference title. There was nothing remotely like this during the Dark Ages. Just an expectation of miserable football.

 

[ubercat]

No. This season is a snapshot, while the Dark Ages is an extended photo album of misfortune. Or as Rick Telander phrased it, the Placid Period.

 

[BosCat]

I caught the tail end of the Dark Ages (85-89). We won 10 games in 4 years, with 4 of those coming in my freshman year. We all got excited about the prospect of a bowl. LOL.

The Dark Ages were marked by not only futility on the field, but an utter lack of expectations of success. "Expect Victory" would have gotten you laughed out of the room, or pelted with marshmallows. It was nearly impossible to take NU football seriously.

We practiced rugby on the turf at "old" Dyche. We did not tackle on it. It was hard. I would not have wanted to play football on that. The facilities were the joke of the conference.

The angst and anger we see today are the consequence of heightened expectations for the program. We fans expect--almost demand--to have a competitive team that can challenge for a conference title. There was nothing remotely like this during the Dark Ages. Just an expectation of miserable football.

As an "overlapper" w/Hungry, those 4 wins -- actually in '86 (my jr) were our most since 1973 - good times! (2 of the wins were Army & Princeton). We didn't reach 4 wins again until '95.

It just seemed there was a complete physical mismatch between our players and the rest of the conference -- somehow the RBs on the other team appeared bigger than our line (obvious hyperbole, but that's what it seemed like). We just stood no chance, as hard as our players worked. As all have mentioned - no support from the administration, but former players here can speak first hand about that.

At least we got to toss marshmallows for a year or two.

1994: 3-7
1993: 2-9
1992: 3-8
1991: 3-8
1990: 2-9
1989: 0-11
1988: 2-8
1987: 2-8
1986: 4-7
1985: 3-8
1984: 2-9
1983: 2-9
1982: 3-8
1981: 0-11
1980: 0-11
1979: 1-10
1978: 0-10
1977: 1-10
1976: 1-10
1975: 3-8
1974: 3-8
1973: 4-7
1972: 2-9

 

[phatcat]

As an "overlapper" w/Hungry, those 4 wins -- actually in '86 (my jr) were our most since 1973 - good times! (2 of the wins were Army & Princeton). We didn't reach 4 wins again until '95.

It just seemed there was a complete physical mismatch between our players and the rest of the conference -- somehow the RBs on the other team appeared bigger than our line (obvious hyperbole, but that's what it seemed like). We just stood no chance, as hard as our players worked. As all have mentioned - no support from the administration, but former players here can speak first hand about that.

At least we got to toss marshmallows for a year or two.

1994: 3-7
1993: 2-9
1992: 3-8
1991: 3-8
1990: 2-9
1989: 0-11
1988: 2-8
1987: 2-8
1986: 4-7
1985: 3-8
1984: 2-9
1983: 2-9
1982: 3-8
1981: 0-11
1980: 0-11
1979: 1-10
1978: 0-10
1977: 1-10
1976: 1-10
1975: 3-8
1974: 3-8
1973: 4-7
1972: 2-9

All: look at the 76-81 period. This NOTHING like that
Interstate 294- Northwestern zero

 

[rmndcat]

This is more like the Black Death than the Dark Ages...horrible but over in a year or two.

 

[stpaulcat]

The Dark Ages were much, much worse. It wasn't a Dark "Age", it went on so long we have to use the term Dark Ages. It seemed like there was no chance, no hope that things would ever improve. At my first NU game, I went home happy that we held Michigan State to "only" 38 points. Oh sure, once in a while we would beat Minnesota or Indiana, but then we'd lose to Iowa by 50 or so.
I think most sane people realize that this season is just a bump in the road, that in the next year or two we'll be out of this funk and back to being the Cardiac Cats.

Not without remedy.

 

[ashley0623]

What were the crowds like during the Dark Ages?

 

[Catslash]

What were the crowds like during the Dark Ages?

The East lot was day of game paid parking.

 

[FanatiCat]

The play on the field and the personnel we’re putting out there seem like the dark ages. I acknowledge this is partly due to wholesale injuries. But our QB, RB (without Bowser), WR, DBs cannot produce much of anything against anybody. Totally physically outmatched in every game. When we are at the point where games against IU and UI are a longshot and basically no chance against Minny, it is really discouraging. We beat Minny and UI last year while coasting on autopilot and we have gone in completely opposite directions in less than a year. It’sa good thing we got our West title last year because it’s going to be tougher to get back there anytime in the visible future.

 

[iskaboo]

As others have already said, our current woes have lasted less than a year. The Dark Ages spanned a generation.

 

[NUAlum78]

I caught the tail end of the Dark Ages (85-89). We won 10 games in 4 years, with 4 of those coming in my freshman year. We all got excited about the prospect of a bowl. LOL.

The Dark Ages were marked by not only futility on the field, but an utter lack of expectations of success. "Expect Victory" would have gotten you laughed out of the room, or pelted with marshmallows. It was nearly impossible to take NU football seriously.

We practiced rugby on the turf at "old" Dyche. We did not tackle on it. It was hard. I would not have wanted to play football on that. The facilities were the joke of the conference.

The angst and anger we see today are the consequence of heightened expectations for the program. We fans expect--almost demand--to have a competitive team that can challenge for a conference title. There was nothing remotely like this during the Dark Ages. Just an expectation of miserable football.

In my four years we won 5 games, and a lot of the losses were the 56 - 3 type of thing (IIRC). We still went to a lot of games as students, and cheered, but there was nothing to cheer about. My senior began the bleak times, and as a broke kid did not go to many games in the 4 - 5 years after graduation. So, no, one bad season is not like the time I was there, when we simply hoped the team could stay within a couple of touchdowns in each loss. Where there is no expectation, there is no disappointment.

 

[CatManTrue]

As others have already said, our current woes have lasted less than a year. The Dark Ages spanned a generation.

If I were to make a civil engineering analogy, the infrastructure for our offense feels as if it has been neglected for years. It is rusty, full of potholes, and damaged to its core. Our success was due to a few incredibly talented individuals that appeared to pave over our predictable playcalling, and in spite of our antiquated scheme.

I’m concerned that our defense won’t return to form next year with a few key departures, and that our offense may not appreciably improve given how bad its infrastructure truly is. So this may last beyond the current season unless key changes or new recruits rejuvenate our worst-in-the-country offensive output.

 

[IGNORE]

I don't know exactly what brought on the Dark Ages, since it began somewhat after my time when we were very highly regarded under Ara, and Dennis Green who followed proved to be a good coach. I believe it was the combination of a faculty who were vehemently opposed to investment in football and Robert Strotz. That is not the case now as we have great support from President Shapiro, although an antagonistic faculty could pull us down, which I don't believe will happen since we are the #9 university in the country and the faculty are a bit less uptight. HOWEVER, unless Fitz is able to clearly assess what the problems are/have been, and have the motivation to fix them we're gonna continue down for a while. And one thing builds on another, so I hope the cascading effect doesn't result in a prolonged trend (not DA2, which is an unfortunate euphemism for Dark Ages 2) but only a brief decline followed by the glorious result of another Rose Bowl.

You forgot that d1ck AD Taylor. I competed during his reign. Truly a tool.

 

[IGNORE]

What were the crowds like during the Dark Ages?

Marshwellow wars dominated the stands. It absolutely horrified my whole Big Ten family, none would come back for a second game. And they had giant tweezers to roam the sidelines picking up the marshmellows tossed by those students more talented than our QBs.

 

[IGNORE]

What were the crowds like during the Dark Ages?

you could come and go in and out of the stadium. The fraternities held tailgates in the east lot. That is where people mostly stayed until the post game parties. The fact that a game was going on nearby was unimportant, often forgotten.

 

[its_the_sauce]

Pass her up!!

 

[its_the_sauce]

you could come and go in and out of the stadium. The fraternities held tailgates in the east lot. That is where people mostly stayed until the post game parties. The fact that a game was going on nearby was unimportant, often forgotten.

Tailgates in the east lot?? Those were the lame frats. The good ones had kegs smuggled into the stadium the night before for enjoyment in the stands.

 

[ubercat]

To use a medical analogy, the Dark Ages were an experience of insidious onset. This season's collapse was acute, sudden. Easily treatable? We'll see.

In less than a year we've gone from first to worst. If next year we reverse that, it could be characterized as: from first to worst to first.

 

[eastbaycat99]

This year is not comparable to the dark ages in any way. The Cats being favored in any game was practically unimaginable, while this year they are 5 touchdowns and change picks over UMass Saturday. Compared to the core of the dark ages, They have won a game, lost 3 true heartbreakers, competed with a highly ranked team (Wisconsin) and will likely finish with at least 2 wins, as many as they won in total in five years from 1977 to 1981.

 

[rmndcat]

As an "overlapper" w/Hungry, those 4 wins -- actually in '86 (my jr) were our most since 1973 - good times! (2 of the wins were Army & Princeton). We didn't reach 4 wins again until '95.

It just seemed there was a complete physical mismatch between our players and the rest of the conference -- somehow the RBs on the other team appeared bigger than our line (obvious hyperbole, but that's what it seemed like). We just stood no chance, as hard as our players worked. As all have mentioned - no support from the administration, but former players here can speak first hand about that.

At least we got to toss marshmallows for a year or two.

1994: 3-7
1993: 2-9
1992: 3-8
1991: 3-8
1990: 2-9
1989: 0-11
1988: 2-8
1987: 2-8
1986: 4-7
1985: 3-8
1984: 2-9
1983: 2-9
1982: 3-8
1981: 0-11
1980: 0-11
1979: 1-10
1978: 0-10
1977: 1-10
1976: 1-10
1975: 3-8
1974: 3-8
1973: 4-7
1972: 2-9

I was there at the same time. I came right after the losing streak ended, but with only a handful of wins , mostly non-conference. My most vivid memory was of the period was almost beating Syracuse in 1984.

 

[AZCat]

My first few years at NU we had some respectable teams under Alex Agase. My Freshman roomie was from Beachwood OH. Both of his parents were OSU grads & had season tix. Got to go to Columbus & witness the 'Cats beat OSU. Woody went ballistic.

Then Purdue came calling and got Agase to go to West Lafayette. We then poached Johnny Pont from IU, where he was accused of racism by his black players.

"....For nearly five decades, Mike Adams felt an "emptiness."

He was proud of his university, proud to carry an IU degree. But as one of 10 African-American players who left the 1969 IU football team, boycotting against unequal treatment because of their race, Adams and his teammates shared that feeling, as their alma mater did little to recognize the stand they took..."

https://www.indystar.com/story/spor...announces-reconciliation-1969-iu-10/28089015/

Needless to say, it was downhill from there. Pont had trouble recruiting black players and the decline of NU Football started.

 

[julescat]

As an "overlapper" w/Hungry, those 4 wins -- actually in '86 (my jr) were our most since 1973 - good times! (2 of the wins were Army & Princeton). We didn't reach 4 wins again until '95.

It just seemed there was a complete physical mismatch between our players and the rest of the conference -- somehow the RBs on the other team appeared bigger than our line (obvious hyperbole, but that's what it seemed like). We just stood no chance, as hard as our players worked. As all have mentioned - no support from the administration, but former players here can speak first hand about that.

At least we got to toss marshmallows for a year or two.

1994: 3-7
1993: 2-9
1992: 3-8
1991: 3-8
1990: 2-9
1989: 0-11
1988: 2-8
1987: 2-8
1986: 4-7
1985: 3-8
1984: 2-9
1983: 2-9
1982: 3-8
1981: 0-11
1980: 0-11
1979: 1-10
1978: 0-10
1977: 1-10
1976: 1-10
1975: 3-8
1974: 3-8
1973: 4-7
1972: 2-9

You missed the famous 0-0 tie vs Illinois in 1978. The record that yer was 0-10-1...

 

[cattul]

you could come and go in and out of the stadium. The fraternities held tailgates in the east lot. That is where people mostly stayed until the post game parties. The fact that a game was going on nearby was unimportant, often forgotten.

Only forgotten until a loud cheer sounded in the stadium, and everyone rushed in from the tailgates to see what was happening.

Dark age football had its own appeal. The students made do. Good times were had by all, save for the poor distracted souls who took giant compressed-marshmallow-wad hits to the face, late in the game, when the wads were heavy and dirty.

Count me as one who thinks this season bears little resemblance, save for the record.

 

[cattul]

Now this was the dark ages:

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1988-11-02-8802120414-story.html

The attitude. The blasé recitation of atrocious scoring margins.

Boy has this program ever come a long way since those days.

 

[SchizoCat1]

You missed the famous 0-0 tie vs Illinois in 1978. The record that yer was 0-10-1...

I was at that POS game along with one of my fraternity brothers. Hands down the worst game I have ever witnessed, scorching hot weather and abysmal football on both teams. Horrible.

 

[SchizoCat1]

All: look at the 76-81 period. This NOTHING like that
Interstate 294- Northwestern zero

Completely correct. I was there for the 76-79 seasons. 3-30-1. Coming from a great HS football program like my school had (Br. Rice) this was a real horrowshow.

 

[SchizoCat1]

What were the crowds like during the Dark Ages?

Drunk.

 

[IGNORE]

Completely correct. I was there for the 76-79 seasons. 3-30-1. Coming from a great HS football program like my school had (Br. Rice) this was a real horrowshow.

Hey Med90, another southsider, albeit from the lesser of the south side schools

 

[SchizoCat1]

Hey Med90, another southsider, albeit from the lesser of the south side schools

What? Did you go to Laurence? Bah.

 

[CatManTrue]

I was at that POS game along with one of my fraternity brothers. Hands down the worst game I have ever witnessed, scorching hot weather and abysmal football on both teams. Horrible.

Michigan 2014 was worse because neither team wanted to win... and we still lost. McCall called a timeout in OT just to run the same damn play in the same formation with the same predictable WR motion.

A tie is not a loss. I’d rather be 1-5-3 than 1-8 like we currently are.

 

[IGNORE]

What? Did you go to Laurence? Bah.

Ha - you know exactly where I went

 

[Smolmania]

I recall the NU hoops game when Gary was introduced as the new Coach, telling us they were going to take the purple to Pasadena. What, is the band making the trip??? Never in my wildest dreams did I think that the team I had watched since 1975 would play in the Rose Bowl. I can't even contemplate the number of brain cells that I killed attending Wildcat games since 1975 (at least, back in the day, they didn't come around taking alcohol from the folks in attendance -- the best years were when one of my fraternity brothers had a baby that he brought to games, as he had a diaper bag which he used to conceal a case of Miller Lite!).

These games are nothing like the Dark Ages.

 

[phatcat]

Michigan 2014 was worse because neither team wanted to win... and we still lost. McCall called a timeout in OT just to run the same damn play in the same formation with the same predictable WR motion.

A tie is not a loss. I’d rather be 1-5-3 than 1-8 like we currently are.

Overtime sucks. Bring back the tie. And get rid of replay, too

 

[NUAlum78]

What were the crowds like during the Dark Ages?

The students often studied - looking up for the occasional good play. I know I did on occasion.