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The Bar Has Been Raised

Hungry Jack

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Nov 17, 2008
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So have a drink, Wildcat fans.

The debates I see carried on around here lately were unfathomable during my undergrad days at NU, which marked the official end of the Dark Ages. I graduated in 1989, and during those 4 years prior we won 11 games (1-2-2-2 in Feli speak). Now, we just completed our third 10-win season over a six year span.

I remember Francis Peay's (RIP) 4-7 campaign as interim coach in 1986. 4 wins! It felt like we were bowl eligible! 4 win! Huzzah! Now, we just won our 3rd bowl game in six seasons.

There have always been a few very good players in the program throughout the years. Guys who would become NFL starters. Not a whole lot has changed in that regard, but the talent depth is remarkably better from even ten years ago. While we are not graduating NFL starters, there are a lot of guys who are good enough to go to an NFL camp, which is some ways is a better measure of overall talent. And injuries are no longer catastrophic to our seasons.

And then there is facilities. We practiced rugby at Dyche back in the day, but never tackled on that rock-hard turf. We valued our health. I pumped iron at Patton Gym, including using this medieval looking wooden leg press contraption that was inspired by the Flinstones. Now Patton was not home for the football players, but I am guessing their facilities were just slightly better.

We all want more from our program. That's how it should be. And many of you were not around for the Dark Ages. But know that the emergence from this time did not really take hold until the past several years, and I think we are only just seeing the beginning of sustained excellence at NU. It may not always manifest in 10-win seasons, but it is more about the university's commitment to having its athletic programs meet the standards set by the rest of the institution in its pursuit of scholarship, knowledge, and impact.
 
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Very good reminder of how far the program has come.

NU was the perennial bottom dweller most conversations concluded that NU didn't belong in the B1G and should try to join the Ivies. There was no sense that people thought we should be a 500 team. I can remember aspiring to the idea that we should at least get to a bowl once a decade and anything less was not acceptable.
 
So have a drink, Wildcat fans.

The debates I see carried on around here lately were unfathomable during my undergrad days at NU, which marked the official end of the Dark Ages. I graduated in 1989, and during those 4 years prior we won 11 games (1-2-2-2 in Feli speak). Now, we just completed our third 10-win season over a six year span.

I remember Francis Peay's (RIP) 4-7 campaign as interim coach in 1986. 4 wins! It felt like we were bowl eligible! 4 win! Huzzah! Now, we just won our 3rd bowl game in six seasons.

There have always been a few very good players in the program throughout the years. Guys who would become NFL starters. Not a whole lot has changed in that regard, but the talent depth is remarkably better from even ten years ago. While we are not graduating NFL starters, there are a lot of guys who are good enough to go to an NFL camp, which is some ways is a better measure of overall talent. And injuries are no longer catastrophic to our seasons.

And then there is facilities. We practiced rugby at Dyche back in the day, but never tackled on that rock-hard turf. We valued our health. I pumped iron at Patton Gym, including using this medieval looking wooden leg press contraption that was inspired by the Flinstones. Now Patton was not home for the football players, but I am guessing their facilities were just slightly better.

We all want more from our program. That's how it should be. And many of you were not around for the Dark Ages. But know that the emergence from this time did not really take hold until the past several years, and I think we are only just seeing the beginning of sustained excellence at NU. It may not always manifest in 10-win seasons, but it is more about the university's commitment to having its athletic programs meet the standards set by the rest of the institution in its pursuit of scholarship, knowledge, and impact.

Good post. I think a big difference now from when I was there in '69-'70 is much greater support from the administration and alumni for athletics. And frankly, many students then were far more concerned about the country's social unrest and whether they'd be drafted than about sporting events. If you think football attendance among students is bad now, well. . . . And those last teams of the Agase era were significantly more competitive than the Dark Ages teams that followed.
 
So have a drink, Wildcat fans.

The debates I see carried on around here lately were unfathomable during my undergrad days at NU, which marked the official end of the Dark Ages. I graduated in 1989, and during those 4 years prior we won 11 games. Now, we just completed our third 10-win season over a six year span.

I remember Francis Peay's (RIP) 4-7 campaign as interim coach in 1986. 4 wins! It felt like we were bowl eligible! 4 win! Huzzah! Now, we just won our 3rd bowl game in six seasons.

There have always been a few very good players in the program throughout the years. Guys who would become NFL starters. Not a whole lot has changed in that regard, but the talent depth is remarkably better from even ten years ago. While we are not graduating NFL starters, there are a lot of guys who are good enough to go to an NFL camp, which is some ways is a better measure of overall talent. And injuries are no longer catastrophic to our seasons.

And then there is facilities. We practiced rugby at Dyche back in the day, but never tackled on that rock-hard turf. We valued our health. I pumped iron at Patton Gym, including using this medieval looking wooden leg press contraption that was inspired by the Flinstones. Now Patton was not home for the football players, but I am guessing their facilities were just slightly better.

We all want more from our program. That's how it should be. And many of you were not around for the Dark Ages. But know that the emergence from this time did not really take hold until the past several years, and I think we are only just seeing the beginning of sustained excellence at NU. It may not always manifest in 10-win seasons, but it is more about the university's commitment to having its athletic programs meet the standards set by the rest of the institution in its pursuit of scholarship, knowledge, and impact.
I don't think we can forget the contribution Gary Barnett made in getting some upgrades accomplished. His famous line re Dyche Stadium was "you did not know if you were standing in line to go to the bathroom or get a hot dog."
 
I don't think we can forget the contribution Gary Barnett made in getting some upgrades accomplished. His famous line re Dyche Stadium was "you did not know if you were standing in line to go to the bathroom or get a hot dog."
Absolutely. He started the metamorphosis, and really Arnold Weber, who was the guy who hired GB. And none of this likely happens without GB's whole "belief without evidence' and the miraculous (to us) 1995 season. Any of our corporate types here who deal in org change know that it is critical to show some early wins and initial return on investment. GB gave us that, and a taste of what a champion looks like. Without that, I am not sure the rest happens. And Randy Walkers exciting 2000 campaign gave another dose (in reality, we had no business playing in the Alamo Bowl vs. UNL) of what it could be like.

But my main point is that the completion of the new facility (I believe the class that just signed will use it this summer) in many symbolizes the university's commitment to excellence in athletics. It is a huge investment in two flagship sports. All the stuff on the field since 1995 have led up to this.
 
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I echo the OP's comments and am astounded that we can even have these conversations, both about the football team and the basketball team. Ten wins. TEN WINS! For many of us, that surpassed the amount of wins we got in our four years as undergrads. And we're complaining today about where we should be ranked this year. And we say things like, "oh well, next man up" when someone like Anthony Walker or Justin Jackson or Clayton Thorson is out of the starting lineup, rather than assuming our paper-thin depth will be exposed. It's pretty amazing.

Yes, we all have higher standards now, and I'm certainly not saying I don't want championships just because of how we've come, but...damn....look how far we've come!
 
What would you have said in 1982 if someone had told you NU would win 10 games often enough that it was hardly even worth mentioning to most sports fans?
 
What would you have said in 1982 if someone had told you NU would win 10 games often enough that it was hardly even worth mentioning to most sports fans?
I actually voiced my dream for NU football at the time. It was to have a winning season on average every other year and to have the last games of the season mean something most years.
 
The Dark Ages may have ended before GB, but the administration was nowhere near fully supportive of our varsity sports until this past decade.

I'm just glad that the leadership understands that athletic excellence can go together with academic excellence and is absolutely necessary for NU. Phillips has been indispensable. The major boosters/donors have stepped up.

The various facilities upgrades are long overdue, and when the stadium renovation is completed, that will really be the day I'll feel confident that "we've arrived" in terms of having nothing holding back the program.
 
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The Dark Ages may have ended before GB, but the administration was nowhere near fully supportive of our varsity sports until this past decade.

I'm just glad that the leadership understands that athletic excellence can go together with academic excellence and is absolutely necessary for NU. Phillips has been indispensable. The major boosters/donors have stepped up.

The various facilities upgrades are long overdue, and when the stadium renovation is completed, that will really be the day I'll feel confident that "we've arrived" in terms of having nothing holding back the program.
That’s pretty much my point. The support for the program has only very recently manifest itself.
 
That’s pretty much my point. The support for the program has only very recently manifest itself.
Yeah, I just wanted to reiterate that this is all really new around here.

Even for somebody like me who graduated the previous decade..., this is a completely different Northwestern than the one I graduated from in terms of commitment to athletics.
 
I appreciate this post! I have no personal ties to the school (I definitely couldn't get in, and have no family that went there), but became a fan in 1982 when they broke "the streak". I remember the high water mark being 4 wins under Francis Peay...I appreciate every win, every winning season, and every bowl game, because I know how far this program has come!
 
What I'm about to say is like "other than that, Mrs. Lincoln..."

If I'm not mistaken, we are overall a .500 team if you eliminate the dark ages. Meaning yes we were hilariously bad, and yes Interstate 294 Northwestern zero, but other than two decades, we've been a respectable program. Nobody else of the Little Eight was really any better from day zero to 1973
 
I don't think we can forget the contribution Gary Barnett made in getting some upgrades accomplished. His famous line re Dyche Stadium was "you did not know if you were standing in line to go to the bathroom or get a hot dog."
I'm not sure that's untrue today. Perhaps it was worse 20 years ago - but NU currently boasts a "Port-a-Potty" garden near the South end zone because restroom capacity is so limited.

As we've heard Fitz say, Ryan Field is next...

Still, OP is right. We used play "if this goes right, and that goes right, and that goes right, *and* we win the ones we're supposed to, and get another break, then maybe we'll get to a bowl." Now, I just want that damn division win already. Long overdue.
 
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Speaking of University commitment, there was an tidbit in the year-end Trib re: those sports icons that had died concerning Ara Parseghian that cited that Ara left NU for ND after he and his coaches had to paint the locker room themselves while leading the Cats to a #1 ranking in 1962. Amazing!
 
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Win, and they will come
Well... there is "win" and there is "win." We won 10 games this year and got some positive press "3 OTs in a row", "8 wins in a row." But there was no drama after the Wisconsin loss. We were not nationally relevant due to Duke and less so after PSU. We had a great year for NU fans and loved it. But this type of year will not bring in new fans or sell tickets to casual fans.

Lets make two fantasy-world changes to this year's results: 1. We win at Duke. 2. Wisconsin is the last game of the year. Now picture in your mind the press coverage and growing anticipation as our win streak continues leading to a showdown with Wisconsin for the Division title. That sells tickets.

To grow the fan base, our games have to be relevant. Right now, we have to circle Wisconsin. We win that game and the rest of our games are probably relevant. In two years, it may be Wisconsin and Nebraska but right now it is just Wisconsin.
 
But of all the “powers” in the conference, haven’t we had more success against Wisky than anyone else? As I recall we’re pretty close to .500 against them since ‘95. Let’s beat the harbaughs or the Buckeyes
 
I don't think we can forget the contribution Gary Barnett made in getting some upgrades accomplished. His famous line re Dyche Stadium was "you did not know if you were standing in line to go to the bathroom or get a hot dog."
And do you remember the urinals at Dyke? They were like trenches where pigs ate their slop! People actually come/stay to watch the games and not just to get drunk as hell in the parking lots with all the frat boys/their kegs of Michelobs/ eat the wiings from Buffalo Joes!! As a result of those four seasons partying in the East Lot with my frat bros, my wife seems to think I played 20 years in the nfl with a case of cte/brain strain?
 
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I hope they put real seats all over the stadium and get rid of the high school-type benches! Make it more comfortable and people will pack the stadium!
Doesn't almost every BIG team have benches?
 
True, but given we'll probably be looking at a somewhat near-total rebuild in the range of $400+ million, I'd imagine we'll see a lot of real seats.
I hope so. My main point, though, was the poster said benches were high school. They aren't.
 
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The Dark Ages were plenty dark. I can recall a decade and more of reading scores only to see if we beat the spread. Made me wonder which is worse, hopeless or depressing?
 
The Dark Ages were plenty dark. I can recall a decade and more of reading scores only to see if we beat the spread. Made me wonder which is worse, hopeless or depressing?
Trust me, ruminating is much worse than hopeless and depressing. Let's just concentrate on maintaining the momentum/good vibrations with our past three coaches and all the great memories that they have given us over the past 24 years!!
 
The Dark Ages were plenty dark. I can recall a decade and more of reading scores only to see if we beat the spread. Made me wonder which is worse, hopeless or depressing?
I was there at the height of the dark ages. For those of us that are alumni, there was still a lot to be proud of in terms of what Northwestern was and what the degree meant. We dealt with it and it was all-in-all pretty painless.

We now have the beginnings of a geographical fan base that did not attend the school and they root for NU because of the football program. This is the fan base that is going to take our program to the next level. It needs to grow. It is for them that we need to continue the momentum and work toward winning that elusive division title.
 
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