Why We Should Embrace The Dark Ages

[Hungry Jack]

In simplest terms, we should embrace the Northwestern Dark Ages because they are behind us.

And we survived. Now we are set to thrive.

Like the Phoenix, Northwestern football rose from the ashes. The program has been resurrected from the detritus of an inferno fueled by the myopic neglect of institutional leaders, the departure of talented coaches, the ignominy of a record losing streak, the sting of heartbreaking losses, humiliating blowouts, and national media scorn.

The nerds can play. High quality college football is available at Northwestern University.

It has been for awhile.

It has been over twenty years since our magical Rose Bowl run. Another conference championship followed. Then a string of bowl appearances. Then some bowl wins. And a record-setting running back.

But more important than results on the field are actions off the field. In stark contrast to the Dark Ages, our AD is a highly visible presence. The President is too. But the most visible evidence that the Dark Ages have ended? Go to the north lakefront. Take a look inside W-R arena. The lack of commitment that defined the Dark Ages is as illusory as a Trump tweet.

There is a new covenant between football and the institution at Northwestern.

But we fans should not try to dissolve the memory of the Dark Ages. Great people and institutions in this world have often been defined by struggle, and often, resurrection. Northwestern football may have been reduced to a grotesque comedy in the eyes of many, but its spirit was kept alive by many players, coaches, and fans who simply refused to quit. It would be an insult to their legacy for us, in our reborn state, to forget those who held up a weak sputtering flame to combat the Darkness.

You can overcome your past. You can reconcile it. You can deny it. But whatever journey you took to arrive at where you are today cannot be altered. It is part of your essence. Embrace it.

The Dark Ages are unique to Northwestern football. Without darkness, there cannot be light. And light can illuminate only darkness. Welcome to the light.

 

[WildcatWillie]

A classic tribute. Thanks.

 

[stpaulcat]

In simplest terms, we should embrace the Northwestern Dark Ages because they are behind us.

And we survived. Now we are set to thrive.

Like the Phoenix, Northwestern football rose from the ashes. The program has been resurrected from the detritus of an inferno fueled by the myopic neglect of institutional leaders, the departure of talented coaches, the ignominy of a record losing streak, the sting of heartbreaking losses, humiliating blowouts, and national media scorn.

The nerds can play. High quality college football is available at Northwestern University.

It has been for awhile.

It has been over twenty years since our magical Rose Bowl run. Another conference championship followed. Then a string of bowl appearances. Then some bowl wins. And a record-setting running back.

But more important than results on the field are actions off the field. In stark contrast to the Dark Ages, our AD is a highly visible presence. The President is too. But the most visible evidence that the Dark Ages have ended? Go to the north lakefront. Take a look inside W-R arena. The lack of commitment that defined the Dark Ages is as illusory as a Trump tweet.

There is a new covenant between football and the institution at Northwestern.

But we fans should not try to dissolve the memory of the Dark Ages. Great people and institutions in this world have often been defined by struggle, and often, resurrection. Northwestern football may have been reduced to a grotesque comedy in the eyes of many, but its spirit was kept alive by many players, coaches, and fans who simply refused to quit. It would be an insult to their legacy for us, in our reborn state, to forget those who held up a weak sputtering flame to combat the Darkness.

You can overcome your past. You can reconcile it. You can deny it. But whatever journey you took to arrive at where you are today cannot be altered. It is part of your essence. Embrace it.

The Dark Ages are unique to Northwestern football. Without darkness, there cannot be light. And light can illuminate only darkness. Welcome to the light.

And remember, "it is always darkest just before total black."

 

[zeek55]

In simplest terms, we should embrace the Northwestern Dark Ages because they are behind us.

And we survived. Now we are set to thrive.

Like the Phoenix, Northwestern football rose from the ashes. The program has been resurrected from the detritus of an inferno fueled by the myopic neglect of institutional leaders, the departure of talented coaches, the ignominy of a record losing streak, the sting of heartbreaking losses, humiliating blowouts, and national media scorn.

The nerds can play. High quality college football is available at Northwestern University.

It has been for awhile.

It has been over twenty years since our magical Rose Bowl run. Another conference championship followed. Then a string of bowl appearances. Then some bowl wins. And a record-setting running back.

But more important than results on the field are actions off the field. In stark contrast to the Dark Ages, our AD is a highly visible presence. The President is too. But the most visible evidence that the Dark Ages have ended? Go to the north lakefront. Take a look inside W-R arena. The lack of commitment that defined the Dark Ages is as illusory as a Trump tweet.

There is a new covenant between football and the institution at Northwestern.

But we fans should not try to dissolve the memory of the Dark Ages. Great people and institutions in this world have often been defined by struggle, and often, resurrection. Northwestern football may have been reduced to a grotesque comedy in the eyes of many, but its spirit was kept alive by many players, coaches, and fans who simply refused to quit. It would be an insult to their legacy for us, in our reborn state, to forget those who held up a weak sputtering flame to combat the Darkness.

You can overcome your past. You can reconcile it. You can deny it. But whatever journey you took to arrive at where you are today cannot be altered. It is part of your essence. Embrace it.

The Dark Ages are unique to Northwestern football. Without darkness, there cannot be light. And light can illuminate only darkness. Welcome to the light.

As an alum that went to Northwestern and became a fan when Walk was HC, it's hard to fathom the depths of the Dark Ages. I honestly don't know if I could have had the stamina to follow that much losing. With pro-teams I just drift out of focus when one of my pro-teams is horrendous and focus on others. With the alma mater... that's impossible to do.

In my personal experience, Northwestern has always been a middle-of-the-road program in terms of performance with subpar facilities among our Big Ten brethren.

But the historical drought always matters in conversations with fans of other programs with more of a winning history in terms of the fact that our list of achievements is a bit shorter.

For me, the most important benchmarks for Northwestern to achieve to really fulfill the idea of putting the program back to where it should be historically are as follows:

In terms of ease of difficulty (i.e. which will get done quickest):
1) Win 10 bowl games
2) Win a Rose Bowl
3) Have an HC that's remembered across the country as a great coach for what he did here
4) Get the overall record back above 0.500

I didn't put Big Ten championships on that list because GB/Walk already took care of that with the outright Big Ten championship in '95 and shared in '96/'00, so we've had success on that front in the modern history of the program.

The first is the easiest; 10 bowl wins can realistically happen within 6-12 years. All the top programs have a lot of bowl wins, which is why that's on this list; just knocking off a lot of random bowls is an important thing to achieve so that we can be one of those programs that sees bowl wins as just another win.

The Rose Bowl will likely require an 11 or more win regular season to get to (or a really outstanding 10 win campaign), and then we'd have to win it. That's not an easy task obviously. I put the Rose Bowl there because we haven't won a bowl game on that stature since 1949.

Fitz is working on #3. What I think he needs to really fulfill that is 200+ wins (should be halfway there by end of 2019), at least 1 Big Ten championship with a couple division wins and a lot of bowl wins.

The 4th is the hardest to imagine being completed any time soon; it's really not as important to the outward perception of the program (how many people really reference overall records in any relative contexts outside of the very top programs), but I think it's important for the historical record to achieve. I think it'd take at least 35 years to achieve though, but if Fitz has a big string of 10+ win campaigns, he could do it himself. At the very least, if Fitz hands the program off just 20-40 wins below 0.500, it'll be in sight for the next coaches to be able to handle.

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

In simplest terms, we should embrace the Northwestern Dark Ages because they are behind us.

And we survived. Now we are set to thrive.

Like the Phoenix, Northwestern football rose from the ashes. The program has been resurrected from the detritus of an inferno fueled by the myopic neglect of institutional leaders, the departure of talented coaches, the ignominy of a record losing streak, the sting of heartbreaking losses, humiliating blowouts, and national media scorn.

The nerds can play. High quality college football is available at Northwestern University.

It has been for awhile.

It has been over twenty years since our magical Rose Bowl run. Another conference championship followed. Then a string of bowl appearances. Then some bowl wins. And a record-setting running back.

But more important than results on the field are actions off the field. In stark contrast to the Dark Ages, our AD is a highly visible presence. The President is too. But the most visible evidence that the Dark Ages have ended? Go to the north lakefront. Take a look inside W-R arena. The lack of commitment that defined the Dark Ages is as illusory as a Trump tweet.

There is a new covenant between football and the institution at Northwestern.

But we fans should not try to dissolve the memory of the Dark Ages. Great people and institutions in this world have often been defined by struggle, and often, resurrection. Northwestern football may have been reduced to a grotesque comedy in the eyes of many, but its spirit was kept alive by many players, coaches, and fans who simply refused to quit. It would be an insult to their legacy for us, in our reborn state, to forget those who held up a weak sputtering flame to combat the Darkness.

You can overcome your past. You can reconcile it. You can deny it. But whatever journey you took to arrive at where you are today cannot be altered. It is part of your essence. Embrace it.

The Dark Ages are unique to Northwestern football. Without darkness, there cannot be light. And light can illuminate only darkness. Welcome to the light.

Let it be written, let it be said. Reverend Hungry has spoke.

 

[Hungry Jack]

Can I get an AMEN! from the congregation?

 

[DaCat]

Can I get an AMEN! from the congregation?

No.

The Dark Ages sucked. They sucked then, and they suck now. It's not a proud time in NU history, and nothing we can say can sugar coat that disastrous era. Sitting through Saturday afternoons watching teams like Iowa hurting our boys was not fun. Watching rout after rout unfold before our eyes was grotesquely painful. Never again! I want to bury that memory.

 

[Hungry Jack]

No.

The Dark Ages sucked. They sucked then, and they suck now. It's not a proud time in NU history, and nothing we can say can sugar coat that disastrous era. Sitting through Saturday afternoons watching teams like Iowa hurting our boys was not fun. Watching rout after rout unfold before our eyes was grotesquely painful. Never again! I want to bury that memory.

My son.

You are the accumulation of your past and the promise of your dreams.

You endured the pain of the Dark Ages because you dreamed of a better future. Your spirit sustained the dream in the face of adversity. The dream transported you through the journey that brought you here.

Not all are saved. Broken and bitter men wander amongst us. They are trapped in the past. Not all are saved.

You may forget the pain and the scornful visage of Hayden Fry. You may forget the dates, the scores, the jangling keys, and flung marshmallows.

But you cannot change the path that brought you here. Nor should you want to. If you are happy today, then you have always been happy.

 

[SciCat]

My son.

You are the accumulation of your past and the promise of your dreams.

You endured the pain of the Dark Ages because you dreamed of a better future. Your spirit sustained the dream in the face of adversity. The dream transported you through the journey that brought you here.

Not all are saved. Broken and bitter men wander amongst us. They are trapped in the past. Not all are saved.

You may forget the pain and the scornful visage of Hayden Fry. You may forget the dates, the scores, the jangling keys, and flung marshmallows.

But you cannot change the path that brought you here. Nor should you want to. If you are happy today, then you have always been happy.

Ok. Who the hell are you quoting.

 

[stpaulcat]

Let it be written, let it be said. Reverend Hungry has spoke.

It is either "Reverend Hungry spake" or "Reverend Hungry has spoken." Remember our Methodist history.

 

[stpaulcat]

My son.

You are the accumulation of your past and the promise of your dreams.

You endured the pain of the Dark Ages because you dreamed of a better future. Your spirit sustained the dream in the face of adversity. The dream transported you through the journey that brought you here.

Not all are saved. Broken and bitter men wander amongst us. They are trapped in the past. Not all are saved.

You may forget the pain and the scornful visage of Hayden Fry. You may forget the dates, the scores, the jangling keys, and flung marshmallows.

But you cannot change the path that brought you here. Nor should you want to. If you are happy today, then you have always been happy.

Good, but it is apparent you are not FootballPhil. I believe it is FloridAlum.

 

[GOUNUII]

In simplest terms, we should embrace the Northwestern Dark Ages because they are behind us.

And we survived. Now we are set to thrive.

Like the Phoenix, Northwestern football rose from the ashes. The program has been resurrected from the detritus of an inferno fueled by the myopic neglect of institutional leaders, the departure of talented coaches, the ignominy of a record losing streak, the sting of heartbreaking losses, humiliating blowouts, and national media scorn.

The nerds can play. High quality college football is available at Northwestern University.

It has been for awhile.

It has been over twenty years since our magical Rose Bowl run. Another conference championship followed. Then a string of bowl appearances. Then some bowl wins. And a record-setting running back.

But more important than results on the field are actions off the field. In stark contrast to the Dark Ages, our AD is a highly visible presence. The President is too. But the most visible evidence that the Dark Ages have ended? Go to the north lakefront. Take a look inside W-R arena. The lack of commitment that defined the Dark Ages is as illusory as a Trump tweet.

There is a new covenant between football and the institution at Northwestern.

But we fans should not try to dissolve the memory of the Dark Ages. Great people and institutions in this world have often been defined by struggle, and often, resurrection. Northwestern football may have been reduced to a grotesque comedy in the eyes of many, but its spirit was kept alive by many players, coaches, and fans who simply refused to quit. It would be an insult to their legacy for us, in our reborn state, to forget those who held up a weak sputtering flame to combat the Darkness.

You can overcome your past. You can reconcile it. You can deny it. But whatever journey you took to arrive at where you are today cannot be altered. It is part of your essence. Embrace it.

The Dark Ages are unique to Northwestern football. Without darkness, there cannot be light. And light can illuminate only darkness. Welcome to the light.

The Dark Ages are still fresh in my memory. I felt the pain of every player and coach from 1977 to 1994 who wore our school colors in defeat knowing worse that there was no AD or President who had their backs.

Then Greg Meyer told me in the summer of 1994 that they had a chance to be good that year ... maybe very good. Why? Because they had what they believed would be a great 1-2 punch in D’Wayne Bates and Darnell Autry. Greg turned out to be right.

I will never forget the people who kept the flame flickering during the years of institutional neglect. A neglect so demoralizing that it broke some. I lived with several of the stronger ones. Great men ... all of them.

It is because of the Dark Ages that certain things have special meaning. Like:

1. Beating Michigan. And Ohio State. And Penn St. And Notre Dame.
2. Beating Ohio State at the LOS...even when they have escaped with the W. Venric Marc pulverizing a Buckeye safety. Sacking an OSU QB. Running the ball up the gut and scoring untouched to beat the Buckeyes in a manner once thought unimaginable.
3. Listening to Keith Jackson call a NU football game ... because we were good and won.
4. Seeing Purple in the end zone of the Rose Bowl, and 55k purple clad fans in the stands.
5. Discovering that there are fans just like me. Die hard fans. Through thick and thin. Becoming friends with several of those fans.
6. Great defenses grounded in fast, physical football.
7. An AD and a President who are visibly passionate in their support of the athletes who bust their butts.
8. Top 25 rankings. Bowl wins. Beating Iowa, Neb. and Wisconsin. Especially Iowa. Sacking an Iowa QB in the end zone. Laying the lumber on an Iowa RB. Doing it all in Iowa City, Lincoln and Madison.
9. Having Fitz as the face of the program. Welcoming home top young coaches who want to come home.
10. Making Oregon and its Nike money look envious with the construction of the lakefront athletic complex.
11. Knowing that the kids are doing at least as well in the class room and the local community.

All of these and more are special to me. Made all the sweeter by a great appreciation for how far the program has come in the last 20-25 years.

GOUNUII

 

[stpaulcat]

The Dark Ages are still fresh in my memory. I felt the pain of every player and coach from 1977 to 1994 who wore our school colors in defeat knowing worse that there was no AD or President who had their backs.

Then Greg Meyer told me in the summer of 1994 that they had a chance to be good that year ... maybe very good. Why? Because they had what they believed would be a great 1-2 punch in D’Wayne Bates and Darnell Autry. Greg turned out to be right.

I will never forget the people who kept the flame flickering during the years of institutional neglect. A neglect so demoralizing that it broke some. I lived with several of the stronger ones. Great men ... all of them.

It is because of the Dark Ages that certain things have special meaning. Like:

1. Beating Michigan. And Ohio State. And Penn St. And Notre Dame.
2. Beating Ohio State at the LOS...even when they have escaped with the W. Venric Marc pulverizing a Buckeye safety. Sacking an OSU QB. Running the ball up the gut and scoring untouched to beat the Buckeyes in a manner once thought unimaginable.
3. Listening to Keith Jackson call a NU football game ... because we were good and won.
4. Seeing Purple in the end zone of the Rose Bowl, and 55k purple clad fans in the stands.
5. Discovering that there are fans just like me. Die hard fans. Through thick and thin. Becoming friends with several of those fans.
6. Great defenses grounded in fast, physical football.
7. An AD and a President who are visibly passionate in their support of the athletes who bust their butts.
8. Top 25 rankings. Bowl wins. Beating Iowa, Neb. and Wisconsin. Especially Iowa. Sacking an Iowa QB in the end zone. Laying the lumber on an Iowa RB. Doing it all in Iowa City, Lincoln and Madison.
9. Having Fitz as the face of the program. Welcoming home top young coaches who want to come home.
10. Making Oregon and its Nike money look envious with the construction of the lakefront athletic complex.
11. Knowing that the kids are doing at least as well in the class room and the local community.

All of these and more are special to me. Made all the sweeter by a great appreciation for how far the program has come in the last 20-25 years.

GOUNUII

"I felt the pain of every player and coach from 1977 to 1994 who wore our school colors in defeat knowing worse that there was no AD or President who had their backs."

That is a painful insight for those of us who didn't recognize NU football again until 1995. Thank you. I have not missed a game (by radio, TV or in person) since we beat ND that year, but I cannot claim any support since I was in school when Ara was the coach, and I was aware that we were darn good, but didn't see it in a larger context like the fact the top teams are now Alabama, Clemson and Oklahoma which are looked upon with some awe. The Ivy League had made the courageous decision that big time sports would not control their universities even while they were the strongest advocates of athletics as part of a complete education, and there was a time when NU had considered joining them. However, during the dark ages, the NU position on athletics was one of cowardice, not of advocacy in any form. As a result, there was no place for them in the Ivies. It has taken me a long time for me to forgive our Alma Mater for this breech of the total education of their students. I am proud of my Ivy grad school for their holistic approach to education and athletics, and am now proud of NU for finally integrating big time football and basketball into the educational experience in a way that puts the student's academic experience foremost.

 

[GreenBayCat]

The Dark Ages are still fresh in my memory. I felt the pain of every player and coach from 1977 to 1994 who wore our school colors in defeat knowing worse that there was no AD or President who had their backs.

GOUNUII

Let us not forget that Arnold Weber turned things around when he brought in Barnett. So as we entered the 90s we had a resurfacing of support for the program.

Personally, I’d peg the start of the Dark Ages to 1973 and the arrival of John Pont. Things went to hell very quickly thereafter.

The university president, Robert Strotz, was a disciple of the University of Chicago’s Robert Maynard Hutchins, who ran Amos Alonzo Stagg off and pulled the Maroons out of the Big Ten and football altogether. Some of us believed at the time, and some to this day that Strotz, by choking the program and running off Agase, was following down his mentor’s path.

These memories, and the pathetic joke that the program became, are far too painful to be embraced. Rather let us be grateful that Arnold Weber reversed that sorry course so that Barnett and the players could find success.

 

[Hungry Jack]

Ok. Who the hell are you quoting.

Arthur Fonzarelli

 

[kaTNap]

The Dark Ages are still fresh in my memory.

GOUNUII

I'm in the lucky class of '83, who saw all of The Streak, and was in NUMB all 4 years. Pretty fresh in my memory, too. Remember Bob Strotz's "losing football enhances academics"? (I guess because nobody wanted to go to the games, and could study on fall Saturday afternoons instead?!?) Denny Green had a cow over that comment. I don't blame him.

But I was reflecting the other day on Ara having to pass the hat to his assistants to buy paint to spruce up the locker room in 1962, and now we are finishing the $200+ million Taj MaFitz by the lake. Things sure have changed, and greatly for the better.

 

[GlideCat]

As an alum that went to Northwestern and became a fan when Walk was HC, it's hard to fathom the depths of the Dark Ages. I honestly don't know if I could have had the stamina to follow that much losing. With pro-teams I just drift out of focus when one of my pro-teams is horrendous and focus on others. With the alma mater... that's impossible to do.

OK here it comes. And I may end up getting thrown off the board for this. But I will be honest. As many of y’all know, I went to NU from 1978 to 1982. The team’s record over those four years was 1-42-1. Most of the student body-myself included-considered the football team a joke. Coming from Alabama, I expected football games to be a big part of the college experience. At Northwestern, it was not. So, I went to games if the weather was nice. If we lost 63-0, that was okay and did not bother me much. It was expected.

It gets worse.

I never learned the words to Go U Northwestern due to having no practice at singing it. I still struggle with some of the words. I learned the variant version by heart.

It gets even worse.

As the years went by and the losses mounted, many if not most of the students began to root for the streak. Myself included. At least it was history. I attended the Michigan State game and participated in laking the goalpost. My friends had their picture in a national magazine with a sign disparaging the team.

After graduation, I would travel to away games which were an easy drive from Tennessee like Indiana or Purdue. I remember getting a press parking pass once for the Purdue game because there was so little interest in NU. I parked about 100 feet from the stadium. I would sit in the tiny crowds watching my fellow NU fans get extremely drunk and yell the “That’s all right, that’s okay...” chant over and over.

The internet was not much then so I would have to hunt way back in the Sunday paper to try and find our scores. Sometimes, they were listed under “North”. Sometimes “Midwest.” And sometimes not at all.

I read the damn “Bottom 10” article every week because that was the most thorough coverage of our team - the Mildcats. I listened to sports radio and if we were ever mentioned, the word “doormat” was in the same sentence. This is not hyperbole. Every. Single. Time.

1995 was like a drug to me. It was a year long high from which I have never quite come down.

That is my sordid tale of living through every season of “the record.” Moderators, you may ban me now.

 

[zeek55]

OK here it comes. And I may end up getting thrown off the board for this. But I will be honest. As many of y’all know, I went to NU from 1978 to 1982. The team’s record over those four years was 1-42-1. Most of the student body-myself included-considered the football team a joke. Coming from Alabama, I expected football games to be a big part of the college experience. At Northwestern, it was not. So, I went to games if the weather was nice. If we lost 63-0, that was okay and did not bother me much. It was expected.

It gets worse.

I never learned the words to Go U Northwestern due to having no practice at singing it. I still struggle with some of the words. I learned the variant version by heart.

It gets even worse.

As the years went by and the losses mounted, many if not most of the students began to root for the streak. Myself included. At least it was history. I attended the Michigan State game and participated in laking the goalpost. My friends had their picture in a national magazine with a sign disparaging the team.

After graduation, I would travel to away games which were an easy drive from Tennessee like Indiana or Purdue. I remember getting a press parking pass once for the Purdue game because there was so little interest in NU. I parked about 100 feet from the stadium. I would sit in the tiny crowds watching my fellow NU fans get extremely drunk and yell the “That’s all right, that’s okay...” chant over and over.

The internet was not much then so I would have to hunt way back in the Sunday paper to try and find our scores. Sometimes, they were listed under “North”. Sometimes “Midwest.” And sometimes not at all.

I read the damn “Bottom 10” article every week because that was the most thorough coverage of our team - the Mildcats. I listened to sports radio and if we were ever mentioned, the word “doormat” was in the same sentence. This is not hyperbole. Every. Single. Time.

1995 was like a drug to me. It was a year long high from which I have never quite come down.

That is my sordid tale of living through every season of “the record.” Moderators, you may ban me now.

Yeah I can understand the part about coming from a football culture. I came to NU from South Florida at a time when Miami was king and everybody down there was rabid about the Canes. A big part of me picking NU over other top privates/Ivies was the "big time college athletics" part of the experience.

I've experienced plenty of heartbreak in the stands as other modern day fans have (that MSU game being the most devastating of course), but also some incredible moments like toppling OSU.

Even just reading the about the Dark Ages feels like it doesn't do it justice. Even in our worst years since '95, we've won some non-conference games and mostly avoided being shut out in conference play and/or been competitive in plenty of games in losing seasons. There's always been positives to grasp onto during these years, so your perspective really shows how tough the Dark Age years were on our fans/alums.

 

[Hungry Jack]

OK here it comes. And I may end up getting thrown off the board for this. But I will be honest. As many of y’all know, I went to NU from 1978 to 1982. The team’s record over those four years was 1-42-1. Most of the student body-myself included-considered the football team a joke. Coming from Alabama, I expected football games to be a big part of the college experience. At Northwestern, it was not. So, I went to games if the weather was nice. If we lost 63-0, that was okay and did not bother me much. It was expected.

It gets worse.

I never learned the words to Go U Northwestern due to having no practice at singing it. I still struggle with some of the words. I learned the variant version by heart.

It gets even worse.

As the years went by and the losses mounted, many if not most of the students began to root for the streak. Myself included. At least it was history. I attended the Michigan State game and participated in laking the goalpost. My friends had their picture in a national magazine with a sign disparaging the team.

After graduation, I would travel to away games which were an easy drive from Tennessee like Indiana or Purdue. I remember getting a press parking pass once for the Purdue game because there was so little interest in NU. I parked about 100 feet from the stadium. I would sit in the tiny crowds watching my fellow NU fans get extremely drunk and yell the “That’s all right, that’s okay...” chant over and over.

The internet was not much then so I would have to hunt way back in the Sunday paper to try and find our scores. Sometimes, they were listed under “North”. Sometimes “Midwest.” And sometimes not at all.

I read the damn “Bottom 10” article every week because that was the most thorough coverage of our team - the Mildcats. I listened to sports radio and if we were ever mentioned, the word “doormat” was in the same sentence. This is not hyperbole. Every. Single. Time.

1995 was like a drug to me. It was a year long high from which I have never quite come down.

That is my sordid tale of living through every season of “the record.” Moderators, you may ban me now.

Redemption starts with self awareness, my good man. The road to freedom lies in confronting your own mistakes, your pain, your suffering, your follies, your delusions of grandeur.

 

[NUCat320]

"I felt the pain of every player and coach from 1977 to 1994 who wore our school colors in defeat knowing worse that there was no AD or President who had their backs."

That is a painful insight for those of us who didn't recognize NU football again until 1995. Thank you. I have not missed a game (by radio, TV or in person) since we beat ND that year, but I cannot claim any support since I was in school when Ara was the coach, and I was aware that we were darn good, but didn't see it in a larger context like the fact the top teams are now Alabama, Clemson and Oklahoma which are looked upon with some awe. The Ivy League had made the courageous decision that big time sports would not control their universities even while they were the strongest advocates of athletics as part of a complete education, and there was a time when NU had considered joining them. However, during the dark ages, the NU position on athletics was one of cowardice, not of advocacy in any form. As a result, there was no place for them in the Ivies. It has taken me a long time for me to forgive our Alma Mater for this breech of the total education of their students. I am proud of my Ivy grad school for their holistic approach to education and athletics, and am now proud of NU for finally integrating big time football and basketball into the educational experience in a way that puts the student's academic experience foremost.

I personally do not feel that big time college athletics are at all part of a "complete education" or a "holistic approach".

Sports is PR, and sports increases name recognition, applications, and student quality - but sports are a tool to get people in the door, not part of the wider mission.

Are you arguing that an Ivy education is less complete than an NU education, because espn only shows up in Cambridge as an off-week gimmick?

All this said, I agree with HJ's larger point - though, of course, I'm also happy I wasn't a fan during that period. (Embrace the suck?)

 

[zeek55]

I personally do not feel that big time college athletics are at all part of a "complete education" or a "holistic approach".

Sports is PR, and sports increases name recognition, applications, and student quality - but sports are a tool to get people in the door, not part of the wider mission.

Are you arguing that an Ivy education is less complete than an NU education, because espn only shows up in Cambridge as an off-week gimmick?

All this said, I agree with HJ's larger point - though, of course, I'm also happy I wasn't a fan during that period. (Embrace the suck?)

I think "complete experience" is more apt than "complete education".

I can only use myself as an example, but when I was choosing between NU and several privates/Ivies that are virtually identical academically, a big part of my choice of NU was that I would be able to go to varsity fb/bball games at the highest level of competition.

I'm probably not the only one for whom NU had an edge because of that, but I don't harbor any illusions that it's a difference for the vast majority.

But as you point out, sports teams are the front porch of the university and do help increase applications and interest in the school.

So they do matter on that front, but when I was at NU, I had some friends that never attended any of our fb/bball events, and that's fine too. The university experience is whatever each student makes of it.

It also matters to me as an alum because the sports teams are my main interest in the university as an alum, and I definitely would not have that if I had gone to some of my other choices.

 

[pawildcat]

Let us not forget that Arnold Weber turned things around when he brought in Barnett. So as we entered the 90s we had a resurfacing of support for the program.

Personally, I’d peg the start of the Dark Ages to 1973 and the arrival of John Pont. Things went to hell very quickly thereafter.

The university president, Robert Strotz, was a disciple of the University of Chicago’s Robert Maynard Hutchins, who ran Amos Alonzo Stagg off and pulled the Maroons out of the Big Ten and football altogether. Some of us believed at the time, and some to this day that Strotz, by choking the program and running off Agase, was following down his mentor’s path.

These memories, and the pathetic joke that the program became, are far too painful to be embraced. Rather let us be grateful that Arnold Weber reversed that sorry course so that Barnett and the players could find success.

I can identify with the Hutchins statement. My uncle, who went to Warren Township High and occasionally played catch with a kid named Otto Graham from neighboring Waukegan, had a football scholarship to Chicago. That ended when they dropped football after his freshman year.

 

[NUCat320]

I think "complete experience" is more apt than "complete education".

I can only use myself as an example, but when I was choosing between NU and several privates/Ivies that are virtually identical academically, a big part of my choice of NU was that I would be able to go to varsity fb/bball games at the highest level of competition.

I'm probably not the only one for whom NU had an edge because of that, but I don't harbor any illusions that it's a difference for the vast majority.

But as you point out, sports teams are the front porch of the university and do help increase applications and interest in the school.

So they do matter on that front, but when I was at NU, I had some friends that never attended any of our fb/bball events, and that's fine too. The university experience is whatever each student makes of it.

It also matters to me as an alum because the sports teams are my main interest in the university as an alum, and I definitely would not have that if I had gone to some of my other choices.

Right. I went to NU for the same reasons you went to NU - great school, *and* a chance to destroy Michigan on ABC.

But, while my NU sports memories - down Tavaras nailing two free throws to send an eventual loss to Michigan into overtime as part of our 0-16 run - are among my favorite parts of my experience, they did virtually nothing for my education (except in sore throat mitigation).

 

[EvanstonCat]

In terms of ease of difficulty (i.e. which will get done quickest):
1) Win 10 bowl games
2) Win a Rose Bowl
3) Have an HC that's remembered across the country as a great coach for what he did here
4) Get the overall record back above 0.500.

INCOMPLETE

I didn't see CFP appearances (multiple) and National Championship on the list.

because, well, you know, I wants it moar

 

[Figrating]

If you fell off a cliff and were in a coma for 17 years, then finally awoke to recover health, you would somehow think the coma was good thing?

NU was mugged.

 

[Hungry Jack]

For students not directly participating in athletic programs, the sports teams are largely a sideshow and part of the experience but certainly not integral to the education. Running a major university basically puts you into three businesses; 1) education and learning 2) research and publishing and 3) hospitality and entertainment. The financial returns on these activities on a cash basis and generally poor (often negative), so the support of a large, financially successful alumni base is vital. Administrators obviously have discovered that high profile athletic programs are a source of direct financial subsidy for all athletics (most of which lose money), as well as a primer for alumni support and, to an extent, institutional branding and admissions prestige.

For student athletes, I think the life lessons can be be tremendous. The discipline and good habits required to train and compete as a competitive athlete teaches very good lifelong habits. That said, the student athletes who arrive at NU have already established these habits, but being a B1G athlete almost certainly ups the ante.

 

[Hungry Jack]

If you fell off a cliff and were in a coma for 17 years, then finally awoke to recover health, you would somehow think the coma was good thing?

NU was mugged.

Pfft. Bad analogy. You don't learn while lying there in a coma.

 

[EvanstonCat]

If you fell off a cliff and were in a coma for 17 years, then finally awoke to recover health, you would somehow think the coma was good thing?

NU was mugged.

That asshole's name was Ohio State.

 

[StreamCat]

OK here it comes. And I may end up getting thrown off the board for this. But I will be honest. As many of y’all know, I went to NU from 1978 to 1982. The team’s record over those four years was 1-42-1. Most of the student body-myself included-considered the football team a joke. Coming from Alabama, I expected football games to be a big part of the college experience. At Northwestern, it was not. So, I went to games if the weather was nice. If we lost 63-0, that was okay and did not bother me much. It was expected.

It gets worse.

I never learned the words to Go U Northwestern due to having no practice at singing it. I still struggle with some of the words. I learned the variant version by heart.

It gets even worse.

As the years went by and the losses mounted, many if not most of the students began to root for the streak. Myself included. At least it was history. I attended the Michigan State game and participated in laking the goalpost. My friends had their picture in a national magazine with a sign disparaging the team.

After graduation, I would travel to away games which were an easy drive from Tennessee like Indiana or Purdue. I remember getting a press parking pass once for the Purdue game because there was so little interest in NU. I parked about 100 feet from the stadium. I would sit in the tiny crowds watching my fellow NU fans get extremely drunk and yell the “That’s all right, that’s okay...” chant over and over.

The internet was not much then so I would have to hunt way back in the Sunday paper to try and find our scores. Sometimes, they were listed under “North”. Sometimes “Midwest.” And sometimes not at all.

I read the damn “Bottom 10” article every week because that was the most thorough coverage of our team - the Mildcats. I listened to sports radio and if we were ever mentioned, the word “doormat” was in the same sentence. This is not hyperbole. Every. Single. Time.

1995 was like a drug to me. It was a year long high from which I have never quite come down.

That is my sordid tale of living through every season of “the record.” Moderators, you may ban me now.

Great, great, great post! I remember arguing with my dad. Fan though he was, he thought NU should join the Ivy League or even the MAC. As a young foolish optimist, I argued they should stay in the Big 10. He had to admit later that I was right. I don't know why he was surprised. I'm always right.

 

[hdhntr1]

Let us not forget that Arnold Weber turned things around when he brought in Barnett. So as we entered the 90s we had a resurfacing of support for the program.

Personally, I’d peg the start of the Dark Ages to 1973 and the arrival of John Pont. Things went to hell very quickly thereafter.

The university president, Robert Strotz, was a disciple of the University of Chicago’s Robert Maynard Hutchins, who ran Amos Alonzo Stagg off and pulled the Maroons out of the Big Ten and football altogether. Some of us believed at the time, and some to this day that Strotz, by choking the program and running off Agase, was following down his mentor’s path.

These memories, and the pathetic joke that the program became, are far too painful to be embraced. Rather let us be grateful that Arnold Weber reversed that sorry course so that Barnett and the players could find success.

While I saw his arrival, I was a bit fortunate in that I did not have to watch much of what happened. I was living in AZ, Springfield and upstate NY and they did not really ever put NU where you had to (or even were able to) watch it unlike today I came back in time to see a couple games in 94 so I basically missed the Dark Ages.

 

[zeek55]

INCOMPLETE

I didn't see CFP appearances (multiple) and National Championship on the list.

because, well, you know, I wants it moar

Hey, if we get to that point, you know it means everything else is achieved on the list; only real way to get the program into that mix. So I'd definitely take that happening sometime in Fitz's career.

 

[ChappyCat]

In simplest terms, we should embrace the Northwestern Dark Ages because they are behind us.

And we survived. Now we are set to thrive.

Like the Phoenix, Northwestern football rose from the ashes. The program has been resurrected from the detritus of an inferno fueled by the myopic neglect of institutional leaders, the departure of talented coaches, the ignominy of a record losing streak, the sting of heartbreaking losses, humiliating blowouts, and national media scorn.

The nerds can play. High quality college football is available at Northwestern University.

It has been for awhile.

It has been over twenty years since our magical Rose Bowl run. Another conference championship followed. Then a string of bowl appearances. Then some bowl wins. And a record-setting running back.

But more important than results on the field are actions off the field. In stark contrast to the Dark Ages, our AD is a highly visible presence. The President is too. But the most visible evidence that the Dark Ages have ended? Go to the north lakefront. Take a look inside W-R arena. The lack of commitment that defined the Dark Ages is as illusory as a Trump tweet.

There is a new covenant between football and the institution at Northwestern.

But we fans should not try to dissolve the memory of the Dark Ages. Great people and institutions in this world have often been defined by struggle, and often, resurrection. Northwestern football may have been reduced to a grotesque comedy in the eyes of many, but its spirit was kept alive by many players, coaches, and fans who simply refused to quit. It would be an insult to their legacy for us, in our reborn state, to forget those who held up a weak sputtering flame to combat the Darkness.

You can overcome your past. You can reconcile it. You can deny it. But whatever journey you took to arrive at where you are today cannot be altered. It is part of your essence. Embrace it.

The Dark Ages are unique to Northwestern football. Without darkness, there cannot be light. And light can illuminate only darkness. Welcome to the light.

Nicely put! I agree with much of what you are saying- we ARE transcending and we can learn from the “dark”, and positive supporters and realistic, patient investment from all stakeholders are paying dividends. But credit much to Fitz and Barnett and Walk.

 

[GlideCat]

Great, great, great post! I remember arguing with my dad. Fan though he was, he thought NU should join the Ivy League or even the MAC. As a young foolish optimist, I argued they should stay in the Big 10. He had to admit later that I was right. I don't know why he was surprised. I'm always right.

I also remember the Ivy League debates and the articles when it was uncovered that we had even had some preliminary discussions or feelers with the Ivy League. I was violently against it. The Ivy League was not “real” football to me. The Big 10 was. I am happy now that we stayed. I also remember from those articles that the Ivy League was not all that interested in us.

 

[stpaulcat]

I personally do not feel that big time college athletics are at all part of a "complete education" or a "holistic approach".

Sports is PR, and sports increases name recognition, applications, and student quality - but sports are a tool to get people in the door, not part of the wider mission.

Are you arguing that an Ivy education is less complete than an NU education, because espn only shows up in Cambridge as an off-week gimmick?

All this said, I agree with HJ's larger point - though, of course, I'm also happy I wasn't a fan during that period. (Embrace the suck?)

I don't feel like "big time college athletics" are a part of a complete education or a holistic approach to education. I believe college athletics are a part of a holistic education.

I am not arguing that an that an Ivy education is less complete than an NU education because they are not into big time football. The Ivy League is the best concentration of education/athletics in the country, no question. However, the Stanford, Rice, Vanderbilt, Duke and now Northwestern model is comparable in a different way.

I applaud the Ivy decision to form a conference in which athletics do not dominate.

I do not at all applaud NU for sidetracking football during the dark ages, unilaterally, even with the precedent of Chicago. I believe Chicago made a mistake.

NU is not a football factory, but there is not a doubt that they are now in big time football and now possibly basketball. #17 in the polls indicates this, and we are going for more. This is a good thing. I believe where the B1G goes wrong is to tolerate football factories which place academics secondary or worse to the need for athletic dominance..

 

[WildAboutThePurple]

In simplest terms, we should embrace the Northwestern Dark Ages because they are behind us.

And we survived. Now we are set to thrive.

Like the Phoenix, Northwestern football rose from the ashes. The program has been resurrected from the detritus of an inferno fueled by the myopic neglect of institutional leaders, the departure of talented coaches, the ignominy of a record losing streak, the sting of heartbreaking losses, humiliating blowouts, and national media scorn.

The nerds can play. High quality college football is available at Northwestern University.

It has been for awhile.

It has been over twenty years since our magical Rose Bowl run. Another conference championship followed. Then a string of bowl appearances. Then some bowl wins. And a record-setting running back.

But more important than results on the field are actions off the field. In stark contrast to the Dark Ages, our AD is a highly visible presence. The President is too. But the most visible evidence that the Dark Ages have ended? Go to the north lakefront. Take a look inside W-R arena. The lack of commitment that defined the Dark Ages is as illusory as a Trump tweet.

There is a new covenant between football and the institution at Northwestern.

But we fans should not try to dissolve the memory of the Dark Ages. Great people and institutions in this world have often been defined by struggle, and often, resurrection. Northwestern football may have been reduced to a grotesque comedy in the eyes of many, but its spirit was kept alive by many players, coaches, and fans who simply refused to quit. It would be an insult to their legacy for us, in our reborn state, to forget those who held up a weak sputtering flame to combat the Darkness.

You can overcome your past. You can reconcile it. You can deny it. But whatever journey you took to arrive at where you are today cannot be altered. It is part of your essence. Embrace it.

The Dark Ages are unique to Northwestern football. Without darkness, there cannot be light. And light can illuminate only darkness. Welcome to the light.

One of the best posts I have read. Well done. What a journey it has been. When you end the seaosn ranked #17 in the final rankings its truly something to be proud of. But we have been out of the dark days for a long time, and the best part about it is that we still are rising from the ashes. We have yet to even hit the ceiling. If Fitz is the captain of this ship for long enough, he will then deserve a statue outside Ryan Field when his days of coaching are done. Go Cats!!!!! Is it August 31st yet?