In time, tens of thousands of people will remember the biting cold wind, artificial Christmas tree turf, and Wabash’s valiant effort to unseat the two-time defending champs.
Obviously, it wasn’t that many who braved the elements, not to mention the brutal drive across northeastern Ohio to be a part of Wabash’s remarkable playoff run. Still, alumni, parents, students, and fans packed into Mount Union Stadium Saturday in what felt like a strange and wonderful family reunion.
That’s the kind of football program Chris Creighton and his staff have built in their two short years on campus. The coaches came in saying they would create a football family that would, in time, replace the long-held living unit cliques that had existed in the program. The 2002 Little Giants weren’t Phi Delts and Betas, but one giant football family that genuinely enjoyed being together, working hard, and, of course, winning.
The truly remarkable thing is that Coach Creighton allowed all of us to join the fun. Anyone who attended a game felt a part of the team. Alumni who had become distant from the program returned in force. They packed Hollett Little Giant Stadium for Homecoming; helped dominate the stands at Wittenberg in mid-October; and rung in another Monon Bell victory on a cold November afternoon.
The reunion continued through the first two home playoff games, wins against MacMurray and Wittenberg. Before the sun had come up on those cold Saturdays, Wabash alumni were warming their hands over open fires behind the stadium. The players helped warm their hearts with enthusiastic play and precision execution.
Even casual football fans wanted to know about these Little Giants. Brent Harris and I got hundreds of phone calls and emails over the last month from alumni, parents, and local people who wanted an inside skinny on the next game; wanted to wish the team well; wanted to know how to get to stadiums or listen to an Internet radio feed.
All of us near the football program this year had a sense that something special was happening. But perhaps it wasn’t until I had made the trek across Ohio with three former Wabash players and got to the game on Saturday that I fully understood and appreciated the magnitude and reach of the Wabash football family.
The game was about to start and I had a camera round my neck on the sideline at Mount Union Stadium. A young student photographer from the home team approached me when she heard our crowd chanting and later singing “Old Wabash,” all of the fans on their feet.
“Are you guys always like this?” she asked.
“Yep,” I nodded.
“Nobody ever has come in here with this much excitement before,” she said with a smile on her face. “I wish our fans were like that.”
Six national titles and the nation’s longest winning streak and a Mount Union student wishes her home fans were like those from Wabash. I don’t think my feet hit the ground again until the clocked ticked to zero.
And that’s when it started to hurt. I looked around at the senior players who couldn’t imagine the run was over. The disbelief in their eyes created emotions beyond words. In fact, there weren’t many words exchanged after the game. Lots of hugs, pats on the back, and a couple of renditions of “Old Wabash” by players and fans alike.
As the Little Giants, like fallen gladiators, left the field they were comforted by family—alumni from Georgia and Wisconsin; moms and dads; fellow students; and die hard fans who had fallen in love with the football program. Come to think of it, maybe there were 10,000 people who felt the same pain as the players.
Congratulations to Coach Creighton and the Little Giants on a great run, and thanks from everyone for letting us be a part of the family.
May the fire continue to burn; may the ache from Saturday’s loss be a motivator and reminder of the amazing potential of the young spirit.
Jim Amidon ’87 is director of public affairs and marketing at Wabash College.