Basic Information

Northwestern University athletics logo

• Head Coach: Pat Fitzgerald
• Stadium: Ryan Field
• Conference: Big Ten
• All-Time Win/Loss/Tie Record as of 2006: 449-596-44
• Big Ten Championships: 1903, 1926, 1930, 1931, 1936, 1995, 1996, 2000
• Trophy Game: Sweet Sioux Tomahawk - University of Illinois

Image File history File links Northwesternb10. ... Image File history File links Northwesternb10. ... Fitzgerald was a member of the 1996 Rose Bowl squad. ... Ryan Field is a stadium in Evanston, Illinois. ... Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference is the United States oldest college athletic conference. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Big Ten Conference annaul football champions Year Champion 1896 University of Wisconsin 1897 Wisconsin 1898 University of Michigan 1899 University of Chicago 1900 University of Iowa and University of Minnesota 1901 Michigan and Wisconsin 1902 Michigan 1903 Michigan and Minnesota and Northwestern University 1904 Michigan and Minnesota 1905 Chicago 1906... 1903 (MCMIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1930 (MCMXXX) is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1931 calendar). ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with List of NCAA college football rivalry games. ... The Sweet Sioux Tomahawk is presented to the winner of the Illinois-Northwestern football game. ... The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, also known as UIUC and the U of I (the officially preferred abbreviation), is the flagship campus in the University of Illinois system. ...

History

The Northwestern University football team is in the NCAA Division I, with evidence of organization in 1876. The mascot is the Wildcat, a term coined by a Chicago Tribune reporter in 1924, after reporting on a football game where the players appeared as "a wall of purple wildcats." Northwestern achieved an all-time high rank of #1 during the 1936 and 1962 seasons, which has thus far not been duplicated. Northwestern has won one bowl game, the Rose Bowl, in 1949. After that, the team has languished in decades of mediocrity. The team achieved notoriety with a 34-game losing streak from 1979-1982, the longest in college football. Upon setting the new record in 1981 (thanks to a 61-14 home loss to Michigan State), students rushed the field to "celebrate," and chanted "we're the worst!" A win over Northern Illinois University finally broke the losing streak. Northwestern University is a private, coeducational, non-sectarian university, located in Evanston, Illinois and Chicago, Illinois. ... Division I is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association in the United States. ... The Chicago Tribune, formerly self-styled as the Worlds Greatest Newspaper, remains one of the principal daily newspapers of the midwestern United States. ... The Rose Bowl can refer to: The Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena, California. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Michigan State University is a university in East Lansing, Michigan near the state capital of Lansing. ... Northern Illinois University is a comprehensive teaching and research institution with a student enrollment of more than 25,000. ...

Northwestern's woes are in part due to the talent level, which typically is not like that found at larger, public institutions. However, Northwestern consistently is among the leaders in graduation rate; they were 100% in 1998 and 2002, and consistenly are in the 90th percentile. Despite the stricter academic standards, there have been notable athletes, such as Napoleon Harris, who was valedictorian of his high school class, and the Oakland Raiders' first-round draft pick in 2002. Napoleon Harris (born February 25, 1979 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American Football player who currently plays linebacker for the Minnesota Vikings of the NFL. Harris was traded to Minnesota along with a first round Draft pick for wide receiver Randy Moss. ... City Oakland, California Team colors Silver and Black Head Coach Art Shell Owner Al Davis General manager Al Davis Local radio Flagship stations: KSFO (560 AM)-English and KZSF (1370 AM)-Spanish Announcers: George Atkinson, Tom Flores, Greg Papa, and Jim Plunkett (English) and Erwin Higueros and Ambrosio Rico (Spanish...

Northwestern holds the all-time records for Division I losses, points allowed, and negative point differential (amount opponents have outscored them by).

Northwestern Football graces the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1963, ranked #1

Image File history File links Northwestern_si_1963. ... Image File history File links Northwestern_si_1963. ...

Traditions

The students and the Northwestern University Marching Band generally sit in one section near the goal line. The cheerleaders and marching band lead the students with certain cheers, such as "Go U, NU," "T-D, we want a touchdown," and the generic "De-fense." With the marching band performing Gustav Holst's Mars before key third-down plays, the students would raise their arms up and down like those worshipping a diety. To try to intimidate the opposing team, students often extend their arms and make a claw with their hands, like that of a wildcat, while screaming. Gustav Holst Gustavus Theodor von Holst (September 21, 1874 – May 25, 1934) was an English composer. ...

Cheerleaders, along with Willie the Wildcat, perform pushups after every touchdown, equal to Northwestern's cumulative score. Northwestern students also sing the fight song after touchdowns; typically, only the first few verses are known, with only the more die-hard fans completing the song. The Alma Mater is usually sung at halftime.

When Northwestern is losing, students sometimes chant "It's alright. It's OK. You're going to work for us someday."

Other notable traditions include the jiggling of keys before every kickoff, the orgin of this tradition is unclear, but was probably borrowed from another school. The generic "State School" chant is also employed.

The cheerleaders used to perform the "Gator Chomp," but that was subsequently dropped during the 1999 season due to complaints that Northwestern was mimicking the University of Florida. However, due to an email request to a cheerleader from a nostalgic Northwestern student, the chomp was revived for one game. Another previous tradition was the tossing of marshmallows into the tubas of the marching band. The Gator Chomp is a traditional gesture associated with the University of Florida and especially its sports teams, the Florida Gators. ...

In terms of preseason training camp, the football team usually spends time at Camp Kenosha, Wisconsin. Official language(s) None Capital Madison Largest city Milwaukee Area  Ranked 23rd  - Total 65,498 sq. ...

The Wildcats and the University of Illinois battle yearly for the Sweet Sioux Tomahawk Trophy. The winner of the annual game retains the trophy. The Sweet Sioux Tomahawk is presented to the winner of the Illinois-Northwestern football game. ...

The Gary Barnett Era

It was during the 1995 season, under head coach Gary Barnett and the trio of quarterback Steve Schnur, running back Darnell Autry, and linebacker Pat Fitzgerald, when a dramatic turnaround was accomplished. "Expect Victory" was the motto, even as Northwestern began the season as 28-point underdogs. A shocking 17-15 season-opening win over the heavily favored Notre Dame Fighting Irish, along with other unbelievable wins over Michigan (19-13) and Penn State (21-10), catapulted the team into the national spotlight and made them media darlings. Northwestern achieved a ranking of #3 in the nation and a Big Ten Championship. They faced off against USC in the Rose Bowl. The Cinderella season came to an abrupt halt with the Wildcats losing 41-32. Gary Barnett, former CU Head Football Coach Gary Barnett (born May 23, 1946 in Lakeland, Florida) was head coach of the University of Colorado football team, whose onfield success was shadowed by off-the-field controversies. ... Fitzgerald was a member of the 1996 Rose Bowl squad. ... The University of Notre Dame IPA: is a leading Roman Catholic institution of higher learning located in Notre Dame, Indiana, immediately northeast of South Bend, Indiana, United States. ... This article is about the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. ... The Pennsylvania State University (commonly known as Penn State) is a state-related land-grant university with a flagship campus located in University Park, Pennsylvania and 23 additional campuses located throughout Pennsylvania, including a virtual World Campus. ... Edward L. Doheny Jr. ... In United States sports, a Cinderella refers to a team or player who advances much further in a tournament than expected, any of them are lower seeds during tournaments or playoffs. ...

Northwestern Football returning to the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1995

The subsequent 1996 season lived up to expectations, with the Wildcats repeating as Big Ten Champions (Co-Champions). The team was nicknamed the "Cardiac Cats" for many dramatic, last second victories, including a 17-16 comeback over the University of Michigan. Down 16-0 entering the fourth quarter, the Wildcats scored 17 unanswered points, culminating with heart-stopping fourth down conversions and a last second field goal to complete the comeback. They garned an invitation to the Citrus Bowl, only to come up short against the Peyton Manning-led University of Tennessee, 48-28. Image File history File links Northwestern_si_1995. ... Image File history File links Northwestern_si_1995. ... The Citrus Bowl is a stadium in Orlando, Florida, USA, built for American football and currently seating around 70,000. ... Peyton Williams Manning (born March 24, 1976 in New Orleans, Louisiana) is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts NFL franchise. ... The University of Tennessee (UT), sometimes called the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UT Knoxville or UTK), is the primary institution of the statewide land-grant University of Tennessee system, Tennessees flagship public university. ...

The Randy Walker Era

After Coach Barnett was signed away by the University of Colorado Buffaloes following the 1998 season, Coach Randy Walker (formerly of Miami University in Ohio) was called to lead the team. Coach Walker's emphasis on offense, and especially the running back position (him having been an excellent running back in college), has been Northwestern's philosophy to date. The 2000 season saw the Wildcats emerge with an exciting "spread offense." The spread offense emphasizes many wide receivers to spread out the defense, thus allowing more cracks in the defense for running or passing plays. A 54-51 victory over the University of Michigan had commentators nickname it "basketball on grass." That game became an ESPN Instant Classic and was representative of the season, which appeared to be simply to score more than the opponents. The high-scoring offense usually was enough to overcome the porous defense, and the Wildcats earned their third Big Ten title in six years (Co-Champions). However, the Wildcats managed to be destroyed by the Nebraska Cornhuskers 66-17 in the Alamo Bowl. The Wildcats did not make the postseason again until December 26, 2003, when they lost to Bowling Green University by a score of 28-24 in the Motor City Bowl. In 2004, the Wildcats beat Ohio State for the first time since 1971, but that victory was the season's only highlight. The 2005 season was Northwestern's best since 2000, ending up as #25 ranked team in the BCS poll. The team appeared in the AP and Coach's polls for the first time since October 2001. The Wildcats earned an invitation to the Sun Bowl, only to lose to UCLA, 50-38. The University of Colorado (CU) System consists of five campuses: University of Colorado at Boulder University of Colorado at Colorado Springs University of Colorado at Denver University of Colorado Health Sciences Center Fitzsimons campus of the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, scheduled to open in 2007 in Aurora, Colorado... Randy J. Walker (May 29, 1954 – June 29, 2006) was the head football coach of the Northwestern University Wildcats of the Big Ten Conference. ... Miami University, founded in 1809, is the second-oldest public college west of the Allegheny Mountains. ... Official language(s) None Capital Columbus Largest city Columbus Largest metro area Cleveland Area  Ranked 34th  - Total 44,825 sq mi (116,096 km²)  - Width 220 miles (355 km)  - Length 220 miles (355 km)  - % water 8. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... ESPN (formerly an initialism for the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American cable television network dedicated to broadcasting sports-related programming 24 hours a day. ... The Nebraska Cornhuskers, or Huskers, are the athletic teams of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. ... The Alamo Bowl is a major post-season United States college football bowl game played annually since 1993 in the 65,000-seat Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. ... December 26 is the 360th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, 361st in leap years. ... Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a public, four-year institution located in Bowling Green, Ohio, USA; about 20 miles south of Toledo, Ohio on I-75. ... The Motor City Bowl is a major post-season college football bowl game certified by the NCAA that has been played annually since 1997. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about Ohio State; there is also an Ohio University. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1971 calendar). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... BCS may mean: Bowl Championship Series Business Capability Specification Brampton Christian School, private school in brampton, run by KRT Bryan-College Station, Texas - Location of Texas A&M University British Computer Society BCS theory of conventional superconductivity, named for Nobel Prize winners John Bardeen, Leon Cooper, and Robert Schrieffer informally... Sun Bowl is an annual college football game that is played usually at the end of December in El Paso, Texas. ... The University of California, Los Angeles, popularly known as UCLA, is a public, coeducational university situated in the neighborhood of Westwood within the city of Los Angeles. ...

2006 Season

Tragedy struck the Northwestern Football team when Randy Walker died June 29, 2006, of an apparent heart attack at the age of 52. The Northwestern community was stunned by the loss. Pat Fitzgerald was promoted from linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator to head coach on July 7, 2006. June 29 is the 180th day of the year (181st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 185 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A myocardial infarction occurs when an atherosclerotic plaque slowly builds up in the inner lining of a coronary artery and then suddenly ruptures, totally occluding the artery and preventing blood flow downstream. ... Fitzgerald was a member of the 1996 Rose Bowl squad. ... July 7 is the 188th day of the year (189th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 177 days remaining. ...

August 31 is the 243rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (244th in leap years), with 122 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Miami University, founded in 1809, is the second-oldest public college west of the Allegheny Mountains. ... Fred C. Yager Stadium is the main football facility at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where the Division 1-A Miami RedHawks compete in intercollegiate football against other schools in the mid-major Mid-American Conference and non-conference foes. ... September 9 is the 252nd day of the year (253rd in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... University of New Hampshire (UNH) is a public university in the University System of New Hampshire (USNH). ... Ryan Field is a stadium in Evanston, Illinois. ... The Arch, the main entrance to the Evanston campus of Northwestern University Evanston (elevation 600 ft. ... September 16 is the 259th day of the year (260th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Eastern Michigan University (EMU) is a comprehensive, co-educational public university located in Ypsilanti, Michigan. ... September 22 is the 265th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (266th in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The University of Nevada, Reno (UNR or Nevada) is a university that is located in Reno, Nevada and is known for its programs in agricultural research, animal biotechnology, and mining-related engineering and natural sciences. ... Mackay Stadium is a stadium in Reno, Nevada. ... This article is about the city in Nevada. ... September 30 is the 273rd day of the year (274th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 92 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (commonly known as Penn State) is a state-related land-grant university in Pennsylvania, with over 80,000 students at 24 campuses throughout the state. ... Beaver Stadium Beaver Stadium is located on the campus of The Pennsylvania State University and is home to their college football team, the Nittany Lions. ... While most of Pennsylvania State Universitys main campus is located in the borough of State College, Pennsylvania, its post office and postal address was dubbed University Park several decades ago to help differentiate university addresses from those in the town. ... October 7 is the 280th day of the year (281st in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Plaque on Bascom Hall, UW-Madison. ... Camp Randall Stadium was built in 1917 and is the current home of the Wisconsin Badgers football team. ... Wisconsin State Capitol Madison is the capital of Wisconsin, a state of the United States of America. ... October 14 is the 287th day of the year (288th in Leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... See also: Purdue University System Purdue University is a public land-grant university whose primary campus is located in West Lafayette, Indiana on the bluffs above the Wabash River. ... October 21 is the 294th day of the year (295th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 71 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Michigan State University is a university in East Lansing, Michigan near the state capital of Lansing. ... 1628 - The Siege of La Rochelle, which had been ongoing for 14 months, ends with Huguenot surrender 1664 - The Duke of York and Albanys Maritime Regiment of Foot later to be known as the Royal Marines is established. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. ... Michigan Stadium, nicknamed the Big House, is the football stadium for the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. ... Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. ... November 4 is the 308th day of the year (309th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 57 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The University of Iowa is a major national research university located on a 1,900-acre campus in Iowa City, Iowa, USA, on the Iowa River in East Central Iowa. ... Kinnick Stadium is a stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. ... Iowa City is a city located in Johnson County, Iowa, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 62,220. ... November 11 is the 315th day of the year (316th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 50 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about Ohio State; there is also an Ohio University. ... November 18 is the 322nd day of the year (323rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar with 43 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, also known as UIUC and the U of I (the officially preferred abbreviation), is the flagship campus in the University of Illinois system. ...

Bowl Games

The Rose Bowl can refer to: The Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena, California. ... The University of California (UC) is a public university system in the state of California. ... Edward L. Doheny Jr. ... The Citrus Bowl is a stadium in Orlando, Florida, USA, built for American football and currently seating around 70,000. ... The University of Tennessee (UT), sometimes called the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UT Knoxville or UTK), is the primary institution of the statewide land-grant University of Tennessee system, Tennessees flagship public university. ... The Alamo Bowl is a major post-season United States college football bowl game played annually since 1993 in the 65,000-seat Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. ... Seal of the University of Nebraska The University of Nebraska is one of two public university systems in the state of Nebraska, USA. The system has four universities and a technical college: University of Nebraska-Lincoln University of Nebraska at Omaha University of Nebraska at Kearney University of Nebraska Medical... The Motor City Bowl is a major post-season college football bowl game certified by the NCAA that has been played annually since 1997. ... Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a public four-year institution located in Bowling Green, Ohio, USA; about 20 miles south of Toledo, Ohio on I-75. ... Sun Bowl is an annual college football game that is played usually at the end of December in El Paso, Texas. ... The University of California, Los Angeles, popularly known as UCLA, is a public, coeducational university situated in the neighborhood of Westwood within the city of Los Angeles. ...

Notable Alumni

• Mike Adamle
• Damien Anderson: second to LaDanian Tomlinson in rushing yards in 2000
• Adrian Autry
• Darnell Autry
• Brett Basanez
• D'wayne Bates
• Kevin Bentley
• Luis Castillo
• Pat Fitzgerald
• Otto Graham
• Napoleon Harris: Oakland Raiders first-round draft pick in 2002
• Noah Herron
• John Kidd
• Ara Parseghian
• Steve Tasker

Mike Adamle (born October 4, 1949, in Euclid, Ohio) is the sports anchor at WMAQ-TV in Chicago, Illinois. ... Damien Anderson (born July 17, 1977 in Wilmington, IL) is a National Football League running back for the Arizona Cardinals. ... Ladanian Tomlinson(Born 06/23/79) is an N.F.L. player from Waco, Texas. ... Brett Basanez was previously a quarterback for Northwestern University. ... Kevin Kinte Bentley (born December 29, 1979 in North Hills, California) is an American football linebacker for the Seattle Seahawks of the NFL. He was originally selected with the third pick of the fourth round of the 2002 NFL Draft out of Northwestern University by the Cleveland Browns. ... There are two people named Luis Castillo: Luis Castillo, a Major League Baseball player Luis Castillo, a defensive tackle in the NFL This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Fitzgerald was a member of the 1996 Rose Bowl squad. ... Otto Everett Graham Jr. ... Napoleon Harris (born February 25, 1979 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American Football player who currently plays linebacker for the Minnesota Vikings of the NFL. Harris was traded to Minnesota along with a first round Draft pick for wide receiver Randy Moss. ... Noah Scott Herron (Born: April 3,1982) is an NFL football player, who plays running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers. ... John Kidd (September 10, 1775 - September 7, 1851) was an English physician, chemist and geologist. ... Ara Parseghian (born March 10, 1923 in Akron, Ohio, USA) He was of Armenian descent. ... Steven Jay Tasker (born April 10, 1962 in Leoti, Kansas) is a former American football wide receiver who played for the Houston Oilers and the Buffalo Bills of the NFL. He was drafted out of Northwestern University, where he was a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity, by the...

External links

• http://hailtopurple.com

• Big Ten football & basketball fan site

• Big Ten football & basketball forums