Jim Carper ’79
THE PASS, MARCH 1, 2017
The ’Cats needed a win over Michigan to improve their March Madness chances. There was a little more than a second left in a tied game. The play was so audacious — heaving the basketball from one end line to the other — but Nate Taphorn ’17 lobbed a perfect pass to Dererk Pardon ’19. The basket was good. ’Cats win! No one wanted to leave the building.
Sherry Krsticevic ’82
LAKE THE POSTS, SEPT. 25, 1982
I went to every Northwestern football game from 1976 to 1981, and it was hard to see the ’Cats lose week after week. But I returned as an alum to see them finally end their record–setting NCAA losing streak. Watching the fans tear down the goalpost, march it down Central Street and toss it into Lake Michigan is something I will never, ever forget. Just thinking about it makes me smile decades later.
Dan Peterson ’58
COMING UP ROSES, JAN. 1, 1949
I remember Northwestern’s upset win in the 1949 Rose Bowl like it was yesterday. Our family was gathered in our living room, listening to the play-by-play on our Philco radio. California was highly favored and complained the Big Ten was sending the JVs to Pasadena. When Cal took a 14-13 lead late in the game, we figured it was over. Then, with seconds remaining, the Wildcats’ Ed Tunnicliff ’50 slalomed his way 43 yards for the winning touchdown on a trick play. You could hear the screaming all over Evanston. I still talk about it.
Krishnan Anantharaman ’91
A KNIGHT TO REMEMBER, JAN. 11, 1988
From the wayback machine: I remember Northwestern’s 1988 upset of Indiana, the defending NCAA basketball champions, with sports broadcaster Dick Vitale in Welsh-Ryan Arena calling the game for ESPN. It was the first game I attended as a freshman, and I remember our pep band pouring into the arena all dressed as Indiana coach Bobby Knight, with red V-neck sweaters and gray wigs. One of them was carrying a chair.
Blaine Hubbuch ’96
STUNNING THE IRISH, SEPT. 2, 1995
My favorite memory was beating Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind., to start the 1995–96 season — the Rose Bowl year! Knocking off arguably the best program in the history of college football set the tone for the season, and we knew it was the beginning of something special. I was at the game surrounded by Notre Dame fans and relished every minute of it!
Taylor Tyler ’19
TRIPLE OT THRILLER, OCT. 28, 2017
I was a member of [Northwestern’s] Wildside student section and went to most of the football games at Ryan Field. I didn’t always stay for the entire game once the Evanston cold started setting in later in the season, but I made it my mission to stick it out until the end of this game because Northwestern was playing a ranked team, No. 16 Michigan State. It was an afternoon game, cold and lightly drizzling. Justin Jackson ’18 and Clayton Thorson ’18 had big parts in extending the game to triple overtime. After the win, I ended up on the field, under the lights. We were exhilarated.
Cheryl Jeska ’82
MAGIC SHOW, JAN. 27, 1979
I played in pep band when Northwestern beat Michigan State as the Spartans were on the road to winning the NCAA championship in 1979. I got to see Magic Johnson play. The game was on CBS, and the Wildcats won! Talk about Go ’Cats!
Rory Clark ’76
WILDCATS TAKE DOWN KENTUCKY, DEC. 1, 1975
I was Northwestern’s varsity basketball manager when we beat Kentucky in 1975. Kentucky was No. 7 in the country. They had clobbered us 97-70 the year before in Lexington, Ky. They didn’t just beat us — they beat us up. And we thought the Big Ten was physical! It was painful and intimidating on a level that couldn’t be put into words. We were scared to death in Lexington’s raucous Memorial Coliseum that year.
But on our court, Northwestern miraculously led 42-34 at halftime. In the locker room, not much was said. But everything was written in our eyes. We were going to show Kentucky who the REAL Wildcats were.
I don’t know how word got over to campus, but students started pouring into McGaw Hall [now Welsh-Ryan Arena]. At the beginning of the game there were 2,000 fans in the stands. By the end of the game, it was standing room only, even though the official attendance was listed at 5,500. It was incredible.
It was invigorating. In the first nine minutes of the second half, we outscored Kentucky 23-8, and we led by 23 with about 12 minutes left in the game. The fans were going bananas! No matter what Kentucky did, it didn’t work.
I had talked to Kentucky coach Joe B. Hall before the game, and he told me he had a bad feeling about the game. I thought he was kidding but jokingly I told him that he should. We had stewed about the beating we took in Lexington all summer, and it was time for revenge.
Billy McKinney ’77 was his usual amazing self. He scored 31 points on lights-out shooting. At the time, there was no 3-point line. If there had been, he would have scored 50. His leadership inspired others to step up, even those who usually didn’t.
Without question this was the most gratifying Wildcats game I ever witnessed.
Madelyn Meneghetti ’85
BACK-TO-BACK BIG TEN TITLES, 1983 AND ’84
My time as a student-athlete on the Northwestern women’s volleyball team was filled with unforgettable moments, but winning back-to-back Big Ten Championships in 1983 and 1984 stands out as the pinnacle. We were the team to beat in the early 1980s, a force in the Big Ten Conference, especially when facing our biggest rival, the Purdue Boilermakers.
What made us so successful was our unwavering commitment to excellence. We pushed each other to be our best, whether in practice, during matches or in the classroom. Our competitive spirit drove us to rise above challenges, and our strong bond as teammates kept us united on and off the court.
One of my favorite memories was the incredible support from our families, who cheered us on every step of the way. I’ll never forget walking into the championship match in West Lafayette, Ind., to see the stands filled with our parents and fans, surrounded by hundreds of purple and white balloons. The sight of our loved ones with their faces painted in school colors lifted our spirits and reminded us that we were playing not just for ourselves but for everyone who believed in us.
It was truly a magical time to be a Wildcat, and those championship wins will always hold a special place in my heart.
Share your favorite moments in Wildcats history at letters@northwestern.edu.
Reader Responses
Football 2005 upset over No. 5 Ohio State at Ryan Field on national television. We tried to bring down the goal posts, but they wouldn't budge. Some people just hung on them like a jungle gym instead.
—Ben Woo '06, Los Angeles, via Northwestern Magazine
The feeling of momentum is both powerful and intoxicating, and I was lucky enough to experience both in the stands at the old Dyche Stadium in 1996. It was the final year for the Darnell Autry '06, Steve Schnur '96, '97 MS and Pat Fitzgerald '97 team that won the Big Ten and went to the Rose Bowl, and when Michigan came to Evanston, they were ready to avenge their loss in Ann Arbor the prior season. For the first three quarters, the Cats looked listless and found themselves in a 16-0 hole. But in the fourth quarter, everything went the 'Cats’ way. They converted on third downs when they had to — and even on a fourth down play where Brian Musso '98 fumbled the ball, recovered it and still made the first down yardage.
Being in the middle of a purple army of fans that day is something I’ll never forget. And when kicker Brian Gowins '98 first kicked the game-winner, it was called off and had to be kicked again. The Wildcats of the late 1980s — who didn’t win a single game when I was a senior — wouldn’t have been in that situation to begin with, but we were told to "Expect Victory" in those days, and that’s exactly what we got. What a thrill that was!
—Rob Harris '90, Chicago
I was weeding the garden one day in May 2005 and listening to WNUR broadcast the title game in NCAA women's lacrosse. The Cats defeated Virginia 13-10. It was the first of five consecutive national titles. That team turned our family into lacrosse fans!
—Jim Carper '79, Illinois
March 16, 2017.
Northwestern vs. Vanderbilt.
I mean, that pretty much covers it.
What an amazing day.
I remember watching the pregame layup drills from the upper level, struck by the surreal history of the moment. I was waiting to watch my 'Cats make their March Madness debut! Isn't this what alums from other schools get to do?
The game was a gutwrencher, as if scripted. So many momentum swings. So many money free throws.
And so much purple, so much crowd support. For one Thursday afternoon, we turned Salt Lake City into Evanston West. We poured decades of fandom and frustrations toward the court. And our guys responded with the win, as if scripted.
I'll never forget walking out of the Delta Center, drained but elated. Celebrating before going back into the arena to watch an evening doubleheader of (pressure-free!) hoops. Still in disbelief. But never prouder to be purple.
—Kevin Richert '85, Boise, Idaho
I recall the Wildcats going 6-0 to start the 1962 football season, earning a midseason No. 1 national ranking!
—Mike Kroichick '64, Tucson, Ariz.
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