Greetings all. Looking forward to the matchup in the Pinstripe and LOTS of points being scored. Here in Chicago, college football junkies like me get a steady diet of mid-week night MAC games that often look like sandlot battles (most drives last about 5 plays and then a score; punts are rare), and I think our matchup may generate 100+ points.
In the spirit of "get to know thine enemy," I thought I would share a few tidbits about life from a NU fan's perspective. Conversely, I would love to learn more about the Pitt diaspora and fan experience.
Northwestern is still battling to overcome the stigma of the Dark Ages. This was roughly a two decade period where the school's administration was openly hostile to athletics, particularly football, and the performance on the field was openly hostile toward NU fans. During the period from 1972 through 1994, NU set a NCAA standard for futility by losing 34 straight football games over one particularly odious stretch of football (a record since broken), as well as not venturing to exceed 4 wins in any one season. In the 1980s, it became a fan tradition to 1) throw marshmallows at the band (targeting the tuba players was much more interesting than what was transpiring on the field); 2) jiggle your car keys during kickoffs (this action was meant to symbolize the belief that regardless of the game result, the opposing school's graduates would eventually be parking the cars of the Northwestern graduates as a professional pursuit); 3) tear down the goalposts with rare victories over ranked opponents. I would only add that these snobbish behaviors do not really reflect a sense of superiority. NU fans are very approachable and generally modest, based on my ownexperience.
This was the period known as the Dark Ages. NU lost consistently, and often in ugly fashion. Thankfully things changed. Most of you know about the magical 1995 season that led to our first bowl appearance since 1948. That 1995 team was legitimately good. We have not reached that level of competence since, but overall have been much more competitive. Since 2000, NU has appeared in 10 bowl games, delivered two 10-win seasons, and amassed an overall record of 110-101. When you are as bad as NU was during that Dark Ages, it is not hard to improve.
With moderate success have come increased expectations, and with it the fan neurosis that comes with hoping for and expecting more, and encountering disappointment. Bowl games have become particularly traumatic as we have followed up promising seasons of 8-10 victories with close postseason losses to better teams. The program has made visible but halting progress toward respectability, but the overall sense is that we are still another leap away from breaking through to achieve status as a program that has to be reckoned with in the Big Ten. The milestone we hope to see is winning the Big Ten, which means beating OSU, Michigan or that other PA school in the title game.
We are a small community of fans. Our undergrad enrollment is less than 10k, so our alumni community is very small in relation to other B1G schools. When our stadium does fill, it is because visiting fans from Nebraska, Wisconsin, Michigan or OSU have come to town. Our community online is quite small but devoted. We LOVE having opposing fans visit our Rivals boards, provided the intent is serious discussion of football or ancillary matters. Being trolled by fans of "name" programs provokes a visceral response. The Pitt crowd strikes me as a group that is very respectful and interested in substantive discussion. So please engage.
In the spirit of "get to know thine enemy," I thought I would share a few tidbits about life from a NU fan's perspective. Conversely, I would love to learn more about the Pitt diaspora and fan experience.
Northwestern is still battling to overcome the stigma of the Dark Ages. This was roughly a two decade period where the school's administration was openly hostile to athletics, particularly football, and the performance on the field was openly hostile toward NU fans. During the period from 1972 through 1994, NU set a NCAA standard for futility by losing 34 straight football games over one particularly odious stretch of football (a record since broken), as well as not venturing to exceed 4 wins in any one season. In the 1980s, it became a fan tradition to 1) throw marshmallows at the band (targeting the tuba players was much more interesting than what was transpiring on the field); 2) jiggle your car keys during kickoffs (this action was meant to symbolize the belief that regardless of the game result, the opposing school's graduates would eventually be parking the cars of the Northwestern graduates as a professional pursuit); 3) tear down the goalposts with rare victories over ranked opponents. I would only add that these snobbish behaviors do not really reflect a sense of superiority. NU fans are very approachable and generally modest, based on my ownexperience.
This was the period known as the Dark Ages. NU lost consistently, and often in ugly fashion. Thankfully things changed. Most of you know about the magical 1995 season that led to our first bowl appearance since 1948. That 1995 team was legitimately good. We have not reached that level of competence since, but overall have been much more competitive. Since 2000, NU has appeared in 10 bowl games, delivered two 10-win seasons, and amassed an overall record of 110-101. When you are as bad as NU was during that Dark Ages, it is not hard to improve.
With moderate success have come increased expectations, and with it the fan neurosis that comes with hoping for and expecting more, and encountering disappointment. Bowl games have become particularly traumatic as we have followed up promising seasons of 8-10 victories with close postseason losses to better teams. The program has made visible but halting progress toward respectability, but the overall sense is that we are still another leap away from breaking through to achieve status as a program that has to be reckoned with in the Big Ten. The milestone we hope to see is winning the Big Ten, which means beating OSU, Michigan or that other PA school in the title game.
We are a small community of fans. Our undergrad enrollment is less than 10k, so our alumni community is very small in relation to other B1G schools. When our stadium does fill, it is because visiting fans from Nebraska, Wisconsin, Michigan or OSU have come to town. Our community online is quite small but devoted. We LOVE having opposing fans visit our Rivals boards, provided the intent is serious discussion of football or ancillary matters. Being trolled by fans of "name" programs provokes a visceral response. The Pitt crowd strikes me as a group that is very respectful and interested in substantive discussion. So please engage.
