The Monon Bell Goes Back to Wabash

One of the Division III rivalries I mentioned in a previous post took place over the weekend. After two years at DePauw, the Monon Bell returned to Wabash as the Little Giants beat the Tigers 32-19.
Matt Hudson, Wabash’s quarterback completed 19 of 30 passes for 325 yards and three touchdowns. By winning this game, Wabash ended a two-year losing streak, and also broke the tie between the schools for this annual rivalry game.

Despite the Wabash win, the Tigers were the team that had already clinched a spot in tournament play, being the teams’ first playoff game in school history. The Little Giant’s on the other hand had to wait until this afternoon to hear whether they would advance to the playoffs. They received news that they too will have the opportunity to play in the D3 NCAA playoffs.

For the students, a lot of the week/weekend is focused on parties and their “hatred” for the other school. But, President Casey of DePauw and President White of Wabash issued a joint letter about the rivalry game. They urged the students and fans to focus on the traditions and history of the game. In it they wrote, “Today and throughout the year, we can all celebrate the fact that DePauw and Wabash are two great schools that share this tremendous tradition alongside a tremendous mutual respect and admiration.”

Troy Montigney, a first-year alum of DePauw, seems to understand both the Presidents’ views as well as the students. He wrote an article for “The DePauw” about the tradition of the Monon Bell Game. In it he admitted that as a DePauw student (which I’m sure is also true for Wabash students) a lot of the Monon tradition is about parties and hatred for Wabash (or DePauw), but he also admitted that the best part about the rivalry is being part of the tradition. “Odds are Spud Dick will not join Peyton Manning and Drew Brees in racking up 300-yard games on Sundays in the NFL, and Bryan Mulligan will not make everyone forget about Jerry Rice and Randy Moss. Adam Vinatieri's pair of Super Bowl-winning boots will not be replicated by Jordan Havercamp, despite the latter's NFL-worthy performance two years ago. But the trio and their teammates will never forget their Monon triumphs”.

So even though I know simply being part of the tradition doesn’t erase DePauw’s pain over losing the bell, in the end, being a part of this historic rivalry game is an honor... win or lose.