Over the next few weeks, I will looking at each team of the Big Ten and examining what aspects of each program—or the school, in general—make them special. With our first installment, let’s take a look at the lovable Purple People, the Northwestern University Wildcats.
Welcome to beautiful Evanston, Ill., an affluent suburb north of Chicago and home to Northwestern University, one of the best academic universities in the nation.
Located on a picturesque small beach on the coast of Lake Michigan, you can see the skyline of Chicago on the horizon. And if you’re lucky, you might even see some Purple People roaming these lands.
Northwestern University has produced such prominent alumni as Warren Beatty, Stephen Colbert, Michael Wilbon, Brent Musburger, Dick Gephardt, Charlton Heston, Elaine from Seinfeld, J.D. from Scrubs, Jerry Springer, and the lovely Rachel Nichols.
With world-renowned programs in journalism, business, law, and education, Northwestern is a bastion for higher education in the Midwest.
The high academic standard applies to the athletic program as well.
For instance, the football team has generally maintained an academic success rate of over 90 percent—and even had a perfect academic standing from 1999 to 2002—meaning the overwhelming majority of the players who come through the program graduate.
Among the schools in the Football Bowl Subdivision, Northwestern is one of the few major programs around the country that harbors an ideal representation of what the college student athlete should be—one who excels in both the classroom and on the football field without having to compromise either.
I could gush about the quality of the University all day, but what about the football program? Well, that’s a slightly different story.
Outsiders regard Northwestern as the little brother to the Big Ten’s larger powers: Ohio State and Michigan. Over the past seven years, the Wildcats have a combined 1-11 record against the two and have not beaten the Wolverines since 2000.
Even historically, Northwestern has gone through some dry spells, including their notorious 34-game losing streak in the early '80s. They have also won only one bowl game—which happened over a half-century ago, when they won the 1949 Rose Bowl.
While Northwestern may not have the most illustrious historical football program, the Wildcats have had their fair share of success over the years.
In fact, Northwestern has been ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press Poll twice in its history—in 1936 and 1962. They have won eight Big Ten titles in their history and produced NFL greats such as Cleveland Browns Hall of Famer Otto Graham, Pro Bowl lineman Chris Hinton, and San Diego defensive tackle Luis Castillo.
13 comments Last one added 11 months ago — Leave a Comment
S. Mark Graham about 1 year ago
Enjoyable article and well written
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Sam Wenk about 1 year ago
David, great article and I was able to relate to this very well. I love going to Saturday games at Ryan Field when the sun is shinning and the game is secondary. Don't get me wrong, Northwestern as a lot of passionate fans and alumni, but most are there for the experience. The games are so relaxing and so much fun, and being able to watch great Big Ten football at the same time is what makes the fall so special. Thanks for writing such a great piece that really has me excited for the upcoming season!
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Jeff D Gorman about 1 year ago
Great article about my school! I didn't know we had Stephen Colbert! We also have David Schwimmer (Friends), Seth Myers (Saturday Night Live) and Kimberly Williams (According to Jim). We even had Charlotte Rae and her replacement on The Facts of Life, Cloris Leachman. Go Cats!
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Tim Pollock about 1 year ago
Awesome read, David.
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Brendan Krooker 12 months ago
Good look to Northwestern this season. I always have pulled for you guys over the years.
Beat Syracuse!!
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Thomas Brown 12 months ago
Good stuff David.
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Ryan Stubbs 12 months ago
When Northwestern beat OSU in 2004 the headline in the student newspaper at Ohio State read "Revenge of the Nerds". That was a tough loss to swallow.
Good article, enjoyed it.
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Michael Collins 12 months ago
Great article, David. Before they were known as the Wildcats, they were "The Purple" and unofficially as "The Fighting Methodists" - and used to play the Fighting Irish.
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Matt Gard 12 months ago
Great article! I love stuff like this!
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Markusr2007 12 months ago
Great article and good job.
In my opinion, Northwestern is going to be the Cinderella team in the Big Ten football conference in 2008 and as one of the most improved teams in the nation this fall, particularly on offense with their new offensive coordinator. QB Bacher and Sutton are way dangerous, and the Wildcat defense returns a number of experienced upperclassmen comparable to other Big Ten teams. Watching out for the Wildcats.
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Stephen Moss 12 months ago
You are an idiot! The history you have written says barely anything about this year's team.
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David Williams 11 months ago
that's why it's history...
Forecasting a team means nothing. Look at all the people who said Michigan was top 5 last year
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setmajer 11 months ago
@Jeff — yep, Kimberly Williams went to NU. I was there and met her, though I had no idea it was THAT Kim Williams at the time (Father of the Bride had just hit theatres IIRC). So did Cindy Crawford (only 1 year though, I believe), Ann Margaret, and Jeri Ryan (7 of 9 on Star Trek: Voyager).
OK, name-dropping over. One correction to an otherwise good piece: the 'Cats peaked at 4 in the polls their Rose Bowl year, not 3.
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