NCAA Spotlight on Great College Football Rivalries Includes Monon Bell Classic

October 17, 2011

October 17, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — An NCAA.com article examining great college football rivalries notes, " in 1891, a couple of Iowa colleges, Cornell and Coe, started a series that is called simply, ‘The Oldest College Rivalry West of the Mississippi.’ They got started a year after DePauw and Wabash began what is called the Monon Bell Classic."

It continues, "OK, since you were going to ask (from the DePauw website): 'The Monon Bell trophy, a 300-pound locomotive bell from the Monon Railroad, was introduced in 1932 at the suggestion of a DePauw alumnus, Orien Fifer '25, in a letter to the editor of the Indianapolis News. The Bell is awarded to the victorious team at the end of the game, to be held until contested again the following year. Since DePauw and Wabash are only 27 miles apart, the adversaries in the game are often brothers, cousins, high school classmates or good friends, adding to the competition's intensity.' Which is pretty much what rivalries are about," writes Lee Feinswog. "In most cases, rivals have a deep respect for the competition between them and, while the on-field games are fierce, the appreciation for their opponents afterward lasts forever." (at right: DePauw players hoist the winner's prize following the 2008 Monon Bell Classic)

You'll find the complete article -- "Rivalries come in all sizes" -- here.

The 118 football game between DePauw University and Wabash College is set for Saturday, November 12, at Blackstock Stadium.  DePauw's allotment of tickets for the game will become available next week, with details available in this story. [Download Video: "Ballad of the Monon Bell - 2007 Version" - 10,419kb] [Download Audio: "Ballad of the Monon Bell - Stereo" - 2514kb]

This year's game will again be telecast across America on the high definition network HDNet with telecast parties arranged by DePauw and Wabash alumni. (at left: 1928 game day program)

Pre-orders and now being accepted for the 2011 Monon Bell Classic DVD, which will include this year's contest and a range of bonus material, including photo galleries and historic clips from past games.  Learn more, and place an online order, by clicking here.

Wabash leads the all-time series 55-53-9, while DePauw leads in games played for the Monon Bell by a 37-36-6 count. The Monon Bell was voted Indiana's best college sports rivalry by fans of ESPN, and is noted in the DVD collection, ESPNU Honor Roll: The Best of College Football, as one of the nation's best annual clashes. Past games have been televised on ESPN2 and ABC, and the Monon Bell was featured on CBS' Sunday Morning and has twice been spotlighted in Sports Illustrated. The annual DePauw-Wabash clash is also detailed in Rites of Autumn: The Story of College Football, a book by Richard Whittingham.

A complete roster of "Monon Memories" -- video highlights of past battles for the Bell -- can be found here. An HDNet feature examines the creation of the historic clips.

Complete game day information will be available here.

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