120th Monon Bell Classic to be Seen Nationally on AXS TV

September 4, 2013

[Download Video: "Ballad of the Monon Bell - 2007 Version" - 10,419kb] [Download Audio: "Ballad of the Monon Bell - Stereo" - 2514kb].

The 120th football game between DePauw University and Wabash College, the latest chapter in one of college football's oldest and closest college rivalries, the Monon Bell Classic, will be televised nationally by AXS TV. The November 16 contest will mark the ninth time the network will provide live, high-definition coverage of the storied rivalry game, which will be played this year at DePauw's Blackstock Stadium on the newly-dedicated Nick Mourouzis Field.

Launched under the vision and stewardship of entrepreneur Mark Cuban, AXS TV is the premier destination for live events, breaking news, and as-they-are-happening trends in the worlds of pop culture, music, fashion, and entertainment. The network has televised the last seven Wabash-DePauw contests (2006-12) and also covered the 2003 game.

"AXS TV has a long-standing relationship with these two great schools and, in turn, they have given our viewers some unbelievable games," says Cuban. "I don't think there is another rivalry in college football that is as even as this one -- so, every single year, this game really means something to these kids who play their hearts out for that bell."

Again this year, as they have in the MEC 0375 past, alumni and friends of the two colleges will gather on game day for telecast parties across the nation. They were held in more than 60 cities last year.

"If you can't be at Blackstock on game day, you'll be just as close to the action if you tune in to AXS TV," says Ken Owen '82, executive director of media relations at DePauw and the University's liaison with the network. "The quality of their work is breathtaking, and they have taken coverage of this game -- which has been seen on ABC and ESPN2 in years past -- to new levels. It's a joy to work with Darrell Ewalt (executive producer of sports for AXS TV) and his crew and bring this terrific rivalry to the 41 million homes and sports bars across America the network reaches."

"People who have been around this rivalry for a long time realize that the partnership with AXS TV and the quality coverage they deliver has redefined what it is to watch the Monon Bell Classic on television," adds Jim Amidon, chief of staff and director of strategic communications at Wabash College. "The reach of the network has also made many people who were previously unfamiliar with the two colleges and the series aware of this great annual tradition the schools share, and of the nationally recognized educational experiences Wabash and DePauw offer their students." (at left: DePauw head coach Tom Mont is carried off the field by his players after a 13-10 victory in 1962)

The largest independently owned and operated network, AXS TV was developed by entrepreneur Mark Cuban and General Manager Philip Garvin. The network partners include Mark Cuban, AEG, Ryan Seacrest Media and Creative Artists Agency (CAA). AXS TV is available in the U.S. via AT&T U-verse, Charter, Comcast/Xfinity, DIRECTV, DISH Network, Insight, Suddenlink, Verizon FiOS, and other TV providers. AXS TV can be found online at www.axs.tv, on Facebook at facebook.com/axstv and on Twitter at axstv.

DePauw and Wabash first met on the gridiron in 1890. In 1932, a locomotive bell donated by the Chicago, Indianapolis and Louisville Railroad Company, also known as the Monon Line, was donated and became the winner's trophy each year. (at right: a shot from the 1916 game, won by Wabash, 26-13)

In the all-time series, Wabash holds a 57-53-9 lead. Since the Monon Bell entered the rivalry in 1932, Wabash leads, 38-37-6.

All 119 games to date are commemorated in video vignettes known as "Monon Memories." Created by Owen, the clips can be found here and on YouTube.

To date, fifteen contests in the historic series have been captured on DVD. Available are the DVDs of the 1977, 1994 and 2000-12 Monon Bell Classics (supplies of past games are extremely limited; the 2008 package is a two-disc set including all 115 "Monon Memories" produced to that date). Order them here. The sets are a collaborative venture between DePauw and Wabash, with Owen mastering the disc and Amidon creating the packaging and navigational menus.

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. 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. Indianapolis Monthly listed experiencing the game among "50 Things Every Hoosier Must Do."

Access DePauw's Monon Bell Web page here.