DePauw Stories

The DePauw University football team secured a dominant 42-21 victory over Wabash College in the schools’ 130th meeting, keeping the Monon Bell in Greencastle for the third straight year. The win capped off the Tigers’ second consecutive undefeated regular season and their fourth consecutive North Coast Athletic Conference championship. It also earned the Tigers an automatic berth into the NCAA Division III playoffs.

“This win keeps us on track,” said quarterback Nathan McCahill ’25, who led DePauw to 543 yards of total offense, the most against Wabash in the history of the series. “Not taking care of business in this game would have derailed our goals somewhat. Right now, we’re still tracking everything we want to accomplish.”

After a Wabash touchdown late in the second quarter, DePauw took a narrow 14-7 lead into the locker room. But a pair of quick strikes in the opening 90 seconds of the second half stretched the lead to 28-7 and electrified the sold-out crowd at Blackstock Stadium. From there, the Tigers never looked back. With the help of running back Caden Whitehead ’26 – whose career-high 199 rushing yards were the most ever by a DePauw player in a Monon game – DePauw pulled away in the fourth quarter and cruised to its first Monon Bell three-peat since 2000.

As players, students, alumni and fans celebrated with one another on the field and gathered around the iconic 300-pound trophy, the significance of the moment was not lost on McCahill. “This is one of the main reasons DePauw football players come here,” he said. “This is such a special game. With all the generations that have come before us, just being able to leave your own stamp on this tradition is such a great opportunity.”

Few people understand that tradition better than Tony Robertson, DePauw’s director of facilities care and space management. In his 42 years of service to the university, Robertson has witnessed numerous iconic Monon moments, including unexpected snowstorms, last-second field goals and even a celebratory hug and kiss on the cheek from Nick Mourouzis after the final Bell game the legendary DePauw football coach attended.

On Saturday, Robertson added a new memory to that list when he joined the captains and officials on the field before the game to conduct the opening coin toss. “I was truly humbled to be asked to do that,” said Robertson, who plans to retire in January. “It was a perfect bookend for my career at DePauw. I consider myself fortunate to have been part of this team for all these years and to work for an institution that changes people's lives.”

Like so many Monon Bell games that have come before, this year’s contest displayed the extraordinary sense of community that makes DePauw unique. As alumni and fans gathered across the country at over 60 telecast parties to support the Tigers where they live, thousands more converged on campus in a lively sea of black and gold. For many of them, this event has become an annual pilgrimage, a perfect opportunity to reunite with old friends and classmates and share in one of college football’s oldest rivalries.

Matt Wetoska ’91, who beat Wabash all four times when he was a member of the football team, returned this year for his 37th Monon Bell game. He and many of his teammates have prioritized this tradition, showing up year after year to support the teams that come after them. “You miss playing, you miss the camaraderie,” he said. “But it's great to come back and see how things are more similar than they are different. The game has changed, but the intensity is the same.”

That intensity is a big reason why Jim Tonsic ’69 decided several years ago to start reaching out to some of his own teammates and inviting them to get together. Since then, he’s not only reconnected old friends, but he’s also helped to rekindle countless memories. “I have a list of about 40 guys, and every year I invite everybody back,” he explains. “We go to dinner on Friday night, and then we come here for the game.”

As this year’s attendees gathered around Tonsic at their group’s tailgate party before kickoff in the Olive Street parking lot, they swapped endless tales about their own highlights on and off the field and the unforgettable experiences they’ve shared as both teammates and alumni. When asked how their relationship has changed over the years, John Long ’70 summed it up with a laugh: “Every year the stories get bigger and bigger, and we get better and better.”

After 130 iterations, the magic of the Monon Bell continues to be greater than the game itself. For players, students and alumni alike, it's a symbol of rivalry and tradition that transcends the final score. Win or lose – or tie, something that happened nine times in the series before overtime rules were instituted – this weekend in mid-November remains one of the DePauw community’s most beloved times to gather.

“It’s all about this atmosphere,” said Ken Coquillette ’82, who estimates that he’s been a part of 40 Bell games over the years. “The opportunity to reconnect with alums, the friendships that span time and generations – it’s all part of the fabric and texture of the DePauw experience.”

To view the sights and scenes around campus on game day, visit our Monon Bell photo gallery.

Stay tuned for full coverage of this year’s matchup captured by film crews for LG’s award-winning docuseries “The Rivalries,” currently scheduled to air in January of 2025.