Maryland Terrapins Fans: Meet The Northwestern Wildcats
Apr 25, 2014; Evanston, IL, USA; Northwestern Wildcats football players Chi Chi Ariguzo (left) and Traveon Henry on the campus to vote on whether to unionize at Northwestern University. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
Our tour around the Big Ten for Maryland Terrapins fans goes back to Illinois and to the Northwestern Wildcats.
Northwestern is the only private school in the conference and has been known as the Wildcats since the 1920s. Before that they were just referred to as the “Purple” and even the “The Fighting Methodists” because they were founded by leaders of that religion in what was then the Northwest part of the country. There have been many times over the years where the Wildcats name is seen as not being popular. An underground movement to change the name to “Purple Haze” started in the 70’s and is still mentioned around campus. That alternate name is now used by an a capella group on campus.
Northwestern is located in the north Chicago suburb of Evanston, which has a population of about 75,000. Median family income is over $100,000 so it is not in a bad area. Cubs, Bears, Blackhawks, Bulls and maybe even the White Sox win (and lose) the hearts of the fans around town. Northwestern and the University of Illinois fight over who is truly Chicago’s team, although Notre Dame has a dog in that fight as well. Which one is the Chicago Big Ten team? As an Illini fan I bet you can guess who I pick.
Football is now a very competitive sport for the university, although the many years of futility has made the crowds wary at best. Former Wildcat linebacker Pat Fitzgerald does a stellar job of getting the school to be a bowl contender. Basketball has not been nearly as lucky. New coach and former Duke assistant Chris Collins has the difficult task in getting the Wildcats to appear in their first NCAA tourney, as they are the only BCS level conference member to never do so. Both programs do play in less than ideal facilities, Ryan Field and Welsh-Ryan Arena, respectively.
The school does do well in other sports. Terrapin lacrosse fans probably know that the women’s lacrosse team has won the national championship in women’s lacrosse five straight times, from 2005 to 2009, and then again in 2011 and 2012. They do not field a men’s team at this time. Golf and softball are some of the other competitive sports from the school.
Evanston has many great bars and restaurants. The Evanston Chicken Shack and Edzo’s Burger Shop stand out when hungry, and The Keg is there when you want to hang out with the fake ID crowd. Try Bluestone or Prairie Moon for an older crowd.