Monon Bell

Encyclopedia : M : MO : MON : Monon Bell

-->

The Monon Bell (pronounced MOE-non) is the trophy awarded to the victor of the annual college football matchup between the DePauw University Tigers (in Greencastle, Indiana) and the Wabash College Little Giants (in Crawfordsville, Indiana) in the United States. The Bell is a 300-pound locomotive bell from the Monon Railroad. As of the end of the 2005 season, the two teams have played against each other 112 times, and the all time series between the Tigers and the Little Giants stands in Wabash's favor at 52-51-9.

Contents

1 History
2 Thefts
3 Tradition
4 The Ballad of the Monon Bell
5 Year by Year Result
6 External Links

History

The rivalry between Wabash and DePauw began in 1890 and is the oldest college football rivalry west of the Alleghenies where more than 100 games have been played. The Monon Bell was introduced as a travelling trophy in 1932 at the suggestion of a DePauw alumnus, Orien Fifer (Class of 1925), in a letter to the editor of the The Indianapolis News. Since the schools are only 27 miles apart, the adversaries in the game are often brothers, cousins, high school classmates or good friends, adding to the rivalry’s intensity. Since the bell entered the series, DePauw has won 35 games, Wabash 33, and there were 6 ties. Before the introduction of overtime to college football, the rule was that the team with the bell retained it. This rule last held signifigance for the 99th Monon Bell Classic in 1992 where Wabash opted for a field goal to tie the game at 17-17, keep the bell, and set up the 100th game as an evenly split 45-45-9 series.

The teams failed to play eachother only 5 years in the entire history. From 1897-1899, the schools failed to schedule eachother for an unknown reason. In 1910, the teams didn't play due to the death of Wabash's star halfback, Ralph Wilson, who died from a concussion in a game earlier in the season. The schools have played eachother every year since 1911.

Thefts

The Bell has been stolen at least 8 times (1941, 1959, 1965, 1966, 1978, 1979, 1988, 1998). The most famous of which involved (frequently called "Operation Frijoles") a Wabash student posing as a Mexican dignitary interested in establishing an exchange program with DePauw in 1965. During his meeting with the DePauw president, he arranged for a number of scholarships for students from Latin America and convinced him to show him the bells hiding place. Later, he returned with friends and stole it.

Another famous heist had DePauw students stealing the bell from themselves. Concerned about the safety of the Bell from Wabash kidnappers, DePauw students stole the bell from its resting place and buried it in the north endzone of their football stadium. Very few students knew of its location. A problem arose on gameday as the ground was frozen. The students were barely able to reclaim the Bell in time for the game.

The bell was last stolen in 1998 by Wabash students on Halloween.

Tradition

The Monon Bell football game is more than just a rivalry. During the week of the game, both schools have numerous events and shared functions including concerts, debates and a blood drive. In addition, Wabash students guard their campus day and night for the entire week.

The game has received national media coverage including articles in Sports Illustrated in 1973 and 1993, a feature on Charles Kuralt's 1979 "Sunday Morning" show, airing of the game on ABC in 1977, articles in USA Today in 1987 and the Wall Street Journal in 1999 and a feature on Fox Sports Net's show The Slant in 1999.

The game is regularly televised and alumni from both schools hold gatherings to watch the game.

The Ballad of the Monon Bell

The Ballad of the Monon Bell was introduced the week of the 1985 game at DePauw. The music is by Nancy Ford Charles (DePauw 1957), and the lyrics are by Darel Lindquist (DePauw 1968). The concept of the ballad originated with Patrick Aikman (DePauw 1957). The ballad has been recorded by Jim Ibbotson (of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band) (DePauw 1969). A video has also been made. (See external links below for a MP3 and MOV of the song.)
''Long before the cannonball travelled through her towns
''The state of Indiana owned the jewel of the crown
''The train, they called the Monon, the stories they still tell
''The Cavemen and the Tigers playing for her bell

''It rode like a masthead on engine ninety-nine
''Crawfordsville to Greencastle, then further down the line
''The Cavemen came from Wabash, the Tigers from DePauw
''Since eighteen-ninety they have played the last game ev’ry fall

''Many years they played for pride, oh the stories they could tell
''Then in thirty-two the Monon train gave up her precious bell
''They said, “Here take this symbol of smoke and fire and grit
''And give it to the winner, a symbol not to quit.”

''Ring the Bell for Wabash, ring for old DePauw
''Ring the bell for victory in the last game ev’ry fall
''Ring the Bell for Wabash, ring for old DePauw
''Ring the bell for victory in the last game ev’ry fall

''Suddenly the boys of autumn had fire in their eyes
''Blood and spit, but never quit, fighting for the prize
''The medal to the victor, the symbol to the school
''Wabash and DePauw became a yearly duel

''Now history has recorded the players and their games
''And to this day they still play for the Bell in Monon’s name
''Those who’ve gone before return each November day
''Swapping stories and the legends for those who did not play

Year by Year Result

Year	Winner	Score
1890	DePauw	34-5
1891	DePauw	1-0(For)
1892	DePauw	42-4
1893	DePauw	48-34
1894	Wabash	16-4
1895	Wabash	6-0
1896	DePauw	20-0
1900	DePauw	26-11
1900	Wabash	6-0
1901	DePauw	31-2
1901	DePauw	35-5
1903	Wabash	10-0
1905	Wabash	52-0
1906	Wabash	7-0
1907	Wabash	11-4
1908	Wabash	12-0
1909	Tie	0-0
1911	Tie	0-0
1912	Wabash	62-0
1913	DePauw	7-0
1914	DePauw	3-0
1915	Wabash	34-0
1916	Wabash	26-13
1917	DePauw	7-0
1918	DePauw	28-6
1919	Tie	0-0
1920	DePauw	3-0
1921	Wabash	22-0
1922	Wabash	30-0
1923	Wabash	17-0
1924	Wabash	21-0
1925	Wabash	22-0
1926	Wabash	6-0
1927	Wabash	13-7
1928	DePauw	20-12
1929	Wabash	8-7
1930	DePauw	7-6
1931	DePauw	13-7
1932	Tie	0-0
1933	DePauw	14-0
1934	Wabash	7-6
1935	Tie	0-0
1936	Wabash	19-0
1937	DePauw	32-0
1938	DePauw	7-0
1939	DePauw	7-0
1940	Wabash	17-13
1941	Wabash	27-19
1942	DePauw	6-3
1943	DePauw	33-0
1944	Wabash	14-7
1945	DePauw	13-7
1946	Wabash	26-0
1947	Wabash	27-7
1948	DePauw	8-0
1949	Wabash	25-21
1950	Wabash	34-20
1951	Wabash	41-12
1952	Wabash	47-0
1953	Wabash	41-0
1954	Wabash	28-0
1955	DePauw	23-20
1956	Tie	7-7
1957	DePauw	37-6
1958	DePauw	24-8
1959	Tie	6-6
1960	DePauw	14-13
1961	DePauw	20-7
1962	DePauw	13-10
1963	DePauw	17-0
1964	DePauw	22-21
1965	Wabash	16-6
1966	DePauw	9-7
1967	Wabash	7-0
1968	DePauw	18-7
1969	DePauw	17-7
1970	DePauw	14-13
1971	Wabash	16-7
1972	Wabash	20-14
1973	DePauw	28-21
1974	DePauw	15-12
1975	DePauw	14-8
1976	Wabash	14-7
1977	Wabash	30-6
1978	Wabash	11-3
1979	Wabash	16-13
1980	Tie	22-22
1981	DePauw	21-14
1982	Wabash	31-6
1983	DePauw	16-10
1984	Wabash	41-26
1985	Wabash	28-8
1986	Wabash	24-23
1987	DePauw	33-11
1988	DePauw	24-14
1989	DePauw	41-14
1990	DePauw	20-13
1991	Wabash	23-18
1992	Tie	17-17
1993	Wabash	40-26
1994	Wabash	28-24
1995	Wabash	7-2
1996	DePauw	31-13
1997	DePauw	14-7
1998	DePauw	42-7
1999	DePauw	21-7
2000	DePauw	27-17
2001	Wabash	27-21
2002	Wabash	35-7
2003	Wabash	37-20
2004	DePauw	14-7
2005	Wabash	17-14

External Links

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.