IU Fans Fill Atlanta Ahead of Peach Bowl
ATLANTA –Indiana football fans arrived in Atlanta by the thousands on Thursday, many following the program for decades.
Indiana plays Oregon in the Peach Bowl Friday night, with a spot in the national championship game at stake. The winner will face Miami in Miami on Jan. 19 for the title, a scenario rarely seen in Indiana football history.
“I went to my first Indiana football game in 1966,” said one longtime fan who traveled to Atlanta. “We actually won. It was the only game we won that year. I have been through six decades of heartache. Hope, disappointment and dashed hopes. Every emotion you can experience.”
Indiana has historically been known more for basketball than football. Fans say the program has often taken a back seat.
“For us, Indiana was always a swimming school, a soccer school and a basketball school,” the fan said. “Football tickets existed, but football pride really did not.”
Some fans made the trip after attending the Rose Bowl in Pasadena last week, traveling from California to Atlanta for this game.
“My hope was that sometime in my life I would get to see Indiana in the Rose Bowl,” the fan said. “The only time they went when I was a kid, I was nine years old and did not get to go. To finally have that experience last week was almost out of body for me.”
Fans credit the program’s turnaround to changes in culture as much as the wins, along with the leadership of head coach Curt Cignetti.
“The pride I take in this program, this coaching staff and the young men who represent this university is something I have never felt before with football,” the fan said. “They are well spoken. They are committed to each other. They are committed to representing the university the right way.”
That pride mirrors what Indiana basketball once provided for generations.
“For years, we had the preeminent basketball program in the country,” the fan said. “It was a source of pride. Over time, that faded a little, and we never replaced it with football until now.”
Tonight’s game kicks off at 7:30, with coverage on 93.5 and 107.5 The Fan starting at 6:30.
