MBB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[iwu70]

WUPHF, perhaps so.   Have to say, though, that my Dad's group at IWU in the early 40s pulled off some pretty good pranks, once getting a Model T Ford up the stairs in the old Hedding Hall on the IWU Quad -- before it burned down during my Dad's senior year.  I do wish the current cohort of students would have some more fun, pull off some creative pranks and rivalries.  We had ISU's Victory Bell stored out on a farm some miles east of Bloomington for over three weeks, before finally returning it via our cheerleaders back to the ISU cheerleaders.  It was chained to the front of Stevenson Hall for a day or two, for one of our rallies on the Quad before an ISU-IWU game.    The County Sheriff (who had been head of Security at IWU) was after us, but no one gave up the gig . . .  the main ringleader of that "gang" later became a federal narcotics agent. . .  so there you go.  The value of a liberal arts education . . .

'70

[Gregory Sager]

Meh. Every rivalry that involves a touring trophy has a million and one stealing-it-from-the-other-school stories. Bo-ring.

[unanimous22]

WUPHF, perhaps so.   Have to say, though, that my Dad's group at IWU in the early 40s pulled off some pretty good pranks, once getting a Model T Ford up the stairs in the old Hedding Hall on the IWU Quad -- before it burned down during my Dad's senior year.  I do wish the current cohort of students would have some more fun, pull off some creative pranks and rivalries.  We had ISU's Victory Bell stored out on a farm some miles east of Bloomington for over three weeks, before finally returning it via our cheerleaders back to the ISU cheerleaders.  It was chained to the front of Stevenson Hall for a day or two, for one of our rallies on the Quad before an ISU-IWU game.    The County Sheriff (who had been head of Security at IWU) was after us, but no one gave up the gig . . .  the main ringleader of that "gang" later became a federal narcotics agent. . .  so there you go.  The value of a liberal arts education . . .

'70

Probably because the leadership at IWU subscribes to the "No Fun Allowed" policy.

[kiko]

WUPHF, perhaps so.   Have to say, though, that my Dad's group at IWU in the early 40s pulled off some pretty good pranks, once getting a Model T Ford up the stairs in the old Hedding Hall on the IWU Quad -- before it burned down during my Dad's senior year.  I do wish the current cohort of students would have some more fun, pull off some creative pranks and rivalries.  We had ISU's Victory Bell stored out on a farm some miles east of Bloomington for over three weeks, before finally returning it via our cheerleaders back to the ISU cheerleaders.  It was chained to the front of Stevenson Hall for a day or two, for one of our rallies on the Quad before an ISU-IWU game.    The County Sheriff (who had been head of Security at IWU) was after us, but no one gave up the gig . . .  the main ringleader of that "gang" later became a federal narcotics agent. . .  so there you go.  The value of a liberal arts education . . .

'70

Removing the teams' jerseys from the equipment bags before everyone boarded the bus to Chicago was a pretty good prank.

Oh, wait... 

[Gregory Sager]

WUPHF, perhaps so.   Have to say, though, that my Dad's group at IWU in the early 40s pulled off some pretty good pranks, once getting a Model T Ford up the stairs in the old Hedding Hall on the IWU Quad -- before it burned down during my Dad's senior year.  I do wish the current cohort of students would have some more fun, pull off some creative pranks and rivalries.  We had ISU's Victory Bell stored out on a farm some miles east of Bloomington for over three weeks, before finally returning it via our cheerleaders back to the ISU cheerleaders.  It was chained to the front of Stevenson Hall for a day or two, for one of our rallies on the Quad before an ISU-IWU game.    The County Sheriff (who had been head of Security at IWU) was after us, but no one gave up the gig . . .  the main ringleader of that "gang" later became a federal narcotics agent. . .  so there you go.  The value of a liberal arts education . . .

'70

Removing the teams' jerseys from the equipment bags before everyone boarded the bus to Chicago was a pretty good prank.

Oh, wait... 

[markerickson]

I do not know of any pranks, but do recall rabid NPC fans chanting, e.g., when an opponent was at the charity stripe, "Your Grandma's hot!"

A true classic involved annoying Calvin during warmups, which was led by a future NPU HOFer, with, "It is predetermined (preordained?) that you will lose."

Good times, we lucky we got'em.

[Gregory Sager]

I do not know of any pranks, but do recall rabid NPC fans chanting, e.g., when an opponent was at the charity stripe, "Your Grandma's hot!"

Not just any opponent. The North Park student-section chant when an opponent was at the free-throw line was typically "Your Mom is hot!" It was used in particular if there were a number of middle-aged people sitting behind the opponent's bench in the crackerbox (i.e., there were obviously opposing players' mothers present). I can actually recall two or three instances when an opposing player's mother stood up and applauded, as though pleased by the public affirmation of her cougarhood.

I've also been told by a former player for a CCIW opponent that he had to bite his lip to keep his focus on his free throw and avoid laughing, because he knew that his mom was in the stands and he could picture her getting freaked out by it. "Best chant ever!" he said. "I was dying to look over at my mom to see her reaction, but I didn't dare!"

There was only one opponent that ever drew the "Your Grandma's hot!" chant from the North Park students, and it happened annually when that particular team visited the crackerbox and was awarded free throws. It was a certain central Illinois school that wears green. I'll leave it to everyone to deduce why.

A true classic involved annoying Calvin during warmups, which was led by a future NPU HOFer, with, "It is predetermined (preordained?) that you will lose."

Predestined, actually, not predetermined, in keeping with the doctrine of predestination most famously associated with (although not 100% exclusive to) the Reformed branch of Protestantism that was formed by Calvin University's namesake in the sixteenth century.

I wouldn't be surprised if Calvin fans hear predestination jokes from a lot of schools besides North Park whose students generally have a certain baseline level of biblical and theological literacy. I'm guessing, for example, that there have been Wheaton students who've yelled similar jeers at the Maroon and Gold.

Calvin's archrival Hope likewise has a pedigree from the Dutch-American subspecies of Reformed Christianity. I don't ever remember anybody making predestination jokes about Hope teams losing, though, and I'd be curious if any of the Hope fans who regularly read this board have ever heard any such jokes directed at a Flying Dutchman squad.

Good times, we lucky we got'em.

Yep. A good motto for North Park athletics would be, "Keepin' your head above water. Making a wave when you can!"

This year the Park is making waves!

[iwu70]

IWU will be playing an exhibition at Northern Illinois University on November 1st, just a few days after the return to the rivalry with the Redbirds at ISU on October 29th.   

IWU'70

[Flying Dutch Fan]

Calvin's archrival Hope likewise has a pedigree from the Dutch-American subspecies of Reformed Christianity. I don't ever remember anybody making predestination jokes about Hope teams losing, though, and I'd be curious if any of the Hope fans who regularly read this board have ever heard any such jokes directed at a Flying Dutchman squad.

I don't recall ever hearing these kind of jokes aimed at Hope, but then we didn't name the school after that guy.

To share one of the better Rivalry pranks of all time; For many, many years, the back and forth between the Hope and Calvin students would always "end" with the Calvin students chanting "where's your banner" (Calvin has 2 NCAA championship banners, Hope has none yet).  Some 20 or so years ago, the Hope students pretty much goaded the Calvin students to that chant, and then replied by producing one of the Calvin Banners (in their hands) and said "we've got yours".  As the Calvin students started to react and try to get their banner back, the Hope students destroyed the banner (turned out that the banner was a fake, created by some Hope students). 

[Gotberg]

Calvin's archrival Hope likewise has a pedigree from the Dutch-American subspecies of Reformed Christianity. I don't ever remember anybody making predestination jokes about Hope teams losing, though, and I'd be curious if any of the Hope fans who regularly read this board have ever heard any such jokes directed at a Flying Dutchman squad.

I don't recall ever hearing these kind of jokes aimed at Hope, but then we didn't name the school after that guy.

To share one of the better Rivalry pranks of all time; For many, many years, the back and forth between the Hope and Calvin students would always "end" with the Calvin students chanting "where's your banner" (Calvin has 2 NCAA championship banners, Hope has none yet).  Some 20 or so years ago, the Hope students pretty much goaded the Calvin students to that chant, and then replied by producing one of the Calvin Banners (in their hands) and said "we've got yours".  As the Calvin students started to react and try to get their banner back, the Hope students destroyed the banner (turned out that the banner was a fake, created by some Hope students).

Great story!

[Gregory Sager]

Yeah, I remember reading about that prank on the MIAA board. I got a good chuckle out of it. It's five times more creative than just another run-of-the-mill tale about stealing a traveling trophy and burying it somewhere.

[PauldingLightUP]

Carthage 2023-2024 schedule is here. Non cons at Westminster PA, n Thiel, at Ripon, at Marian, vs Anderson, vs UW-Whitewater, vs IIT Tech, n Widener, n Ursinus.

https://athletics.carthage.edu/sports/mens-basketball/schedule/2023-24

[Pat Coleman]

Calvin's archrival Hope likewise has a pedigree from the Dutch-American subspecies of Reformed Christianity. I don't ever remember anybody making predestination jokes about Hope teams losing, though, and I'd be curious if any of the Hope fans who regularly read this board have ever heard any such jokes directed at a Flying Dutchman squad.

I don't recall ever hearing these kind of jokes aimed at Hope, but then we didn't name the school after that guy.

To share one of the better Rivalry pranks of all time; For many, many years, the back and forth between the Hope and Calvin students would always "end" with the Calvin students chanting "where's your banner" (Calvin has 2 NCAA championship banners, Hope has none yet).  Some 20 or so years ago, the Hope students pretty much goaded the Calvin students to that chant, and then replied by producing one of the Calvin Banners (in their hands) and said "we've got yours".  As the Calvin students started to react and try to get their banner back, the Hope students destroyed the banner (turned out that the banner was a fake, created by some Hope students).

I was at this game, right? Wasn't this the final regular season rivalry game in Holland Civic Center?

[Gregory Sager]

Yesterday I had the chance to see my first open gym of the new school year over in North Park's Helwig Rec Center.

There's only so much that you can learn from watching open gyms, and a big part of the reason why I was there was to familiarize myself with all of NPU's new faces for this coming season.

Nevertheless, to say that I walked out of Helwig incredibly stoked about the Vikings' upcoming season would be a vast understatement.

[Flying Dutch Fan]

Calvin's archrival Hope likewise has a pedigree from the Dutch-American subspecies of Reformed Christianity. I don't ever remember anybody making predestination jokes about Hope teams losing, though, and I'd be curious if any of the Hope fans who regularly read this board have ever heard any such jokes directed at a Flying Dutchman squad.

I don't recall ever hearing these kind of jokes aimed at Hope, but then we didn't name the school after that guy.

To share one of the better Rivalry pranks of all time; For many, many years, the back and forth between the Hope and Calvin students would always "end" with the Calvin students chanting "where's your banner" (Calvin has 2 NCAA championship banners, Hope has none yet).  Some 20 or so years ago, the Hope students pretty much goaded the Calvin students to that chant, and then replied by producing one of the Calvin Banners (in their hands) and said "we've got yours".  As the Calvin students started to react and try to get their banner back, the Hope students destroyed the banner (turned out that the banner was a fake, created by some Hope students).

I was at this game, right? Wasn't this the final regular season rivalry game in Holland Civic Center?

Yes - I think you are right about that Pat.