Game From Obscurity

Toward the end of every week, tBBC gives you a preview of a game that’s also not on ESPN. Or ESPN 3. Or ESPN360. Or Fox Spo… you get the idea.

This week we’ve been getting ready for Saturday’s matchup between institutions from Ohio and Illinois; a game that includes national champions and a Big Ten legacy.

That’s right, it’s time for Ohio Wesleyan and the University of Chicago.

What’s that, you say? The Big Ten?  Yup, the University of Chicago was a founding member of the conference and owns seven titles and two national championships in football. They were led by Amos Alonzo Stagg (for whom the D3 Championship is named), and the first Heisman Trophy ever awarded went to Chicago’s Jay Berwanger 75 years ago this year.

Of course, this was all back in the days when the NCAA was being formed; the institution dropped football in 1939 and left the conference in 1946 due to president Robert Maynard Hutchins’ concerns about athletics becoming too central for UofC and too much of a distraction from the academic mission of the school. I’m thinking he’d probably really appreciate the state of college football today, don’t you? Especially the SEC…

Anyway, the Maroons (seriously) returned to football in 1969, but only at the Division 3 (non-scholarship) level. It’s my understanding, though, that the have an outstanding invitation to rejoin the Big Ten if they ever return to Division 1 athletics. They play in the University Athletic Association, which is the only D3 conference comprised totally of AAU schools- the only other conference with such a distinction is, of course, the Big Ten.

To modern matters- Uof C is currently at 2-2, falling last week to Wabash College (we’ll see them later in the year). Led by true freshman quarterback Vinny Cortina, the third QB that the Maroons have used thus far in the season. He will be tossing the ball to Clay Wolff, the school’s modern era leader in TD receptions. Defensively, Cincinnati’s Danny Polaneczky leads the team at linebacker with 29 tackles, one interception and one fumble recovery.

I’ve gotta be honest, I’m a big fan of the University of Chicago and their educational model. As mentioned earlier, they take their academics seriously; the “Great Books” program begun under the guidance of President Hutchins and Mortimer Adler, and their impact on the idea of Liberal Arts education cannot be measured. Famous Maroons include 32 Nobel Laureates, past presidents of Bolivia and El Salvador, columnist David Brooks, Michelle Obama’s brother, and balloon aficionado Ed Asner.

Their foe for this week are the Battling Bishops of Ohio Wesleyan University, who are currently battling a four game losing streak. This matchup is one of the UAA/NCAC crossover games; the two conferences have agreed to have their members meet annually since every institution in each does not play football. OWU only returned eight starters at the beginning of the year (four on each side of the ball), so their youth is definitely impacting them on the field. Taylor Smith provides leadership for the Bishop’s defensive front, while the offensive line is in the hands of senior center Jimmy Willison.

Founded in Delaware Ohio in 1834, OWU was known for a while as the “West Point of Missions”, due to the workers who left the institution to serve throughout the world in line with the Methodist vision of the founders and students. Things have changed a bit, however; the Peace Corps are still well represented in OWU alumni, but the college’s mission has expanded to the point that comedian Lewis Black has added the institution to his “In God We Rust” tour. Famous alumni include Norman Vincent Peale and Branch Rickey- the Dodgers GM who signed Jackie Robinson and broke baseball’s color barrier.

So there you have it- Maroons and Bishops in Chicago. It’s certain to be more civil than Pee Wee football.