Amid a serpentine basketball season and a national controversy in college football, the Wildcats took the edge off Friday, celebrating their recent Gator Bowl victory at a university-sponsored party in Northwestern’s Norris Student Center. Evidence of the program’s first bowl title in over six decades, the Gator Bowl trophy was displayed for an enthusiastic crowd of students, alumni and local residents.
“I could not have had a better last game to see as an undergrad,” said student body president and Weinberg senior Victor Shao. Among those in attendance were football head coach Pat Fitzgerald, game MVP Jared Carpenter, athletic director Jim Phillips and university president Morty Schapiro.
The afternoon kicked off with a medley of gameday favorites from NUMB, Northwestern’s marching band. After a round of rambunctious “go ‘Cats!” chants, a projector revealed a special video message from Illinois governor Pat Quinn.
Declaring Friday “Northwestern Football Day,” Quinn praised the program’s hard work and organization. “Onto the Rose Bowl!” he signed off, with the help of Fitzgerald.
The theme of a promising, progressing future rang through the entire celebration. Athletic director Jim Phillips took the stage to address where Northwestern football is heading.
“Get ready to go to Pasadena next year,” Phillips said, referencing the location of the Rose Bowl game. While noting that the team has the talent and dedication to compete for a Big Ten title in 2013, he added that the players’ accomplishments in the classroom are far more impressive than anything on the gridiron.
“The future is unlimited,” Schapiro said, before he went on to recall a pregame speech to the team in which he rattled off the numbers one, two and three. With the Gator Bowl win, Northwestern earned its third 10-win season, its second bowl victory and Pat Fitzgerald became the first coach in program history to reach 50 career wins.
“And what we did to Illinois, I loved that,” Schapiro laughed.
Yet when Fitzgerald took the stage, jokes were cut in favor of praise for hard work and community values.
“A win like the Gator Bowl can really bring everyone together,” Fitz said, going on to explain that the team had already begun winter workouts on Wednesday.
Like Phillips, Fitzgerald didn’t hold back sharing his Rose Bowl aspirations for next season.
“Let’s play our first game of the year and our last game of the year against Pac-12 teams,” he cheered, referring to the ‘Cats’ opening-day bout with California on Aug. 31.
“There’s a great buzz and an incredible electricity on campus,” Fitz added after the party. “It’s incredibly gratifying and humbling ... I’ve been on the other side of too many games.”
Nodding to the Wildcats’ mounting expectations for 2013, Fitzgerald was excited to see how the community responds to Northwestern’s progress on the field.
“That’s what’s so great about sports ... we’re really thankful for this responsibility,” he said. “Now, our duty moving forward is to replicate an environment like this to take that next step.”
Standing next to Fitz, a grinning Jared Carpenter agreed.
“We made history. Not just for our university, for our program, but for the entire community,” he said. Despite Carp’s looming graduation in June, the safety still acknowledged the potential in Wildcats football.
“We’re actually going to compete for championships ... Big Ten, Rose Bowl, national championships,” he said.