You don’t have to be in Evanston to watch the ‘Cats, thanks to these three.
Jason Trost, President, NU Club of the UK, London:
The NU Club of the UK is the London-based branch of the Northwestern Alumni Association. When Jason Trost became its president, he noticed London was decidedly lacking in Northwestern sports presence. So he brought a little piece of Evanston across the pond.
Trost sets up his laptop either at a bar (usually Sports Bar and Grill Farringdon) or in his flat and invites Wildcat faithful to watch.
“It’s a nice, laid-back way to interact with people you went to university with,” he says. “It’s just the enjoyment of watching sports.”
Don Davis, Co-owner, The Republic, San Francisco:
Ever since Northwestern alum Don Davis moved out to San Francisco in 1996, he’s been laboring to make sure Northwestern fans have their own personal Ryan Field.
“I am a rabid Northwestern football fan,” says Davis, one of The Republic’s four co-owners. “There was no way I was going to have a sports-focused bar without making sure we are a great home for Northwestern football.”
Anywhere from 35 to 85 NU alumni call The Republic home on game days.
“People rally around the football team,” he says. “It gives people a reason to think about Northwestern and keep it at the top of their minds with a large group of other alumni.”
Patty McGreevey, Owner, Blondies Sports Bar, New York:
Blondies Sports Bar in New York has been around for 23 years, but its reputation as a Wildcat den continues to grow. The original 10 or 15 Wildcat supporters have evolved into nearly 250 Northwestern fans that pack Blondies every Saturday.
“Northwestern has taken over Blondies,” says Patty McGreevey, the bar’s owner. “Northwestern has become the number two most important thing after the NFL.” Table reservations for the night of this year’s Ohio State game filled up almost two weeks before kickoff.
The bar gives out purple shots to fans whenever Northwestern scores a touchdown. But McGreevey does make one request.
“They have to sing the fight song first,” she says. “There’s 250 people, but we still do it.”