Purlpe Hearts...

     Growing up, my family continued the time honored Chicago Tradition of being indoctrinated as Bears Fans. We woke up Sunday morning, mother fired up the the stove and put out a spread that would've impressed Jesus at the Last Supper. Then we enjoyed our Bears. Through high school, the only football of any consequence was played on Sundays. The only interests I had in the NCAA came on NFL Draft day.
     Come my junior year, being a 16 year old, I needed to make some extra scratch. My mother, god bless her heart, heard about a security company that was hiring high school students to usher at various events around Chicago. There were concerts, trade shows, and sporting events. Given all my options, I chose the one that would least affect my social life. Northwestern Football games. All I'd have to do was get up on Saturday morning, jump on a school bus, and head off to Evanston, earn a cool $100, be home by 4pm, and enjoy my weekend. What I didn't foresee happening, what turned out to be a blessing that has expanded my knowledge and love for the game of football was the year...1996
     All I knew about Northwestern was they were great at academics and bad at football. My first day working, I received a purple windbreaker, a ticket to claim a hotdog for lunch, and a great view. Northwestern stormed out that season and took no prisoners. Darnell Autry, Pat Fitgzgerald, Dwayne Bates, Steve Schnur and co. led home victories against powerhouses like Notre Dame and Michigan. I witnessed the evolution of  mild mannered north suburbanites into crazed homers demanding more and more each week from their team. Gary Barnett became a household name, the Wildcats won the Big 10 Championship and punched a ticket to the Rose Bowl. I became a college football addict.
     I have a stable of college teams I now follow and support. Most are Big 10 (Illinois and NU) and there's always a flavor of the month (Oregon). Bowling on New Years Day has become another day to celebrate the wonderful game of football. As this season approached, Northwestern began a marketing campaign that invaded the Chicago landscape. Their simple message...Northwestern, Chicago's Big 10 Team. And the culminating event, a football game against Illinois at Wrigley Field. I'd prefer if they played at U.S. Cellular Field, but hey, I get the point. Growing purple hearts in Chicago is a genius way to expand the fan base for generations to come.