6 Coaches, 6 Games, 40 Years

Total Red

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During this slow time there have been a lot of lists of Greatest Redbird Games so I thought I’d do my list of Greatest Redbird Football games over the last 40 years. Actually, not the greatest. It’s more like 6 favorites and I want at least one game from every Head Football coach I’ve followed during that time. The list includes Head Coaches Charlie Cowdrey, Bob Otolski, Jim Heacock, Todd Berry, Denver Johnson and Brock Spack. My favorites list will include some games where the team surprised many fans including me, by playing an outstanding game when things had not been going well and there appeared to be little to play for. The list in chronological order:



6) October 11, 1980 – Illinois State 28 Northern Ill 18. This game was played during the last of four seasons under Charlie Cowdrey. Was this road victory at NIU your favorite road win of the Cowdrey era? It would have to be because it was the only one. I don’t know if the refs were more crooked back in those days but if you look at Redbird Football and Basketball in the 70’s to early 80’s there sure weren’t very many road wins. The Redbirds had suffered 3 losing seasons under Cowdrey and they came into this game with a 1-4 record. The idea that ISU would knock off a MAC conference team on the road for win #2 seemed absurd. IIRC Kevin Jones, a speedy freshman back from E. St. Louis (sound familiar), had a good day following blocks to the outside to outrun the NIU defense. 28 points was a LOT in those days. Raise the Banner Redbirds. This was a highlight of the Cowdrey era.



5) September 8, 1984 – Illinois State 35 Southern Ill 7. I remember this one well. SIU was the team to beat at the time. They were the defending 1-AA National Champions from 1983. The ‘Birds had played that championship team close the previous year. They fell just short 28-26 in Carbondale. On this rainy evening the ‘Birds would not be denied. That man- Kevin Jones was still here and along with RB Virgil Winters they ran around and through the Salukis on the slippery turf. Not many fans were on hand at the end, but I was one of them. We had lost 8 straight to the dogs so I wasn’t going to let a little rain bother me. This commanding 28 pt. win was a highlight of the Otolski era.



4) November 13, 1993 – Illinois State 13 Youngstown St. 10. I always cringe when announcers talk about teams not having any incentive after they get knocked out of the playoffs. Real football players don’t think that way. If you’ve recruited the right players you have a team that wants to win every game on the schedule. Period. This was the final game of the ’93 season. Youngstown St. was ranked #1 so they were going back to the playoffs. The Redbirds weren’t going but they didn’t let that, or the cold weather stop them. Coach Jim Heacock had his team ready. The ‘Birds trailed late in the game and they needed a big play from QB Danny Barnett. Barnett was no longer the skinny kid who cried his way through summer camp. He was now a battle-hardened QB ready for a big moment. Barnett reared back and fired a deep pass into the arms of WR Kevin Glenn as he was streaking down the middle of the field for a 71-yard TD. (WR Kevin Glenn was a transfer from U. Florida and he is not to be confused with QB Kevin Glenn of the late 90’s). The ‘Birds held on to win 13-10 as they finished their season with a victory over the top ranked Penguins. Note: YSU went on to win the National Championship.

3) November 27, 1999 Illinois State 56 Colgate 13. A playoff victory! This game changed my thinking towards Redbird Football. I had over 20 years invested as a Redbird Football fan by the time this game was played and I had never been to a playoff game, much less a playoff game the ‘Birds would dominate by a 43-point margin. It changed my perspective and I have always expected a winning team and a playoff contender since that time. When HC Todd Berry left for West Point at the end of the season I was disappointed but not crushed. I thought we would hire another outstanding coach and the playoff streak would continue. I didn’t appreciate the special chemistry that the ’99 team possessed. The 2000 team had just as much talent and more experience, but it couldn’t quite come together. Side Note: After the game we went to Damon’s Grill in Normal. After a while QB Dusty Burk showed up with his family. It’s the closest I ever came to asking a teenager for his autograph. lol



2) October 15, 2005 Illinois State 61 SIU 35. The Redbirds were sitting at 3-3 after suffering back-to back heartbreaking defeats to Youngstown St. and Western Kentucky. Things only looked to get worse as the ‘Birds traveled to Carbondale to face a Southern Ill team that was coached by the great Jerry Kill and ranked #1 at the time. This Redbird team demonstrated some toughness, spirit and character. With the vibrant support of Jbird in attendance they could do no wrong that day. The ‘Birds charged out 21-0 and never looked back. The game was not as close as the 61-35 final score would indicate. For all the Redbird fans that missed the rivalry victory the Redbirds reprised the feat by stomping the skinny canines 37-10 for a Homecoming win the following year in Normal. Back-to Back blowouts over SIU for HC Denver Johnson



1) September 10, 2016 Illinois State 9 Northwestern 7 Probably my favorite Redbird Football game of all-time. It started with a walk along the lake front on a beautiful day and then we settled into good seats of a venerable Big Ten stadium. This certainly wasn’t the best team of the Spack era so I carried only faint hopes for an upset but it soon became clear that this Redbird team was ready to go toe-to-toe with the Wildcats on this late summer afternoon. As the game was winding down the ‘Birds needed a winning FG from the foot of Kicker Sean Slattery. I don’t know who it was. Maybe Coach Spack, maybe Mrs. Spack or maybe Slattery himself. Somebody made a deal with the devil. Just let this kick go through and we’ll give up the next four games. That’s right, four straight losses including some palookas, teams with much less talent than Northwestern. The offer was made and accepted. The kick hit the upright and a demon pushed it through. The Redbirds go on to lose four straight. It was worth it. The Redbirds went to Chicago and beat a bowl winning Big Ten team in dramatic fashion. Yeah, it was worth it.
 

MadBird

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I'm gonna look around and see if I can find a story about the game, but I still fondly recall a game in 1970, HC Larry Bitcon, when the Birds upset #2 ranked Akron at night at Hancock. I think by 1 point. It was a "typical" ISU team of that era, finished around .500. But the place was packed for the day, I remember sitting on the east side berm. I remember our RB Billy Lewis (not the hoops guy obviously) had a day and a big run late to put us over the top. Later that year was the "famous" TV game vs. Indy State that had over 20K in the stands.
 

Total Red

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I'm gonna look around and see if I can find a story about the game, but I still fondly recall a game in 1970, HC Larry Bitcon, when the Birds upset #2 ranked Akron at night at Hancock. I think by 1 point. It was a "typical" ISU team of that era, finished around .500. But the place was packed for the day, I remember sitting on the east side berm. I remember our RB Billy Lewis (not the hoops guy obviously) had a day and a big run late to put us over the top. Later that year was the "famous" TV game vs. Indy State that had over 20K in the stands.

Yeah the archives show a 15-14 victory over Akron October 10, 1970. 1970! Dang you old. Was that leather helmets or no helmets?

I thought the Indy State TV game came much later. Like '83 under Otolski. Was there another in the 70's?

We've had some good games against Akron. In '91 the Redbirds traveled to Rubber Bowl in Akron and upset them 25-3. Akron was coached by former Notre Dame HC Gerry Faust at the time.
 

MadBird

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Yeah the archives show a 15-14 victory over Akron October 10, 1970. 1970! Dang you old. Was that leather helmets or no helmets?

I thought the Indy State TV game came much later. Like '83 under Otolski. Was there another in the 70's?
;)
We've had some good games against Akron. In '91 the Redbirds traveled to Rubber Bowl in Akron and upset them 25-3. Akron was coached by former Notre Dame HC Gerry Faust at the time.

Yeah, I think you're right about the Indy St. game, Mike Prior was in that and he came much later than 1970. You know, the memory goes some on the details . . . . :)

I think we won that Akron game on a drop-kick field goal! ;)
 

Trey_Guidry4three

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Lol great memories but I have to say get a part time job or something. Way too much time on your hands!!
 

fourthandshort

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I'd be in way over my head with many of you here .. my ISU football history only goes back to 2010. But doesn't it make you wish I had been around longer as a fan. Clearly, I have obviously presided over the most successful decade of ISU football ever. Spack gets a lot of credit for the recent success .... but I think I've had a little more to do with it than people are around here are willing to admit. :cool:

That fact being declared, decreed, and accepted as fact .. here are my 5 favorite games of the last decade. I have one simple criteria, I walked away thinking, that was a truly great game to watch:

1. 2014-15 NDSU championship game .. 28-26 loss, but this pick gets the "no duh" award

2. 2012 Appy State 38-37 quarterfinal win ... absolutely huge huge huge road playoff win for our Redbirds. This game put us on the national FCS radar.

3. 2016 Northwestern 9-7 win .. they were legit good FBS team. First year after Roberson/Coprich ... our defense was stellar, offense was very solid. NW got bowl bid and played many tough FBS games .. they lost to 11-2 Ohio St on road by 4.

4. 2014 EWU quarterfinal 59-46 game ... for 3 quarters, we put on a clinic. Up 25 after 3 quarters, we went into prevent and they started taking lot of deep shots to get back into game, which allowed them to make score closer than it was. Plus, we always suck at prevent.

5. 2012 EIU 54-51 double OT win ... this pick is a bit out there, but I absolutely loved being at this game to witness it. It was without doubt the worst officiated game I have ever seen .. literally. And we were getting screwed call after call, and still pulled out this double OT win against a pretty good Garapolo led EIU team. Exhilerating game to watch and then ultimately a thoroughly more satisfying win.

I attended 4 of 5 of these games, only missing Appy St.

As for my claim to having presided over the greatest decade of Redbird football and it NOT being a coincidence ... I rest my case !!!!
 
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jbird

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During this slow time there have been a lot of lists of Greatest Redbird Games so I thought I’d do my list of Greatest Redbird Football games over the last 40 years. Actually, not the greatest. It’s more like 6 favorites and I want at least one game from every Head Football coach I’ve followed during that time. The list includes Head Coaches Charlie Cowdrey, Bob Otolski, Jim Heacock, Todd Berry, Denver Johnson and Brock Spack. My favorites list will include some games where the team surprised many fans including me, by playing an outstanding game when things had not been going well and there appeared to be little to play for. The list in chronological order:



6) October 11, 1980 – Illinois State 28 Northern Ill 18. This game was played during the last of four seasons under Charlie Cowdrey. Was this road victory at NIU your favorite road win of the Cowdrey era? It would have to be because it was the only one. I don’t know if the refs were more crooked back in those days but if you look at Redbird Football and Basketball in the 70’s to early 80’s there sure weren’t very many road wins. The Redbirds had suffered 3 losing seasons under Cowdrey and they came into this game with a 1-4 record. The idea that ISU would knock off a MAC conference team on the road for win #2 seemed absurd. IIRC Kevin Jones, a speedy freshman back from E. St. Louis (sound familiar), had a good day following blocks to the outside to outrun the NIU defense. 28 points was a LOT in those days. Raise the Banner Redbirds. This was a highlight of the Cowdrey era.



5) September 8, 1984 – Illinois State 35 Southern Ill 7. I remember this one well. SIU was the team to beat at the time. They were the defending 1-AA National Champions from 1983. The ‘Birds had played that championship team close the previous year. They fell just short 28-26 in Carbondale. On this rainy evening the ‘Birds would not be denied. That man- Kevin Jones was still here and along with RB Virgil Winters they ran around and through the Salukis on the slippery turf. Not many fans were on hand at the end, but I was one of them. We had lost 8 straight to the dogs so I wasn’t going to let a little rain bother me. This commanding 28 pt. win was a highlight of the Otolski era.



4) November 13, 1993 – Illinois State 13 Youngstown St. 10. I always cringe when announcers talk about teams not having any incentive after they get knocked out of the playoffs. Real football players don’t think that way. If you’ve recruited the right players you have a team that wants to win every game on the schedule. Period. This was the final game of the ’93 season. Youngstown St. was ranked #1 so they were going back to the playoffs. The Redbirds weren’t going but they didn’t let that, or the cold weather stop them. Coach Jim Heacock had his team ready. The ‘Birds trailed late in the game and they needed a big play from QB Danny Barnett. Barnett was no longer the skinny kid who cried his way through summer camp. He was now a battle-hardened QB ready for a big moment. Barnett reared back and fired a deep pass into the arms of WR Kevin Glenn as he was streaking down the middle of the field for a 71-yard TD. (WR Kevin Glenn was a transfer from U. Florida and he is not to be confused with QB Kevin Glenn of the late 90’s). The ‘Birds held on to win 13-10 as they finished their season with a victory over the top ranked Penguins. Note: YSU went on to win the National Championship.

3) November 27, 1999 Illinois State 56 Colgate 13. A playoff victory! This game changed my thinking towards Redbird Football. I had over 20 years invested as a Redbird Football fan by the time this game was played and I had never been to a playoff game, much less a playoff game the ‘Birds would dominate by a 43-point margin. It changed my perspective and I have always expected a winning team and a playoff contender since that time. When HC Todd Berry left for West Point at the end of the season I was disappointed but not crushed. I thought we would hire another outstanding coach and the playoff streak would continue. I didn’t appreciate the special chemistry that the ’99 team possessed. The 2000 team had just as much talent and more experience, but it couldn’t quite come together. Side Note: After the game we went to Damon’s Grill in Normal. After a while QB Dusty Burk showed up with his family. It’s the closest I ever came to asking a teenager for his autograph. lol



2) October 15, 2005 Illinois State 61 SIU 35. The Redbirds were sitting at 3-3 after suffering back-to back heartbreaking defeats to Youngstown St. and Western Kentucky. Things only looked to get worse as the ‘Birds traveled to Carbondale to face a Southern Ill team that was coached by the great Jerry Kill and ranked #1 at the time. This Redbird team demonstrated some toughness, spirit and character. With the vibrant support of Jbird in attendance they could do no wrong that day. The ‘Birds charged out 21-0 and never looked back. The game was not as close as the 61-35 final score would indicate. For all the Redbird fans that missed the rivalry victory the Redbirds reprised the feat by stomping the skinny canines 37-10 for a Homecoming win the following year in Normal. Back-to Back blowouts over SIU for HC Denver Johnson



1) September 10, 2016 Illinois State 9 Northwestern 7 Probably my favorite Redbird Football game of all-time. It started with a walk along the lake front on a beautiful day and then we settled into good seats of a venerable Big Ten stadium. This certainly wasn’t the best team of the Spack era so I carried only faint hopes for an upset but it soon became clear that this Redbird team was ready to go toe-to-toe with the Wildcats on this late summer afternoon. As the game was winding down the ‘Birds needed a winning FG from the foot of Kicker Sean Slattery. I don’t know who it was. Maybe Coach Spack, maybe Mrs. Spack or maybe Slattery himself. Somebody made a deal with the devil. Just let this kick go through and we’ll give up the next four games. That’s right, four straight losses including some palookas, teams with much less talent than Northwestern. The offer was made and accepted. The kick hit the upright and a demon pushed it through. The Redbirds go on to lose four straight. It was worth it. The Redbirds went to Chicago and beat a bowl winning Big Ten team in dramatic fashion. Yeah, it was worth it.


Just a tad bit 'sprised that the list didn't include a double or triple (I forget which) shootout win over EIU at Hancock back in the late 80s or early 90s with Aveion Cason. ISU won by a score of sumpin' like 51-45.

Following up on 2 games with the Salukis mentioned in TR's post...……...BTW, thanks TR, I'm a sucker for nostalgia.

First, the 1983 28-26 road loss to eventual I-AA champ SIU in 19893. The Salukis lost one game that year when they lost the final game of the regular season on the road at Wichita State (yes, THAT Wichita State); at home, however, they dominated everybody except the Redbirds. In the first half of that loss, John Coppens to Clarence Collins was an unstoppable combination. Coppens, however, was injured in the second half. Despite that, trailing by 2 on their last possession of the game, the 'Birds were on the edge of, if not already within, game-winning field goal range when an errant shotgun snap went over or past backup QB Steve Moews and by the time he fell on the loose ball we were on the minus side of midfield.

On to the next year...……...the 35-7 clobbering of the defending national champs in 1984 that TR listed. He (or anyone else) can correct me if I'm wrong but my recollection is that first Redbird TD, or certainly one of the first two, was a perfect post patter throw that John Coppens laid right in the breadbasket of Billy Garret at the goal line.
 

Total Red

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my recollection is that first Redbird TD, or certainly one of the first two, was a perfect post patter throw that John Coppens laid right in the breadbasket of Billy Garret at the goal line.

Whatever happened to Billy Garrett you ask? Ok, you didn't ask but I'm going to pretend someone did because the answer is rather interesting.

 

StLRedbird

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During this slow time there have been a lot of lists of Greatest Redbird Games so I thought I’d do my list of Greatest Redbird Football games over the last 40 years. Actually, not the greatest. It’s more like 6 favorites and I want at least one game from every Head Football coach I’ve followed during that time. The list includes Head Coaches Charlie Cowdrey, Bob Otolski, Jim Heacock, Todd Berry, Denver Johnson and Brock Spack. My favorites list will include some games where the team surprised many fans including me, by playing an outstanding game when things had not been going well and there appeared to be little to play for. The list in chronological order:



6) October 11, 1980 – Illinois State 28 Northern Ill 18. This game was played during the last of four seasons under Charlie Cowdrey. Was this road victory at NIU your favorite road win of the Cowdrey era? It would have to be because it was the only one. I don’t know if the refs were more crooked back in those days but if you look at Redbird Football and Basketball in the 70’s to early 80’s there sure weren’t very many road wins. The Redbirds had suffered 3 losing seasons under Cowdrey and they came into this game with a 1-4 record. The idea that ISU would knock off a MAC conference team on the road for win #2 seemed absurd. IIRC Kevin Jones, a speedy freshman back from E. St. Louis (sound familiar), had a good day following blocks to the outside to outrun the NIU defense. 28 points was a LOT in those days. Raise the Banner Redbirds. This was a highlight of the Cowdrey era.



5) September 8, 1984 – Illinois State 35 Southern Ill 7. I remember this one well. SIU was the team to beat at the time. They were the defending 1-AA National Champions from 1983. The ‘Birds had played that championship team close the previous year. They fell just short 28-26 in Carbondale. On this rainy evening the ‘Birds would not be denied. That man- Kevin Jones was still here and along with RB Virgil Winters they ran around and through the Salukis on the slippery turf. Not many fans were on hand at the end, but I was one of them. We had lost 8 straight to the dogs so I wasn’t going to let a little rain bother me. This commanding 28 pt. win was a highlight of the Otolski era.



4) November 13, 1993 – Illinois State 13 Youngstown St. 10. I always cringe when announcers talk about teams not having any incentive after they get knocked out of the playoffs. Real football players don’t think that way. If you’ve recruited the right players you have a team that wants to win every game on the schedule. Period. This was the final game of the ’93 season. Youngstown St. was ranked #1 so they were going back to the playoffs. The Redbirds weren’t going but they didn’t let that, or the cold weather stop them. Coach Jim Heacock had his team ready. The ‘Birds trailed late in the game and they needed a big play from QB Danny Barnett. Barnett was no longer the skinny kid who cried his way through summer camp. He was now a battle-hardened QB ready for a big moment. Barnett reared back and fired a deep pass into the arms of WR Kevin Glenn as he was streaking down the middle of the field for a 71-yard TD. (WR Kevin Glenn was a transfer from U. Florida and he is not to be confused with QB Kevin Glenn of the late 90’s). The ‘Birds held on to win 13-10 as they finished their season with a victory over the top ranked Penguins. Note: YSU went on to win the National Championship.

3) November 27, 1999 Illinois State 56 Colgate 13. A playoff victory! This game changed my thinking towards Redbird Football. I had over 20 years invested as a Redbird Football fan by the time this game was played and I had never been to a playoff game, much less a playoff game the ‘Birds would dominate by a 43-point margin. It changed my perspective and I have always expected a winning team and a playoff contender since that time. When HC Todd Berry left for West Point at the end of the season I was disappointed but not crushed. I thought we would hire another outstanding coach and the playoff streak would continue. I didn’t appreciate the special chemistry that the ’99 team possessed. The 2000 team had just as much talent and more experience, but it couldn’t quite come together. Side Note: After the game we went to Damon’s Grill in Normal. After a while QB Dusty Burk showed up with his family. It’s the closest I ever came to asking a teenager for his autograph. lol



2) October 15, 2005 Illinois State 61 SIU 35. The Redbirds were sitting at 3-3 after suffering back-to back heartbreaking defeats to Youngstown St. and Western Kentucky. Things only looked to get worse as the ‘Birds traveled to Carbondale to face a Southern Ill team that was coached by the great Jerry Kill and ranked #1 at the time. This Redbird team demonstrated some toughness, spirit and character. With the vibrant support of Jbird in attendance they could do no wrong that day. The ‘Birds charged out 21-0 and never looked back. The game was not as close as the 61-35 final score would indicate. For all the Redbird fans that missed the rivalry victory the Redbirds reprised the feat by stomping the skinny canines 37-10 for a Homecoming win the following year in Normal. Back-to Back blowouts over SIU for HC Denver Johnson



1) September 10, 2016 Illinois State 9 Northwestern 7 Probably my favorite Redbird Football game of all-time. It started with a walk along the lake front on a beautiful day and then we settled into good seats of a venerable Big Ten stadium. This certainly wasn’t the best team of the Spack era so I carried only faint hopes for an upset but it soon became clear that this Redbird team was ready to go toe-to-toe with the Wildcats on this late summer afternoon. As the game was winding down the ‘Birds needed a winning FG from the foot of Kicker Sean Slattery. I don’t know who it was. Maybe Coach Spack, maybe Mrs. Spack or maybe Slattery himself. Somebody made a deal with the devil. Just let this kick go through and we’ll give up the next four games. That’s right, four straight losses including some palookas, teams with much less talent than Northwestern. The offer was made and accepted. The kick hit the upright and a demon pushed it through. The Redbirds go on to lose four straight. It was worth it. The Redbirds went to Chicago and beat a bowl winning Big Ten team in dramatic fashion. Yeah, it was worth it.


My history with Redbird sports started in the 70s as a townie. Redbird basketball was regular dinner table fodder for my family, but there was little discussion of football. I had attended a grand total of two Redbird football games before sitting in the east "grandstand" for the Colgate game. My main recollection is feeling sorry for the Colgate fans I was in the midst of. One mom, in particular, kept shouting "You're better than this, Colgate!" I remember thinking "Nah, I don't think so". but kept my mouth shut. That game gave me hope that football could work here. Began attending games most years after that. Didn't start buying season tickets until the Bowman/Zenger/Spack trio settled in. Thanks to all for the stories.
 

DannyCooksey

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the Colgate playoff game was great. i was a student at that time and we pasted them something fierce. they were good but that '99 team was awesome. i still say it was the most physical team we've had. until maybe this year
 

Birdswin

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Good Job Total Red - I was a Sophomore in the Fall of 1980. I remember the news of the football team posting that win at NIU - we were playing a DH baseball game that Saturday - yes when Fall Baseball was allowed in the NCAA and when Redbird Field was where Redbird Arena sits today.

Yes, I was in the rain for the SIU game in 1984, I was in the East Stands for the 93 YSU game and it was a very cold day, and by the time the Colgate playoff game, I was a season ticket holder by then and we tailgated that day.

Listened the 05 SIU game on the radio and watched the win over Northwestern on TV. All good days.

But, I will say - the playoff win at Hofstra under Todd Berry, and the two playoff wins at Eastern Washington and New Hampshire were all Outstanding Accomplishments.

I can verify for Fourth - that EIU game with like 36 pass interference penalties was an absolute terrible, officiated game. I still do not know how we were able to get that into OT and eventually win.
 

fourthandshort

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Good Job Total Red - I was a Sophomore in the Fall of 1980. I remember the news of the football team posting that win at NIU - we were playing a DH baseball game that Saturday - yes when Fall Baseball was allowed in the NCAA and when Redbird Field was where Redbird Arena sits today.

Yes, I was in the rain for the SIU game in 1984, I was in the East Stands for the 93 YSU game and it was a very cold day, and by the time the Colgate playoff game, I was a season ticket holder by then and we tailgated that day.

Listened the 05 SIU game on the radio and watched the win over Northwestern on TV. All good days.

But, I will say - the playoff win at Hofstra under Todd Berry, and the two playoff wins at Eastern Washington and New Hampshire were all Outstanding Accomplishments.

I can verify for Fourth - that EIU game with like 36 pass interference penalties was an absolute terrible, officiated game. I still do not know how we were able to get that into OT and eventually win.
back to that 2012 EIU home game ... it was game 3, and thru 2 games we were ranked top 3 nationally for least penalties. They threw 29 flags on us aand i think 22 were enforced .. the others were either offsetting or declined by EIU. My 3 favorite calls/plays .. which I have lamented several times here in past .. so below is cemented in my memory:

1. EIU had ball 3rd and long, we flush Garapollo from pocket towards EIU sideline and he gets run out of bounds 2 yards short of 1st down because he would have gotten blasted by couple defenders. The first down marker guy drops marker and backs away to avoid being killed. The EIU punt team runs onto field. The ref grabs the ball from Garapollo and marks it somewhere near the first down marker and without skipping a beat, declares a first down .. clearly NOT a first down. The best part ?? EIU coaches screaming frantically to get their punt team off the field.

2. ISU kicking off, our gunner gets picked up by 2 EIU guys. They finally drive him to ground and are literally pummeling him on the ground. Play ends, they are still ppummeling him .. so of course he has to defend himself. Ref throws flag .. Redbird fans near play are screaming and finally relax thinking there would be justice. Ref announces offsetting penalties ... crowd just erupts.

3. Overtime winning play .. we must be down 3, we come back and score TD to win by 3. Crowd just erupts from it being a great game and a very frustrting game due to officiating. Place is going nuts. I am sitting opposite end from end zone where we scored to win .. refs start running off field opposite the TD .. and suddenly our end of crowd goes from cheering our of our minds to jeers and booing raining down on refs as they ran for their lives off the field ... it was hilarious to watch them run so fast to get out of there. And almost worth all the maddening calls .. there were so many bad calls on us or missed calls on EIU .. they were a very dirty team back then.

This and fact that we won and played a very good game despite getting screwed on so many calls .. is why this made my top 5.
 
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jbird

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jbird

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I just now put on my glass-half empty knickers, so it occurs to me that some of the younger readers/posters here may have seen nothing other than good, or at least better than average, Redbird football teams/seasons. Some of us old farts saw some pretty ugly, hellish games and seasons prior to the early 80s...………...that's a reference to the 1980s and not to my age (yet).

You're not supposed to lose your Homecoming game by 40 points, but in 1980 (give or take a year), our Homecoming opponent was the SIU Salukis and we fell behind 14-0 before we had an offensive snap from scrimmage. SIU got the opening kickoff and marched down the field uninterrupted to go up 7-0. We fumbled the ensuing kickoff and they recovered it deep in our own territory. A couple of plays later we were down 14-0 only a couple of minutes into the game and with our offense still hoping that at some point during the game they would be allowed to go on the field..
 

ISUBU

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Here's a bad one, but memorably bad, that was one of the nails in Denver Johnson's coffin as Redbird coach. 2007 opener and the top ten ranked Birds are hosting Drake. Even though the Redbird defense shut out Drake in the first half, we never put them away. A couple of turnovers led to Bulldog scores and the Birds lacked sharpness in their opener. Drake hung around and hung around. Trailing with 30 seconds to go, Drake throws a pass that is tipped by a Redbird defender, and settles into the hands of the Drake receiver who runs in the TD for the win. In the 13 years since that game, I think of it every time a leading team fails to put away their opponent.
 
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