[NU Sports] The NU Wildcat Super Bowl "Curse"

[Jonathan Hodges]

I think the true NU curse is still the curse of Dyche Stadium (no RoseBowl appearances since renaming the stadium), as detailed here in theJan. 10 Daily Forum:
Dyche curse keeps going
Calls from Chicago to me in Oregon are rare. But I got three of themin one day after the Wildcats blew that 22-0 lead in the Sun Bowl gameagainst UCLA. Two castigated me (they wanted castration, but settledfor castigation) for my curse on Northwestern football; the thirdpraised me.
I'm glad they remembered the curse I invoked on my 1997 trip toEvanston because of the dropping of the Dyche Stadium name to givepublic focus to the name Ryan Field. All callers mistakenly assumed mydecade-old curse resulted in the UCLA comeback in the 50-38 NU loss inEl Paso. No way!
The generous gift of Pat Ryan justified adding his name to the field.But it was foolish and insensitive for the University to drop thetraditional name dating from 1925 when the stadium was built. Havingnon-Northwestern people at the top in the University and in athleticsexplains how they can be memory-dead when it comes to Wildcatshistory.
The curse will remain until the Dyche name is reinstated, and justicedone. In the meantime, I've no control over mystical meanderings thaton occasion cause the Wildcats to lose a post-season game they shouldhave won.
— George Beres,
Medill '55
And then there's the Patten Gym curse: The first ever NCAA final four(men's BBall) tournament was held in old Patten Gym (in 1939, Ibelieve).  Patten Gym was then torn down to build Tech (in 1942, Ibelieve).  NU's men's basketball team has subsequently never been tothe NCAA tournament.
Jonathan
On 1/26/06, MHRJGScott at aol.com <MHRJGScott at aol.com> wrote:>> Just to clarify, what exactly is the NU curse?  Don't we mean the NU> superbowl factor? The original ex-cub factor as invented by my friend Ron  Berler, an> alum and lead singer with the del-crustations (Telander's band) said  that> the world series team with the most ex-cubs was doomed. This is different  from> the billy goat curse, curse of the bambino, and the black sox scandal which> is technically not a curse.  As Ron like to say when he asked me to help  with> a mechanical problem "This is because I was born into the Jewish culture,  and> for all our many fine qualities, Jewish men are not known for the ability to> fix things (with the exception of Arnold Rothstein, who fixed the 1919 World> Series).">> In a message dated 1/25/2006 6:15:20 PM Eastern Standard Time,> jeffb at hilgraeve.com writes:>> As  evidenced this year with Northwestern and the Sox, and last year with> those  other Sox, most curses can be broken.  The only real unbreakable  curse> exists on the North Side because it is self inflicted, self renewing,  and> IMHO deserved.  <g>>> Jeff>>>>> _______________________________________________> nwu-sports site list> nwu-sports at tssi.com> http://romaine.tssi.com/mailman/listinfo/nwu-sports>

--Jonathan W. Hodges829 Foster St. Apt. 401Evanston, IL  60201-3259(847) 736-2449jonathanwhodges at gmail.comhttp://jhodges.org