Featuring Buddy Gomez and Nate Creed
The rivalry between Wabash and DePauw for the prize of the Monon Bell has been a tradition for over 100 years. Each year brings new teams, new strategies, and new memories. This year DePauw kept the bell for a historic fourth year in a row, dominating Wabash 40-21 in a heated three hour game on November 16. But what does the team do to prepare? What is it like playing in such a huge game? How has all of this changed over the years? To find out, I interviewed two of the DePauw football seniors, Buddy Gomez and Nate Creed. Both players have supported the team and played to keep the bell for nearly their entire DePauw careers, with Nate participating in 4 bell games and Buddy in 3.Â
Each year brings new lineups, team dynamics, star players, and of course new traditions. When asked to elaborate on the team dynamics, both players stressed the change in mindset and team chemistry. Nate says that his freshman year there were very different expectations for the playoffs. Compared to his first year, he says the team now has a much more confident mindset towards making it to the playoffs. Rather than just hoping for a spot, they know they’re strong contenders and that they are a good enough team to make it far and compete against the best of the division. Buddy adds onto this saying that the team chemistry has changed significantly. Over his years on the team, there has been a shift away from star players to a stronger team. He says the team this year may not have any particular stand out player, but that every player works to contribute to the team itself, that they’re always working at full capacity to perform their best and make it as far as possible. He points out that this has been very successful in making sure everyone on the team is putting in their best effort and working with more grit to make sure the whole team can thrive.Â
One thing that remains the same are the traditions. While some traditions have been consistent every year, and others being brought back more recently, it is no surprise that these traditions have been around since long before our two players joined the team. To prepare for the game, every year, the coach plays fan sounds through the stands. Buddy says it is to get the players used to being heckled and have five times as much noise as a typical game, all possible distractions during such a key time. They joke how it’s strange practicing in front of an empty stadium but still having cheers echoing around the stands. Other traditions include the exchanging of a football by the Phi Delt houses before the game. Both Nate and Buddy are Phi Delts at DePauw, but neither have participated in the exchange themselves due to being with the team instead. Another tradition mentioned was the senior talks, where before the game and practices, seniors share memories and speeches with the team to make everyone feel connected and to get them motivated for the upcoming game. Traditions are not limited to the team though! During the weeks leading up to the game, when the bell is at DePauw, you can hear it ringing throughout campus. It makes its way from the Lily Athletics Center to various locations around campus, all while being rung at all hours of the day by passing students and faculty in celebration. Similarly, you can hear the Ballad of the Monon Bell playing everywhere in the week right before the game. Greek life blasts it through their windows, athletics complexes play it over their speakers, and students hum it as they walk to class. You can practically feel the energy building leading up to the big game. One tradition that is new and contingent on DePauw winning is having our president Laurie White come out onto the field to greet the players before the game.
To prepare for such a big game, not only does the team blast the Ballad of the Monon Bell, but they also do the bell drill every practice in the weeks leading up to the game. The drill stresses the importance of teamwork between the offense and defense because, as Nate said, the bell game is the bell game no matter what the records are, and they have to be prepared for the best of both teams every year. Buddy adds that the team’s energy is extremely high all week, and the expectations going into the game with such a high win streak are different from previous years. This year was not only the 131st game, but was also the fourth win in a row for DePauw, bringing in alumni from many years past to witness the team bring home the bell again.Â
During the game, the energy is even higher. The bands are battling, going back and forth between songs. The crowd’s cheering is echoing around the stadium, adding to the excitement. Yet on the field, the players are locked in on the game. Nate and Buddy comment on how you get into the mode where you can’t hear much, you’re solely focused on the game. Buddy notes that with how large and loud the crowd is it feels like a D1 game. During pauses in gameplay, they can hear Wabash fans chirping the players, trying to get into their heads, but it only makes them more fired up, more determined to win. With the combined sound of the band, the crowd and the coaches it’s hard to not be excited.
The end of the game is always emotional, whether you’re Wabash losing for a fourth year, or a senior playing his last bell game, you can feel the emotion on the field. Nate says hearing the bell at the end of the game brings a huge sense of relief, knowing that they’ve worked hard and won the bell again. The fact they can say they’ve never lost the bell makes him excited to return for years to come and watch the next teams take on the challenge. Buddy adds that he reminisces on every year, the tension of his sophomore year where the game went to double overtime, versus this year where they were confident going in. They are both proud to get to say they were a part of such a historic team and to celebrate the victory. They will both miss being a part of the team, the atmosphere it brings being on such a big stage, but they are both happy they’ve gotten to keep the joy within DePauw and bring the bell back for their last year.Â
When asked if they had one last thing to say to Wabash, Buddy jokes “good luck next year” and Nate adds to “have a little more respect for who DePauw is,” how if they keep chirping the team beforehand then they can just “see what happens.” Both then joyfully add “Roll Tigs!”