Being an Indiana University football fan invites a lifelong ordeal of suffering on Saturday afternoons in Bloomington. How frustrating is it to cheer for a program that has managed just 11 winning seasons in the last half-century?
Only Bill Mallory consistently bucked the odds by taking the Hoosiers to six bowls in an eight-year stretch. He exited in 1996 as IU’s all-time most winning coach with 69 victories, but still finished eight games below .500.
During those years of futility the Hoosiers have made just one Rose Bowl appearance, rewarded for a 9-and-1 season in 1967. It came more than two decades after Bo McMillan guided the Hoosiers to their first Big Ten title with a 9-0-1 record. Both teams were ranked No. 4 by AP.
Guided by Coach John Pont, they displayed a knack for snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. Six of their victories, including a season-ending 19-14 “rout” of Purdue were by a combined 20 points.
The modern fairy tale ended with a 14-3 loss to USC with a dude named O.J. Simpson scoring both touchdowns. Chesterton’s John (Jay) Mathias remembers how physically superior the Trojans were in that Pasadena pageant.
“It was like men versus boys,” said Mathias, during a weekend highlighted by his induction into the Indiana Football Hall of Fame Sunday at Avalon Manor. “Seventeen of their 22 starters were drafted to play pro ball. They outweighed us by over 20 pounds across (the line).
Most of IU’s skilled players were sophomores, but senior captain Doug Crusan went on to play for the unbeaten Miami Dolphins in 1972. John Isenbarger toiled for the 49ers and Terry Cole for the Colts before they tiptoed from Baltimore to Indianapolis.
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Originally, the Hoosiers were only allowed to bring 33 players to their first bowl appearance. That included kickers. Their were howls of outrage since the hometown Trojans could dress their entire squad.
Pont appealed to the Big Ten and the NCAA relented to increase the traveling squad to 44. Having settled that dispute, he invaded Pasadena a month early to help them adjust to the different climate. There, they skipped the diversions of La-La Land to practice three times a day.
To me it sounded like basic training at Camp Lejeune, but when I suggested that Pont overdid it, Mathias disagreed.
“No, not at all. It was not a lockdown, but strictly business. Pont was a no-nonsense guy who didn’t bend the rules. He was a gentleman.”
In Pasadena the Hoosiers celebrated Christmas in a rather unorthodox manner. They gathered in a meeting room and opened presents that had been shipped through the coordinated efforts of the university. A magician also entertained them.
Mathias’ Rose Bowl booty included a transistor radio, an engraved wristwatch and binoculars. Nearly 50 years later he still treasures the watch and binoculars.
Most of IU’s skilled players were sophomores. Some of them were only 17.
Nobody anticipated Indiana’s stunning rise to national prominence, given the state’s deference to basketball. In the previous year the Hoosiers staggered to a 1-8-1 record and were embarrassed by Purdue, 51-8.
“We were cannon fodder for the varsity as freshmen,” said Mathias with a chuckle.
A year later the Hoosiers’ only regular-season loss was to Minnesota.
“Thirty-three to seven,” said Mathias spitting out the numbers. “Every thing went wrong right from the start.”
Mathias evolved into a two-year starter at safety on a team which was stocked with Northwest Indiana talent. His teammates included Mike Deal (Hobart), Al Schmidt (Merrillville), Rick Spickard (Highland) and Andrean grads Tom Bilunas, Don Warner and Jerry Grecco.
Mathias came to Chesterton after his sophomore season, but never played for his dad (John), who coached at Knox and Rensselaer before retiring.
“I played two years at Rensselaer and two at Chesterton,” said Mathias, who was named a Parade Magazine All-American as a quarterback after the Trojans won the Calumet Conference title in 1965. “I played every game twice because my dad would quiz me about my performance when I came home.”
Mathias intercepted eight passes in his two years as a starter, setting an IU season record with five in 1969. His most memorable one came in his junior year during a 38-35 loss to Purdue.
“I picked off a pass in the end zone and ran it back to the twenty in the third quarter,” he said. “Mike Phipps was their quarterback and it stopped a drive to the 17-yard line.”
Injuries took a toll on Mathias, who played the last game of his IU career with two cracked ribs and a bad ankle. Both of his shoulders also bother him.
“Every time I turn over in bed they ache,” he said with a shrug. “That’s part of the game.”
Was it worth it? His answer didn’t surprise me.
“I’d do it again in a heartbeat,” Mathias said.
Mutka is a freelance writer for the Post-Tribune.