North Central College may be a small school with fewer than 3,000 students but there was big school support all over campus Saturday for the annual homecoming festivities.
A sea of people dressed in school colors of red and white filled the parking lot in front of the Merner Field House to show their support the Naperville-based school and its Cardinals football team.
“We have events all over campus,” said Bill Todtz, of the NCC Development Office, with the vast majority tailgating at Merner before the big game against Augustana College.
“There’s a lot more people this year than last year,” said Stephanie Kostrzeski, a North Central sophomore who gathered with about 20 friends to enjoy the unseasonably warm autumn day.
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“It’s so fun. We all got together and set up our own tailgate campsite,” she said. “Everyone’s so generous. You know someone at each of the campsites. A small school is great — there’s more unity.”
“We’re one big happy family. Our football team is well supported,” her friend, sophomore Maggie Russell, said.
Added freshman Alex Brummer: “I’ve been to all the games. They really believe in themselves. They go out and know they’re going to win.”
The afternoon homecoming game was expected to sell out the 5,000-seat Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium, said Mary Reynolds, associate director of alumni engagement.
“The team is doing great,” Reynolds said. “They’ve been pretty dominant this year.”
Erik Erdmider, who graduated from NCC earlier this year, tailgated with his buddies from the college’s golf team and supported his alma mater’s football team, currently ranked in the Top 15 in NCAA Division III.
“I’ve been to a couple games this season,” Erdmider said. “Everyone you get to know, you’re close with. When you come back, you walk around and talk to old friends.”
While hundreds of Cardinals’ fans tossed bean bags and footballs and enjoyed food and drink under tents filling the parking lot, tailgating was only one of many homecoming events drawing big crowds.
“The sheer number of events” makes homecoming weekend special and keeps it on par with much bigger colleges, Reynolds said.
Other festivities included a parade, featuring decorated cars, the homecoming court and entries showcasing student organizations; a reunion luncheon; and children’s activities on the grounds of the campus, including inflatables and temporary tattoos.
A Saturday night homecoming reunion party in the Residence Hall/Recreation Center was expected to draw 900 alumni, Reynolds said.
“We’re celebrating the 50-year club with the class of ’67. We’re having a dinner and breakfast for them,” she said.
“One thing that’s exciting this year is we dedicated the Dr. Myron Wentz Science Center” as part of the homecoming events, Reynolds said. The new 125,000-square-foot building opened earlier this year on Loomis Street.
This weekend also marked the first NCC homecoming in which the students and alumni of Shimer College participated. North Central acquired the small Chicago-based college in June in order to keep it from shutting down, Reynolds said.
“It’s the Shimer Great Books School at North Central College,” she said. “We’re keeping their identity and program.”
Diane Moca is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.