During the first week of the academic year, Wildside, Coach Pat Fitzgerald and some of his players held an unusual class for students on Wildcat football. Students filed into Ryan Auditorium for Wildside 101 at 7 p.m. Thursday to interact with Fitz and the team, and to kick off the Big Ten season.
This is the inaugural year for Wildside 101, for which the organization began preparations back in March. Max Culleen, Wildside’s vice president of strategic planning, said the purpose of the evening was to show freshmen and incoming students how exciting Northwestern football is.
“I know that there is often a stigma associated with Northwestern athletics that because we’re such an outstanding school academically, sports therefore falls by the wayside,” the Weinberg senior said. “But this idea is really outdated and unsubstantiated. We wanted to give students closer access to the players and coaches, help build a sense of community and really establish the idea that this is our team.”
Coach Fitz reiterated that sentiment throughout the night.
“We’re proud to be your football team,” he said. “We play for you.”
Fitz spent the night showing the audience footage of past games and talking about future wins. He introduced freshmen to some NU gametime traditions, including the shaking of keys, and later brought a few freshmen on stage to learn the fight song. Medill sophomore Jim Sannes of WNUR emceed the event.
“The coolest thing about NU Wildside is that we’re all a family. It’s a trickledown effect,” he said. “When they’re feeling good, we’re feeling good, too. And if they’re struggling a little bit then you know we’re there to try to support them. We’re there for them no matter what.”
At the end of the night, Fitz announced Jessica Dillard as the winner of the Wildside T-shirt contest, which challenged students to submit original T-shirt designs. Shirts with her new design were given out to everyone in attendance. The Medill junior said she was “thrilled” about her victory and the event’s success.
“I think it was a good way for freshmen to learn about Wildside and upperclassmen to get a refresher,” Dillard said.
Both Wildside members and students in the audience reacted positively to the event. Communication freshman Pat Beecher said that seeing the coach and players made it feel like they were connected to the students.
“It was a really great way for freshmen to get initiated into the football program,” he said.
Wildside President Alex Wilcox said he couldn’t be happier with the turnout.
“Especially for the first time we’ve done this, I think it was a great success,” the Weinberg junior said. “I don’t think there was an empty seat in the house.”
As for the future of the event, Culleen said the group hopes Wildside 101 will grow into a much larger tradition to give students more opportunities to get involved with the NU athletic experience.
“There is a party at Ryan Field every Saturday, ” he said. “And if you aren’t there, you are missing out on one of the greatest college experiences anyone could have.”
