At least until Sunday, Chicago’s Magnificent Mile will be getting a hotel to match Northwestern’s Rebecca Crown Center clock tower.
The InterContinental Chicago, in downtown Chicago, will be lighting its dome with purple and white lights through Sunday to honor Northwestern football’s 34-20 win over Mississippi State in Tuesday’s Gator Bowl, The Associated Press reported. The victory marked the Wildcats’ first bowl win in 64 years. Rebecca Crown’s clock tower on South Campus traditionally lights up purple after Wildcat victories.
In recent years, the athletic department has attempted to foster the Evanston-Chicago connection in marketing the school’s athletic programs, including using the slogan “Chicago’s Big Ten Team” and placing billboards throughout the city, encouraging Chicago residents who are not necessarily NU alumni to adopt the Wildcats as their home team.
“It’s great to be a champion,” head coach Pat Fitzgerald said after the Gator Bowl. “Chicago’s Big Ten Team’s going to come back as Chicago’s Big Ten Champions.”
— Joseph Diebold