RE: Where were you when NIU beat Alabama in 2003?
September 20, 2003
——————————
18 years ago (yesterday)
A day that NIU football fans will never forget.
The day that transformed me into an NIU football super fan.
The day the Huskies rolled the Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa
And I was there
2003 was a special year
- The Huskiemobile was born
- Following the Huskiemobile’s inaugural tailgate on that epic Thursday night (August 30, 2003), the most raucous crowd I have ever seen at Huskie Stadium propelled the Huskies to a 20-13 overtime win over #13 Maryland
- Three weeks later the Huskies rolled into Tuscaloosa at 2-0. Alabama was ranked #21 after having won their division the year before and barely lost to #1 Oklahoma the week before
- I hadn’t gone to many road games at that point ... just to Northwestern and Western Michigan. But something was calling me to Alabama. It was Alabama. The home of the Bear. Where many National Championships has been won.
And the trip began
- HuskiemobileMan (HMM) and I left the NW burbs at 6 am Friday morning and pulled into Tuscaloosa at 3 pm. That’s 750 miles in 9 hours with two stops, pretty good time. That’s averaging 83 mph, including stops. HMM drove pretty fast, including a couple burns well into the triple digits to leave a car pacing behind us in the dust. Luckily we don’t drive like that anymore.
- The drive from Birmingham to Tuscaloosa was nothing but cars with Alabama flags on the windows. Seemed like the whole state was headed into Tuscaloosa
- That evening we headed to the Hounds Tooth bar to meet up with fellow Huskie fans, including GoHuskies and his brother who had also made the trip. The Hounds Tooth bar served one (several) of the best Long Islands I have ever ordered from a bar.
- It was amazing talking to Alabama students and alums, they were friendly and welcoming. Southern hospitality like it reads from a dictionary and unlike anything I’ve experienced traveling to any Big10 city.
- After the Hounds Tooth bar, we weren’t in a condition to drive. There was no Uber, and no Google Maps on the phone. So I pulled the paper map out of my back pocket and HMM and I walked what we thought would be a couple miles back to the hotel. But it was actually about 6 miles
Game day
- We hopped from bar to bar watching lots of college football games. It was the greatest day ever for MAC football. Marshall took down #6 Kansas State. Turdledo took down #25 Pitt. And Bowling Green just missed taking down Ohio State. And I was starting to think, NIU just might have a real shot to Roll the Tide
-
The game was played Saturday night in Tuscaloosa.
- Early in the game, Bama drove the field and scored a TD. I was thinking uh oh, this might get ugly. But then one of the strangest plays I have ever seen happened. NIU blocked the extra point, picked it up and took it to the house for a 2 point conversion. So instead of being 7-0, it was 6-2. And that 3 point swing ended up being the difference in the game.
- Bama only scored another FG as NIU had the lead most of the game. The Bama defense has no answer for Michael “The Burner” Turner and the Huskie defense was up to the task. NIU went up 19-9 in the 4Q
- Then the Alabama RB, Shaud Williams, made a 60 yd TD run. During that run, the Bama fans had the most deafening cheer I have heard to this day.
- The game momentum had swung, and I thought for sure Bama would rally for the win. But the Huskie defense held, and the 19-16 victory was in the books. Would have been 17-17 if you take away the blocked extra point returned for 2
- As we leave the stadium, never thought 83,000 people could be so quiet. And HMM being HMM, is singing the Huskie Fight song under his breath. I told him to cut it out or we might get out butts kicked. And just then a Bama fan comes up and congratulates us on the win.
- After the game, we headed back to the Hounds Tooth bar for more celebratory Long Islands with other Huskie fans. And received many compliments from the Bama fans and students.
I will never forget that trip to Alabama, it was and will always be THE GREATEST ROAD TRIP EVER!
|