Butler rally at Indy Monument Circle draws thousands of fans

INDIANAPOLIS — It’s not unusual to see downtown Indianapolis awash in blue, hosting a sea of sports fans. But when fans flocked to Monument Circle for a pep rally Wednesday afternoon, they weren’t decked in blue for the Colts, but for the Final Four-bound Butler Bulldogs.

Fans crowded the south side of the monument and spilled onto Meridian Street, waving blue and white pompoms and peering through paper bulldog masks as they cheered on the hometown team. The school’s bulldog mascot, fittingly named Blue, sported a Butler T-shirt as he laid panting in the afternoon sunshine.

Police estimated about 2,000 fans packed the streets. More watched from open windows and rooftops of nearby office buildings as the Butler band and cheerleaders performed on the monument’s steps.

“I’ve been watching Butler forever, and it’s just an inspiration. ... Any basketball game that brings the community together is a wonderful thing,” said University High School student and basketball player Amy Strawbridge. “I just looked around and so many people are crying. You never know their background or where they came from, but everyone comes here, and your heart pounds. It’s a good thing.”

Butler clinched its first ever Final Four berth with a 63-56 win last weekend against Kansas State. The Bulldogs will face Michigan State on Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium, about five miles from its campus.

“Today, everyone in Indianapolis is a Butler Bulldog,” said Indianapolis mayor Greg Ballard, who wore a Butler T-shirt over dress clothes as he addressed the crowd. He later proclaimed Wednesday as Butler Bulldog Day.