Column: Hoosier athletes, fans have a lot to be thankful for this year

With the long and awaited arrival of Thanksgiving now just a mere three days away, I thought it would be a great time to look at what IU Athletics has to be thankful for this holiday season.

Thank you to Cody Zeller.

The pressure you will face the moment you step on campus next fall will be over-the-top and unnecessary, but that is why your decision to choose IU is all the more admirable. After your two older brothers spurned the Hoosiers for Notre Dame and North Carolina, you could have easily followed suit and had a fine college career. Instead, you wanted to restore IU basketball and help deliver that elusive sixth national championship banner for your home-state school.

Thank you to Ben Chappell.

Your effort on the football field during your career at IU cannot be questioned. You patiently waited your turn behind Kellen Lewis, and it paid off in your final two seasons as starter. A hometown kid taking the reigns for a Big Ten school doesn’t happen often, but you have been one of the only bright spots for the Hoosiers’ football team this season, and you will be sorely missed next fall.

Thank you, Bill Lynch.

First, I want to say that no coach should have to be put in the position in which you were placed three years ago with the tragic death of Terry Hoeppner. The IU football team was grieving, and they turned to someone within the program to help with the healing. Having said that, it has now become clear that the pressure and demands of being a coach in the Big Ten have shown, and this Saturday’s game at Purdue could very well be your last. No road victories in the Big Ten since 2007 and only winning four games this year (against four of the worst teams in Division I football) might add up to the end of the Lynch era in Bloomington.

Thank you, Todd Yeagley.

The men’s soccer team captured the Big Ten regular season title and will take on Akron in the third round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday. If the Hoosiers can defeat the No. 3-seeded Zips, they will be one win away from returning to the College Cup. It is clear that Yeagley has the passion and plan in place to bring IU soccer back to the glory days of when his father manned the sideline at Bill Armstrong Stadium.

Thank you, Sherry Dunbar.

The energy you and your IU volleyball team have brought to University Gym has paid dividends this season. With two matches remaining, the Hoosiers have all but assured themselves a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2002. Another thank-you should be given to senior middle blocker Ashley Benson. The Bloomington native is the first All-American in program history and deserves a ton of credit for putting IU volleyball on the map.

Thank you, Jeff Overton.

He might not be the most well-known IU graduate, but the golfer made the 2010 U.S. Ryder Cup team and represented his school and country very well. Overton played in all five sessions for the American team and provided one of the most memorable moments in Ryder Cup history with his “Boom Baby” reaction to holing an 8-iron for eagle during one of his matches.  During NBC’s coverage of the Ryder Cup, the announcers mentioned Overton’s school spirit and his love for IU on numerous occasions.

Thank you to Ron Helmer.

The IU track and cross country coach is watching his men’s team run in the NCAA Championships today in Terre Haute. The Hoosiers finished second in the Big Ten Championships and have had one of the most successful seasons in
recent memory.

To all Hoosiers coaches, players and fans: Thank you for making the fall season a memorable one, and enjoy your time with family and friends this week. Happy Thanksgiving to all.


E-mail: kdbowen@indiana.edu