Fan has missed only one men's basketball game in 43 seasons

One game in 43 seasons. Since 1969, Howard Campbell has missed only one home game for his beloved Indiana Hoosiers.

His memory becomes fuzzy when he thinks about events from before 1969, but he knows that, since then, the lone home game he did not see in person was against Cornell in 2008.

On that Sunday afternoon in late November, the then-77-year-old Campbell was singing at a retirement home in southern Indiana when Mother Nature struck ­— snow and sleet hit Bloomington, and all of a sudden, he was not able to make the trek to watch his Hoosiers play in person.

THE STREAK
Campbell has the proof to show his record.

After every Hoosiers win, Campbell makes the walk back to his home with his ticket stub in hand.

If IU was victorious? The ticket stub is kept.

A loss? The stub has seen its last days.

“I throw the losses away,” Campbell said of his ticket stubs. “I don’t want anything to do with them. Who would want those?”

The winning stubs have found a home inside Campbell’s recognizable house.

Located on the northeast corner of 17th and Lincoln streets, Campbell’s iconic home and his passion for IU can be seen from the outside.

A flashing stoplight that reads “LET’S GO IU” sits in his living room window, with a neon light spelling out “Hoosiers” in another window.

Upon entering Campbell’s home, one is greeted by an autographed picture of IU Coach Tom Crean in the entry hall.

On this Friday afternoon, Gus Johnson’s voice is in the background as Campbell watches the replay of IU’s 84-71 victory against Illinois.

The tour heads through the living room and takes a turn into what he calls the “Big Red Room.”

The room is covered wall-to-wall in IU memorabilia and even has toilet paper with “WIPE OUT PURDUE” etched on it.

Signed balls, pictures and a handmade IU quilt fill the Big Red Room that includes gifts from family, friends and other IU fans who wanted to contribute to Campbell’s favorite room.

He has bought just two items in the room — one is a replica mini set of IU’s five National Championship banners, which hang above the door.

The room has become so crowded, the memorabilia have spilled into the living room where Campbell has an unused toilet seat that says “Go Big Red” on it.

HIS FANDOM
Campbell grew up in Bloomfield, Ind., which is fewer than 30 miles from Bloomington, but his passion for the Hoosiers did not come until his time as an undergraduate.

Upon arriving on IU’s campus in 1949, Campbell joined the ROTC.

He was drafted into the Korean War after three years at IU, but returned after his time overseas.

Shortly thereafter, Campbell purchased season tickets and has been a mainstay at IU basketball games ever since.

On a street dominated by leasing students, Campbell has lived at his current residence for the past 38 years.

His grandniece, Lauren Reed, is a sophomore at IU and a member of the pep band.

She has even started her own “Big Red Room,” which is filled with hand-me-downs from Campbell.

She picks up her great uncle about 90 minutes before tip-off, which allows Campbell plenty of time to mingle with fans along the concourse and chat about his favorite subject: IU basketball.

For the 2011-12 season, Campbell is seated in Row 31 of Section A and has already witnessed history.

As he sits in his crimson rocking chair this afternoon, Campbell reflects on the troubling days following former coach Bob Knight’s firing.

“When (Kelvin) Sampson and (Mike) Davis were here, the games weren’t interesting,” Campbell said. “Walking home and (IU) played bad and we lost, and I’d say, ‘Assembly Hall gets farther from my house every year.’”

Campbell said the walks home have become more and more enjoyable this season, with none greater than the night of Dec. 10 after IU knocked off No. 1 Kentucky.

When junior forward Christian Watford rose for the buzzer-beating shot, even Campbell couldn’t believe what he was about to see.

Reed and her great-uncle joke about the epic finish now, but the excitement of Watford’s shot caused Howard to have a new pacemaker put in.

“We thought he was going to die,” Reed said while laughing and reminiscing with her great uncle. “He’s got a pacemaker, and we thought it was going to go into overdrive.”

When IU hits the road, Campbell pulls the rocking chair right in front of his living room television and keeps his own box score while watching his Hoosiers.

He isn’t sure how much longer he will attend games, and while he maintains that he doesn’t have a favorite player, he isn’t afraid to admit why he has added to his winning ticket stubs this season.

“What would we do without Cody Zeller?” Campbell said. “I always kept saying, ‘We need the big man in the center,’ and we got him.”

With the rebirth of the program, Campbell said, he now hopes to add one more banner to his “Big Red Room.”