Fans cheer Hoosiers to title

HOOVER, Ala. — Members of the Hoosier Army contingency both young and old gathered on the side of Regions Park Stadium more than three hours before the championship game Dec. 9. Among them were fans, students, alumni and former players enjoying themselves among tailgate food and stories of previous College Cups.

Pat McGauley, a former player on the 1982 and 1983 championship teams, had one of his rings on his hand as he dove into a burger fresh off the grill.

“One of the things I thought of when I was driving down here was that when guys have to play Indiana, they are not just playing the guys on the field,” he said. “They have to play the family, fans and alumni off the field, as well. I think that’s tough to do.”

McGauley was referring to the feeling of a family relationship between IU soccer fans. With the son of the former coach now leading, the team has really taken on this close-knit persona.

“Family is the exact right word,” he said. “We are a gigantic family of generations of players between the ’70s through now. The common link between us all is that we were a part of the Yeagley family and the IU family. I don’t think many programs have that. You can just see the camaraderie we have today.  I see it in the hearts of the team currently.”

Jim Clack, another fan and professor at IUPUI, said he was celebrating his 40th year as an IU soccer follower.

“I always liked soccer, and when I was in school I was one of the few people who actually went to the games when (former IU Coach) Jerry (Yeagley) was trying to start his varsity program,” he said. “It was a really hard struggle, and they would play after football games in Memorial Stadium to see if they could drum up some fans.”

Clack said a lot has changed since the days of IU soccer as a club team.

“Their shorts have gotten longer,” he said with a laugh. “In all seriousness, I was one of maybe 20 people in the stands, and now we are expecting 600 to come here for the tailgate and over 1,000 in the stands total. We’ve had an eight-year drought, and a lot of people will make their way down to see the new group.”

The overall consensus from the group of tailgaters was that Denny Stalter started the tailgating tradition in the late 1980s.

Stalter, a Bloomington native and father of former IU player Todd Stalter, said he began the tradition as a way of connecting the parents of the players.

“It has grown from there,” he said. “It’s a really great experience, and we know most of the kids on the teams. We know what it does for them and for their parents. For Indiana, it is just a real positive feeling.”

During the post-game press conference, IU Coach Todd Yeagley took a chance to thank the supporters that made their way to Hoover.

“There is no prouder group of people than those who support IU soccer,” he said. “From our fans across the country to our alumni, they all have a consistent experience that makes it special. The stories are unbelievable.

“Danny O’Rourke, flying home from LA and he just jumps on a Birmingham one-way flight because he sees it in passing. He helped us win two championships. These people move everyone, and that’s why this place is so special.”