How Football Made Me
From when I was born all the way up until my senior year of high school, every other fall Saturday was spent rising in the dark morning and driving down to West Lafayette, Indiana from Michigan to watch the Boilermakers. We had the dark years, we had the Joe Tiller years, we gained Hope and more than once we lost hope. I’ve watched the team change hands and I’ve watched the team change uniforms. I was a tiny elementary school girl standing in line to meet players like Drew Brees and Vinny Sutherland and I was a high school kid standing in line to meet players like Dustin Keller and Kory Sheets. Then, when I was accepted into Purdue, my role changed a bit. Instead of long drives down, I rose with the sun and Breakfast Clubbed until my family arrived. Instead of my mom teaching me what was going on down there on the field, I was teaching my friends. My drink of choice for the day changed over the years, but some things did not- like the family meal at Red Lobster after the game or the emotion I feel during “I Am an American”.
Purdue football has played a huge role in my life and has indeed had a hand in making me, me.
1. Travel. It allowed me to travel the country. When times were good, better, and best under the guidance of coach Joe Tiller, my family and I followed the team to bowl games. Other kids went to parties or sleepovers on New Year’s Eve but I was usually in a warmer state watching a football game. We traveled to Florida many a year, Texas a million times, made the oh so long journey to Detroit, and smelled the roses in California. These trips weren’t just about football to me, as I grew from a 6 year old to a high school and college kid. I learned about each state as we drove countless miles to our destination (Mumaws drive, they don’t fly) and I experienced food, people, and history every step of the way. I saw the Alamo and walked the boardwalk in San Antonio, I got to see Disney at Christmas time, I bought Justin boots and saw the Rio Grande in El Paso, I rode in a limo down Rodeo Drive and strolled down Santa Monica Pier. I have so many memories across the United States because of Purdue football. I am a fiercely patriotic person with a deep love and respect for my country. It wasn’t until I was older that I came to understand that the blessing of seeing so much of our great nation is a large part of how and why I love America so dearly.
2.  Dedication. Y’all know it has been rough for quite awhile now. This is difficult especially for someone who has experienced wins and bowl game invitations. But, my family taught me that you stand by something (a person, a team) even when times are tough. I still hold season tickets because I’m a Boilermaker and my love for my school and my team doesn’t waiver (okay it does a tiny bit maybe but it doesn’t vanish) even when the W doesn’t come quite as often as it used to and the emotional roller coaster of gaining, almost losing, and keeping Jeff Brohm weighs on our fan hearts. I’m dedicated to the black and gold. My husband and I faithfully tailgate with friends and family. Sometimes it is easier to talk about the good ole days, but a true fan knows that there is always a chance of light at the end of the tunnel.
3. Family. My great grandfather went to Purdue on the GI Bill after fighting in WWII. He and my great grandmother were faithful John Purdue Club members. My great grandma and I had matching Purdue tennis shoes when I was little. Sometimes she would leave the game early and go out to the car because she was cold and I would go with her. My grandpa went to Purdue as well. He would buy me hot dogs in the stadium and I would only eat the bun. He would eat pork tenderloin sandwiches and my grandma would get chicken tenders. He drove all over campus one night to find me the cheerleader pom poms I wanted but most bookstores were out of. My mom went to Purdue. I was born a few miles away from campus at Home Hospital. She taught me the fight song and I would get in trouble if I didn’t sing it and clap when the band played. My great grandparents both passed away when I was in high school and didn’t get to see me get into Purdue. I would give most anything to sit in our seats and watch the Boilermakers, win or lose, with them again.
If someone asked me why I chose to go to Purdue, the honest answer would be football, which seems silly for a girl who has never hiked a ball to say. But, spending those weekends with my mom, grandparents, and great grandparents all those years taught me not only a thing or two about touchdowns but also a thing or two about cherishing time with your family. Some of my favorite and most special memories of my family took place in our section, in our seats, in rain and shine and snow. I sat on my family members’ laps when I was little and now I sit with my husband. I used to watch the cheerleaders and Gold Dusters with such awe and now, I know many of them. I used to sleep all the way home after a long day in the sun and now, now I drive home to my house five minutes away. Purdue football has changed over the years, and I have changed and grown up along with it.
I wouldn’t be who I am today without Purdue football shaping me. I am a tradition-loving, family-oriented, IU-hating, American girl who is already smelling the tailgate food on the grill and hearing the All-American Marching Band playing “Hail Purdue”. Ross-Ade, see you so soon.
