A night the Hoosier family won’t soon forget

Tom Hanks never said anything about crying in football.\nThe Memorial Stadium press box fell silent before Saturday night’s game when a video tribute to late IU coach Terry Hoeppner played on the south scoreboard.\nThe sound of keys punching was replaced with respectful silence. The usually loud and ever-active room paused to pay homage to a man who transcended the reporter/coach relationship. \nJane Hoeppner stood with her family, IU president Michael McRobbie, IU Athletics Director Rick Greenspan and others on the 50-yard line during the tribute. As she walked onto the field, Jane Hoeppner saluted the crowd that was chanting her late husband’s name.\nJane Hoeppner waved her hands above her head and fought back tears as the Hoosiers said one last goodbye to their beloved leader.\nThere was no doubt to anyone in attendance Saturday night that Jane Hoeppner was the strongest woman in the state.\n“She is the center of attention,” sophomore quarterback Kellen Lewis said after the game. “She has kind of stepped in where Coach Hep stepped out.”\nWith the Hoeppner family in the middle of the field, another family came out to show their support. \nThe entire IU football family stepped onto Memorial Stadium’s field to watch the tribute video with the crowd. The team had watched the video the night before, but that didn’t change the emotions that spilled out.\n“It needed to be an emotional night,” sophomore running back Bryan Payton said. “A lot of people needed to get things off their chest. Everyone handles it in their own way. It was a great tribute tonight, and the win was dedicated to him.”\nThe tribute itself was inspirational, but short, much like Hoeppner’s time at IU. At first, the video brought on goose bumps and misty eyes. How would the Hoosiers be able to play in their season opener if they were wiping away tears?\nBut then came the Hoeppner that everyone knew. He was laughing and goofing around during outtakes of “Hep wants you” segments. He started dancing in front of the 34,715 people in attendance. All of a sudden the tragic tribute went into a fitting celebration. Hep always could work a crowd.\nAnd on the same night that David slayed Goliath in Ann Arbor, Mich., the Hoosiers made sure they took care of their underdog opponents at home, cruising to a 55-7 victory over Indiana State. \nThere was a brief in-game tribute to Hoeppner that was cut short by yellow flags. When senior wide receiver James Hardy scored IU’s second touchdown of the night off a 58-yard bomb from Lewis, he fell to his knees and lifted the ball into the air – a symbol that the touchdown was for his coach. \nHardy was immediately flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. \n“As a team, we didn’t think he was boasting or trying to embarrass the other team,” senior cornerback Tracy Porter said. “We knew he was trying to do it for Coach Hep ... but the officials have to do things by the book. As a player, I think they made the right call. But coming off what we’re dealing with, I thought they shouldn’t have done it.”\nLike Hardy, the rest of the Hoosiers had Coach Hep on their minds. It was well past midnight by the time the IU players filed into the press room at Memorial Stadium for interviews. Some players were with their families, others with friends, but all of them were thinking about who wasn’t there.\n“He would have been happy,” senior running back Josiah Sears said. “We ran the ball, we scored touchdowns and we won ... He would have been leading the fight song afterwards and been up in the bleachers.”\nYou didn’t need the players to tell you. You didn’t need a video tribute or a Hep badge to prove it. It was plenty clear.\nThe Hoosiers won this one for Hep. \nPrediction: Indiana 55, Indiana State 21\nActual: Indiana 55, Indiana State 7.