Column: Senior class has seen dark chapter of Hoosier history

At IU, the three big sports are football, basketball and soccer.

The senior class, in relation to these sports, is doomed.

That’s the only word that comes to mind when I think of these sports and the past four years spent at IU.

The senior class has been in Bloomington for what is arguably the worst era of IU athletics ... ever.

If it feels like all the Hoosiers have done for four years is lose, well, they have.

The football and basketball programs have combined for a staggering 41-95 record overall and a mind-blowing 14 wins and 74 losses in Big Ten competition.

Every time there is a shining glimmer of hope, it all seems to vanish in the blink of an eye.

This certainly was true this year.

As fall approached, it seemed as if Hoosiers would finally have something to be proud of. No, the seniors would not be carried off the field, but they would be able to say, “I saw the rebuilding process pay off my final year.”

The memories of the football program’s miseries, such as the 83-20 loss to Wisconsin and the other embarrassing Big Ten blowouts, would be just that — memories.

This has not been the case, and fans are hoping the score is not worse than 2010 on Saturday in Madison.

The Badgers are much improved, and, needless to say, IU might be even worse than last year.

With the upcoming schedule, will the football program win another game this year?
Scary question.

Yes, it takes time, but a 1-5 start and losses to Ball State and North Texas are not exactly what fans had in mind coming into the season.

So, we turn to the soccer program. The women’s team (6-7-1) has not been able to find any consistency, while the men’s team showed during the weekend that it may not be able to run with the big boys come tournament time.

Three straight losses have the Hoosiers (6-3-2) scrapping for a win tonight at Butler. With seven games remaining, a lack of consistency is the last thing this team needs right now.

And now for the knockout punch.

Hoosier Hysteria is only three days away, and just when the excitement was mounting, IU Coach Tom Crean told Hoosier Nation that Maurice Creek had surgery Monday to repair an Achilles tendon, his third injury during his IU career.

The loss of Creek makes things no easier for the Hoosiers, but until the season gets underway, Hoosier fans can only hope for the best. Is the last glimmer of light burned out before the season begins?

The way things have been going the past four years, I would say yes — a dagger to every Hoosier’s heart.

It takes passion to be a Hoosier fan. It takes pride to be a Hoosier fan. And it takes a ton of guts to be a Hoosier fan.

Just ask members of the senior class.

­—smitmatt@indiana.edu
Matt Smith is a senior in journalism.