It’s never easy to say goodbye. The Irish found saying nothing at all was the way to go. I’ve been told a Minnesotan goodbye is a drawn-out conversation about anything — a ritual that can take anywhere from 45 minutes to two hours in its entirety. If you ask me, I think the Spanish language found the sweet spot — adios. It’s short and sweet, rolls off the tongue and has a sense of informality to it that your traditional “goodbye” simply can’t replicate.
Indiana football said goodbye to its seniors with poster cutouts of each player's jersey, a photo opportunity with head coach Curt Cignetti and individual “thank you” messages on the Memorial Stadium screens. Oh, and a 31-7 win over Wisconsin.
Saturday’s first half featured four punts and some offensive line play that would make Mike Ditka of the 1985 Chicago Bears contemplate his life. Just before the intermission, redshirt sophomore kicker Nico Radicic converted what felt like the slowest field goal since the Dark Ages, thanks to a head-on wind, to give the Hoosiers a 10-7 lead into the break.
In the second half, Indiana remembered it’s now a good football program and scored 21 unanswered points to earn a convincing Senior Day victory against the Badgers. Redshirt junior quarterback Fernando Mendoza left the field to the chants of “Heis-men-doza” after a stat line that resembled my days as a signal caller in fifth grade recess. He completed 22 of his 24 pass attempts for 299 yards and four touchdowns.
When the Hoosiers’ final scheduled home game of the season drew to a close, I couldn’t help but think about the other seniors in attendance. The six graduating trombonists in the Marching Hundred, the thousands of crimson-clad students soaking up one last day of football festivities and, sigh, the 11 representatives of Indiana University’s student media senior class who stopped to take a picture on the field after the game. That last one includes me.
Look, I’m not one to get sentimental. I promise the dozens of various sporting event credentials littered on top of my dresser ended up there by pure coincidence. But it's difficult to not let your fickle emotions get the best of you. It’s like watching “Titanic” for the first time; you’re going to tear up. How could you not? Jack, just get on the door, please, I’m begging you.
Even the weather celebrated the seniors’ final sendoff. I checked my phone midway through the third quarter to look at my weather app — a place I often visit to pass the time at social gatherings — and saw it was 70 degrees outside. It’s the middle of November. It snowed Monday. But for Senior Day, nothing but blue skies, fluffy white clouds and a generous dosage of vitamin D from the warm sun above.
After the game, senior linebacker Aiden Fisher walked off the field toward a wall of the Hoosier faithful. Before heading to the locker room, he tossed his towel to a young fan and paused for a moment to embrace his 15th and final regular season win at Memorial Stadium — a place he’s never lost at.
During the postgame press conference, Fisher was asked about the interaction. He said something that resonated with me.
“I’ve never really been a place-over-people type of person, but this place is special,” Fisher said. “Just jogging off and hearing some of the things they were saying, chants and whatnot, just kind of makes you appreciate it. I don’t think I really do that enough in my life, where I just stop for a second and appreciate things.”
When he said it, I realized it’s something I don’t do enough either. In fact, I’ll make an educated guess that most people fall short of taking time to truly appreciate things in the moment. I’m glad Fisher didn’t make that mistake, as he left the field one final time.
Who knows, there’s still a slim chance Indiana could host a first-round playoff game in Bloomington this December. But for now, Fisher and his senior Hoosier teammates have said goodbye to Memorial Stadium one last time. And I guess, in my own preferred way, I will too. Adios.
Follow reporters Dalton James (@DaltonMJames and jamesdm@iu.edu) and Conor Banks (@Conorbanks06 and conbanks@iu.edu) and columnist Quinn Richards (@Quinn_richa and qmrichar@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana football season.
