Gridiron and Grit: Great Stories from Wabash Football
Sitting here in Lancaster, England, I have found time to ponder many things—most notably how much I miss our dear college. I remember my “Ringing In” ceremony and a passage read by President White from Shakespeare’s Henry V after the English had defeated the French at the Battle of Avincourt: “We few, we happy few…. we band of brothers.” Wabash men are that band of brothers, and though it might sound trite, being away from the place makes me long to return to the campus and its people. Fortunately, I did bring along my copy of These Fleeting Years, a book is vital to understanding our history, traditions, and what brings this brotherhood together. With the Monon Bell Classic rapidly approaching, I was even more absorbed to read and write about our Wabash legacy.
One of the addresses recorded in These Fleeting Years is a 1953 Chapel Talk by Dean Trippet, who told the story of Francis Cayou, the head Wabash football coach from 1904-1907. This was a groundbreaking time in Wabash history. In 1900, as Trippet relates, “the college had reached an age and had achieved a reputation which caused her friends and admirers to begin to regard the college as a venerable institution.” This status allowed Cayou’s football teams to gain regional and state recognition for their scrappiness. Cayou also coined the moniker “Little Giants,” praising his team for out-fighting their bigger opponents. An Indianapolis newsman overheard the comments, printed them the next day, and Wabash teams have been known as the Little Giants ever since.
The more celebrated account dealing with Coach Cayou is during halftime of a 1907 game against St. Louis University. “Ki,” as his players referred to him, told all of them how proud he was of their efforts through the first half even though they trailed. Then he told them, “You’ve got to beat them, boys – you’ve got to beat them! And I will not start a single one of you this half unless you will take my hand and promise that you will not leave the field without a victory.” Each one of his players put in their hands and promised “Ki” they would go out and fight. The result: Wabash-12 St. Louis-11.
Another Wabash football legend is Coach Pete Vaughn. His tenure was from 1919 to 1945, and during that period, he compiled a record of 113 victories, 84 losses, and 23 ties. His squads from 1921-1926 shut out DePauw by an incredible combined score of 118-0. Another remarkable fact: Coach Vaughn, from 1927 onward, did not let limited funding deter him from fielding competitive teams year after year, compiling a record of 72-60-19 during that time period.
It would seem proper at this point to spin a few yarns about Monon Bell games that Wabash likes to remember and DePauw wants to forget. Unfortunately, I have to bring up last years miracle by a kicker from a certain school that starts with a “D” and ends in a “W.” Nevertheless, Wabash has also been the provider of some last minute heroics, and a few that come to mind are the 1986, 1991, and 1992 games.
The Little Giants came from behind in the 1986 game in the 4th quarter to beat DePauw 24-23, with a minute left and the game winning field goal delivered by Tim Pliske. This was a very extraordinary come back, considering that at the start of the 4th quarter Wabash trailed 23-7.
A similar story can be told for the 1992 classic. Once again Wabash was down to DePauw – this time a margin of 17-7 at the end of the first half. The Little Giants picked away at the lead with freshman quarterback Chris Ings leading the charge. In the final seconds of the game, a short field goal by Alex Costa that incidentally bounced off the left upright but through for the 17-17 tie. The Bell would stay in Crawfordsville for the second year of a 5-year span.
The 1991 game was a seesaw battle back and forth with the DePauw leading midway through the 4th quarter on a blocked punt for a touchdown. Bear in mind that DePauw, coming into the game, had possessed the Bell for five years, so the Little Giants had enormous motivation to strive for the win. With the outcome of the game being uncertain, the Wabash’s offense got the ball and marched down the field. The 57-yard drive with all seven plays being carried by freshman running back David Kogan would be the game-winning possession. Kogan would make the touchdown in the closing minutes, and the Bell returned to Crawfordsville.
I could not summarize it any better as an example of Wabash College being that “band of brothers” from Shakespeare’s Henry V. We are one college, one family together today, we are WABASH, a “band of brothers.”
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