The Monon Bell Classic, one of college football's oldest and most storied rivalries between DePauw University and Wabash College, will again be seen nationally on AXS TV in 2016, marking the 12th time AXS TV has televised the game in high definition. This year, for the first time, alumni will also be able to view the game via a live webcast.
Wabash will host the 123rd game in the series on Saturday, November 12 in Crawfordsville. Rich Cellini will return as the play-by-play announcer for the rivalry game, while legendary NFL player and broadcaster Paul Maguire will provide color commentary for the sixth consecutive year.
“For a decade, Wabash alumni have enjoyed watching Wabash football through our livestream productions, and now we can extend that web streaming service for the Monon Bell Classic,” said Wabash’s Jim Amidon.
"The presentation Darrell Ewalt and his team have created is stellar, and is definitely best seen on an HDTV," says Ken Owen '82, executive director of media relations at DePauw. "We know people will gather at alumni parties and in their homes to watch the game in that traditional way, but we're also mindful that many of today's viewers consume programming on the go."
AXS TV, cable's premier music performance and entertainment event channel, was launched by entrepreneur Mark Cuban, and today is a partnership between Cuban, AEG, Ryan Seacrest Media, Creative Artists Agency (CAA), and CBS.
AXS TV, the cable industry's leading general entertainment network for live event programming, was launched by entrepreneur Mark Cuban. "As someone who attended college in Indiana and has great love for the state and its traditions, it's a pleasure to bring this very special college tradition to viewers across the country," Cuban noted.
DePauw and Wabash first met on the gridiron in 1890. In 1932, a locomotive bell from the Chicago, Indianapolis and Louisville Railroad Company, also known as the Monon Line, was donated and became the winner's trophy each year. Wabash leads the all-time series 60-53-9 and has won the last seven games.
The Monon Bell Classic was voted Indiana's best college sports rivalry by fans of ESPN, and is noted in the DVD collection, ESPNU Honor Roll: The Best of College Football, as one of the nation's best annual clashes. In November 2013, ESPN's College Game Day included the Monon Bell in a look at great college football rivalries.
The rivalry has also been featured on CBS' Sunday Morning and has twice been spotlighted in Sports Illustrated.
Indianapolis Monthly listed experiencing the game among "50 Things Every Hoosier Must Do."
2016 marks the 30th time the Monon Bell Classic has been televised.
