Wabash Dean of Students Tom Bambrey likes to study generational history; he likes to track the people and events that shape an era.
In my time around Wabash, I've done something similar and tracked the big games and big wins that have left the most indelible marks on a particular class or school year.
Of course, it's only my perspective, but then again, history is shaped by the perspectives of the people who live it.
It's clear that the Little Giant football team's nail-biting 46-43 overtime win over Wittenberg will leave its mark in the hearts and collective memory of Wabash football fans of this era.
To put Saturday's game side-by-side with the 2001 Monon Bell game isn't fair. "The Catch" is legend, but it was only one play. Few would argue that Wabash was a much better team than DePauw, but needed that single play to squeak out a win. The drama of the Ryan Short tip and Kurt Casper catch makes it a college sports moment of a lifetime, but it was exactly that—a moment. In that game, a vastly superior Wabash team did what it was supposed to do.
I'm hesitant, though, to suggest that the upset of fourth-ranked Wittenberg stands out as the greatest win in school history. I'll never deny Wittenberg's history, its NCAC dominance, or its Division III-leading 627 all-time wins.
But I will not call this a "stunning upset." To do so would deny Wabash's own traditions, its own storied football history, and Coach Chris Creighton's expectations of the 2002 Little Giants.
Look at the players, their levels of experience, and their collective production. At no time in recent Wabash football history has such a deep and experienced group of players hit the field at the same time. This is not Jake Knott's coming of age; it's more like his coronation. We've seen Knott, Short, Bronaugh, and Morris on a regular basis; now the nation knows about them.
And while the defense gave the Tigers big yards and lots of points, it persevered and forced turnovers at critical times. Again, that's what you'd expect from such an experienced group. A win over Wittenberg is what Nate Boulais expected this year; I guarantee Nate wasn't dreaming of an upset.
History, though, is a funny thing. Let's check the media guide to compare this with, say, the 1982 home-field win over nationally ranked Dayton, which many believe to be the biggest win in school history. Senior quarterback David Broecker scored the winning touchdown in that game, and it was Joe Bevelhimer's extra point that proved to be the deciding point in a 14-13 victory that was pivotal in an undefeated season.
Bevelhimer was instrumental in another big Wabash win—1985's 28-8 "upset" over a playoff-bound DePauw Tiger team. Bevo drilled five field goals and Billy Kaiser churned out 211 yards on 58 clock-chomping carries to help Wabash go 7-2-1.
Former linebacker Kelley House reminds me that the biggest win he can remember came in 1988 when a 6-0, regionally ranked Wabash team needed a Brian Anderson interception to secure a 29-22 home-field win over previously undefeated Carroll College.
The guys in the fall of 1967 will argue for a season-saving 7-0 win over DePauw in the Mud Bowl. The Class of 1952 will argue for a crushing win over Ball State and tie with Butler in a 7-0-1 season in 1951.
Indeed, history is in the eyes of the beholder.
Wabash 46, fourth-ranked Wittenberg 43 belongs near the top of any list. Just don't call it a stunning upset. Call it what it was: a clash of Division III titans with a well-coached, experienced Little Giant team coming out on top.
And I just bet that guys like Boulais, Matt Mercer, Jamie Bopp, Knott, and Short will keep this win in perspective. After all, Ohio Wesleyan comes calling next weekend.