Oct. 22, 2008

EVANSTON, Ill. -- The Wildcats welcomed back NU alums to Ryan Field, including special visits from Olympic gold medalist Matt Grevers, 1995 and 1996 Big Ten Champion team members Steve Schnur, Rob Johnson and Sam Valenzisi, TV star Daphne Maxwell Reid and NFL players Chris Hinton and John Kidd. Even though he is at all of the games, the Wildcats chose the Homecoming game to honor NU alum Pat Fitzgerald for his induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Wildcat fans started the Fitz Day by welcoming Coach Fitz and the team to the stadium by lining up with the cheerleaders, band and Willie on Walker Way 2.5 hours before the game for Walk With Us.

Once the team arrived, fans headed to Wildcat Alley to enjoy interactive games, face painting, the AthletiCo Skill Zone, phone engraving by U.S. Cellular, photos with some of the Wildcats' Big Ten Championship trophies, Wildcat giveaways, chances to win prizes like Krakus Ham and popcorn compliments of U.S. Cellular, the Goose Island Beer Garden, Hecky's BBQ and much more. Wildcat Alley also featured special appearances by the Wildcat Men's and Women's Basketball teams, Willie the Wildcat, the cheerleaders and the marching band.

The first 15,000 fans into Ryan Field received a Fitz Fan to cheer on Coach Fitzgerald and his induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Some winners inside Wildcat Alley included young Wildcat fans in the AthletiCo Skill Zone: Shuttle Run -- Madeleine Lawrence, Daniel Tylkowski and Lucas Michael; and the Vertical Jump -- Jonathan Westerhausen, Mac Altounian and Celia Cunnion. Plus, fans over 21 entered the Goose Island Pub Trivia contest with M. Gentile winning the prize pack. Fans of all ages had the chance to win popcorn and James Browder was the lucky winner of a $100 certificate for Krakus Ham.

The pregame activities weren't confined just to Wildcat Alley. The Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year display was outside Gate J, which gave fans a chance to vote for Pat Fitzgerald who is currently one of the Top 25 vote getters. Fans could also text their votes for Coach Fitz during the game.

Also on display outside Gate J was a car that was built by NU engineering students. Outside the student gate, NU alum Mo Greene performed his hit "Go U, NU" to pump the fans up as they entered the game.

Former Wildcats and NFL players Chris Hinton and John Kidd came back to Evanston for Homecoming and were the honorary captains for the game.

As Wildcat Alley was winding down, the gameday fun was still in full swing. As fans entered the stadium they received a Fitz Fan to wave during the game. Plus, the first 10,000 fans into the game received the Wildcat Winning Offers Card, which gives fans a chance to win prizes throughout every game this season. The prizes include an official 2008 Football Team photo, $5 off the Willie the Wildcat Create-A-Cat stuffed animal, a game ball autographed by Coach Fitzgerald and a dollar off concessions at Ryan Field. Fans also can enter the season-long contest to win the Wildcat MVP Contest presented by U.S. Cellular. One lucky fan will be named the Wildcat MVP and will sit in the luxurious stadium club with three guests for U.S. Cellular Day against Illinois on November 22. The winner will have a VIP tour before the game, will be named the honorary captain, will receive Wildcat gear and more!

U.S Cellular will also be giving away a free cell phone at every home game by selecting a lucky seat every game. Last Saturday the lucky seat number was Section 125, Row 40, Seat 25. Another lucky seat promotion is the ESPN Zone Best Seat in the House where two fans are randomly selected to upgrade to the ESPN Zone Dream Seats recliners located in the Wildcat Den. Those winners also take home ESPN Zone prize packs worth more than $150. The lucky fans last Saturday were Tim and Jenny Regan who

A special presentation was made to Pat Fitzgerald by the College Football Hall of Fame during halftime.

Once the fans were in their seats, former Wildcat greats and NFL players Chris Hinton and John Kidd walked out with C.J. Bacher, Brendan Smith, Eric Peterman and Prince Kwateng as honorary captains for the coin toss to start the game.

A lucky Wildcat fan took the field during the game as the Wildcat Kids' Club Kickoff Kid. Eileen Kennedy was selected from all of the Wildcat Kids' Club members to run on the field to retrieve the Wildcats' tee on Saturday.

Fans didn't sit for long with the exciting game to stand up and cheer, as well as making noise for the free stuff the Wildcats were throwing out that day. The members of the Wildcat men's and women's basketball teams were the guest t-shirt slingers for the Wildcat T-Shirt Toss sponsored by Bluestone in Evanston. In the second half, the Ladycats toss t- shirts for the Vienna Beef Hot Dog Hail Mary promotion. Inside every Vienna Beef shirt was a coupon for free Vienna Beef hot dogs. That wasn't the only food being given away that day. Willie the Wildcat delivered Lou Malnati's pizza boxes to screaming fans in Section 113. Each box contained a t-shirt with one lucky box containing a $25 gift card for Lou Malanti's.

NU alum Daphne Maxwell Reid, the 1967 Homecoming Queen and star of the TV show Fresh Prince of Bel Air, crowned the Homecoming King, Rene Joval and Homecoming Queen, Shauna Pearlman during halftime.

The crowd stayed on its feet for the Krakus Ham Cam, which featured the wildest fans on the video board during select timeouts. During halftime the Women's Soccer coaches competed against fans in the Chipotle Challenge on Walker Terrace. Any fan who beat the Coach Carmody or new women's basketball coach Joe McKeown in a round of bags won a free Chipotle burrito coupon. Members of the men's basketball team were also at the game giving away free food. At every home game they roam the stadium talking with fans and randomly selecting people to receive free food from the concession stands.

Former student-athletes were also at the game talking with fans, including former Wildcat swimmer and 2008 gold and silver medalist Matt Grevers and members of the 1995 & 1996 Big Ten Championship teams. Grevers, Schnur, Johnson and Valenzisi signed autographs during halftime and well into the third quarter on Walker Terrace. The Rose Bowl team members took pictures with fans with their two Big Ten trophies and Grevers took pictures with fans and his gold medal.

Current Wildcat standouts were also honored on the field, including the Wrestling team who finished 13th in the nation last season giving NU its fourth consecutive top-15 performance and the Women's Fencing team who finished 7th in the NCAA Championships for the third consecutive year.

Matt Grevers joined Steve Schnur, Rob Johnson and Sam Valenzisi from the 1995 & 1996 Big Ten Championship teams at the autograph session on Walker Terrace during halftime.

Also on the field for presentations were the members of the Fitzgerald Family who gathered around Coach Fitz for the presentation from the College Football Hall of Fame. After that presentation at halftime, the Homecoming Court was crowned by TV star Daphne Maxwell Reid. Reid was NU's homecoming queen in the 1960s. Maxwell Reid is most known for her role as Aunt Vivian on the TV sitcom the Fresh Prince of Bel Air.

After the crowning of the Homecoming Court, the winner of the Paint the Town Purple contest was announced. Fourteen student groups on campus designed and painted the windows of select Evanston windows for Homecoming Week. After the online voting was complete, the Dolphin Show was announced as the winner of the $500 cash prize.

The last presentation was by the Homecoming Reunion Committee. Each year, alumni commemorate their Northwestern reunion with a class gift. The combined total for this year's class gifts is $21,743,512, which will support student scholarships, faculty recruitment, and academic innovations. Presenting the check to Northwestern from the Class of 1958 were Ron and Greta Sims, Bondy Hodgkins, Martha Mabie, Ralph Rydholm and Bill Tobey.

The Dolphin Show took home the $500 prize for best window in the annual Paint the Town Purple contest during Homecoming week.

After the game, the members of the Wildcat football team had their chance to show their appreciation for all of the fan support by singing the fight song near the WildSide student section immediately following the Wildcats' victory. Join in this Northwestern tradition after every NU victory at Ryan Field.

For more information on Wildcat Football gamedays, please e-mail wildcatmarketing@northwestern.edu. Tickets start as low as $25.

Click here to check out the fun had during the 2008 home opener against Syracuse and the fun at the Ohio game!