For the first time since 1922, the Monon Bell Game won’t be decided in Crawfordsville or Greencastle. The 132nd meeting between Wabash and DePauw will move to Ball State’s Scheumann Stadium in Muncie on November 14. The venue change was due to construction on DePauw’s Blackstock Stadium, which is being demolished as part of an $80 million rebuild that won’t open until fall of 2028, leaving no on-campus venue big enough to host the rivalry.
“Stevie (Baker-Watson, DePauw’s Director of Athletics) investigated every possible venue that could hold a game of this magnitude,” said Wabash Athletic Director Jim Peeples. “Butler, UIndy, even the Colts. It came down to who could handle the crowd size and the tailgating we’re used to. Ball State stepped up.”
The Scheumann Stadium seats 22,500, more than doubling either school’s typical home capacity for the Bell Game; Last year’s game in Crawfordsville packed a full crowd of nearly 10,000. Wabash Football’s Head Coach Jake Gilbert ’98 is not worried about the switch-up in location draining the level of intensity and is excited for the chance to showcase how big this rivalry is on a bigger stage.
“I was excited,” said Gilbert. “I’d pretty much rather go to the Sahara Desert than go to Greencastle. Happy to go anywhere but there. We can really showcase to the country how big this rivalry actually is when we’re not capped for the crowd. The game itself would feature the same level of intensity if it were played in a parking lot with nobody there. Two great teams playing for pride, regardless of where it’s at.”
Gilbert’s Little Giants are coming off a 9-2 season and a strong NCAC finish, though the conference season ended with a disappointing loss on home turf to the Tigers. All bell games are full of emotions, and he knows the venue adds a wrinkle to an already intense week.
“We’ve never played in a Division I venue,” said Gilbert. “It’s going to feel different. But once the ball is kicked, those distractions kind of go away, and you’re just playing football again.”
Behind the scenes, Director of Athletics and Recreation Jim Peeples has spent the summer sorting out logistics. One hurdle he’s had to contend with is securing tickets for students. Ticket sales for this year’s Bell Game are being run through Ticketmaster, whereas in the past the host school’s ticketing office handled sales. A sharp increase in ticket prices from last year’s 35 dollars to 50 dollars also met fans when they logged on this Tuesday when sales opened. But Wabash, true to its usual form, will provide tickets to all students who want to attend.
“We’ve always bought at least 400 tickets for our student body, and we’re going to make that happen again,” said Peeples.
While Muncie will be the site of this year’s match-up, it could have been an even bigger venue. Lucas Oil Stadium was floated as another neutral-site option. Peeples said he and Wabash College President Scott Feller discussed the idea with DePauw leadership, hoping to fill the lower bowl in Indianapolis. The main problem: one of the country’s largest marching band competitions occupies Lucas Oil for the same weekend every year. The Bell Game will, of course, return to campuses once DePauw’s new stadium opens and after Wabash hosts next year, but though the change in venue was very much out of their hands ultimately, Gilbert and Peeples are choosing to emphasize the uniqueness of what a change in venue can be.
“This is probably a one-off in our lifetimes,” said Peeples.
“If the draw was big enough, it may entice people who aren’t alums to come see this game and grow it nationally,” Gilbert said. “We’ll see how this one goes.”
With a stadium more than twice the usual size, both men had the same message for the Wabash community: show up.
“We need to pack those stands,” said Gilbert. “We need every Wabash alum out there to come back for this one.”
Peeples is also cautious of empty seats.
“If we don’t take a big crowd to Muncie, it’ll be disappointing for our team,” Peeples said. “I’m not as worried about what our crowd is going to look like. I know how passionate our alumni are about Little Giant football.” He added, half-joking, that Ball State’s red and white colors won’t make the game feel so distant. “We’ve got Wabash colors there, so I think we’re going to have a great turn-out.”