With a final regular season Johnnie game vs. Bethel University this coming Saturday, SJU fans were awarded the luxury of an off weekend before the anticipated stretch run through the NCAAs. The “free” Saturday offered the opportunity to monitor college football games via various medium and a few of us a good start on fall clean-up before 40 mile an hour winds ascend on Minnesota this morning.
Also on the docket this weekend and supplied with free ticket in hand, my Johnnie classmate and former ‘82 - ‘83 starting shortstop Eddie Hart and I headed to downtown Minneapolis for a Sunday activity I hadn’t participated in for nearly 7 years.
Walking out the door clad in my faded #84 just dusted off from years of neglect, my five daughters and wife glared at me with looks of disdain and questioned my small college commitment. What could I say? At 11:15 am and game-time fast approaching all I could do was drop my head and shuffle out the door. The day was record breaking however as I was “accosted” by numerous inebriated fans I was indeed reminded why “I am St. John’s”.
With two full weeks to focus on nothing else but all things Royal Blue, The St. John’s University Football Team is poised to return the painful loss inflicted on them in Collegeville last year to close out the regular season. Looking back at week 10 of 2006, The Johnnie football team was unbeaten and the BU Royals were sporting a single blemish following a week 5 loss to The Carleton Knights.
So again in 2007 the regular season MIAC champion will be decided on the final game of the schedule. With anticipation and considerable weight riding on this game you can expect a full contingent of Johnnie fans to show up in Arden Hills this Saturday.
The early word from the BU athletic department is they’re not concerned with the influx of visiting fans and will not be adding additional seating for SJU supporters. The BU athletic department is content with allowing Johnnie fans to stand 5 deep huddled around the field in a unified focus to “beat Bethel”.
All of us can remember back to 2003 when SJU AD Tom Stock imported plenty of extra seating to welcome and accommodate the Baptist Crusaders from Arden Hills for Coach Gagliardi’s record breaking day. The seating proved so popular on the north end of the Natural Bowl it now stands as a permanent addition to the Clemens Stadium landscape. More seating is in the planning to accommodate the ever expanding base of crazed football fans escaping to central Minnesota and more proof of The Benedictine Tradition of Hospitality at SJU!
As favors went in 2006 the NCAA sent Bethel packing for a first round loss to UW LaCrosse and the Johnnies to a more winnable series of games vs Central College of Pella, Iowa and Whitworth College in Spokane, WA. It wasn’t until a close third round loss to repeat Stagg Bowl finalist, The University of Wisconsin Whitewater Warhawks, that St. John’s ended their 2006 season.
This coming weekend however and by virtue of limited visitor seating, Bethel University will favor standing Johnnie fans with a BU student section doing their now infamous “jump” cheer while St. John’s University enjoys a long awaited revenge win and a preferred seed into the NCAA DIII playoffs. Thank you Bethel Royals.
Johnnie Tailgate: The early rumor is Johnnie fans will be gathering in the Bethel University Soho parking lot accessible off of Snelling Avenue and located on the north east corner of campus. Tom and Carol Arth are close to committing their now famous chili for the pre-game festivity. Get there early and bring your choice of a culinary delight. Additional rumors include a visit from a famous Naples, Florida based fan and JFC staffer.
