Coach Pat Echeverria '01 Brings Monon Bell-Inspired Tradition to His Football Program

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July 8, 2012

"Pat Echeverria wants you to ring his bell. Or at least listen to it," begins an article in Indiana's Greenfield Daily Reporter. "A former offensive lineman for DePauw University, Echeverria will always cherish memories of the Tigers' annual clash with Wabash -- one of college football's longest and most colorful rivalries."

The story by Brian Harmon notes, "Now entering his second year as the Eastern Hancock football coach, Echeverria is ready to bring a noisy tradition to rural Charlottesville. Except the Royal Pride Bell -- an old church bell cast in 1886 and recently discovered by Echeverria in an antique store -- won't be up for grabs." Instead, the bell will sound after East Hancock touchdowns.

The newspaper points out that Echeverria is "a 2001 graduate and winner of four Monon Bell games." He says, "Just the sound of the bell, I'll never forget it. It seemed like it brought us together even more as a team." (at left: cover of 2000 Monon Bell Classic DVD)

The full text is available to subscribers at the Daily Reporter 's website.

One of the nation's oldest and closest college sports rivalries, the football series between DePauw and Wabash began in 1890. After 118 gridiron battles the men from Crawfordsville lead the all-time series, 56-53-9, while the rivalry is tied since the Monon Bell was introduced as the victor's prize in 1932, 37-37-6. [Download Video: " Ballad of the Monon Bell - 2007 Version" - 10,419kb] [Download Audio: " Ballad of the Monon Bell - Stereo" - 2514kb]

Access DePauw's Monon Bell Web page here.

A complete roster of "Monon Memories" -- 118 video highlights of all the past games -- can be found here.

Fourteen Monon Bell Classics are available on DVD.  Details can be found in this article.

Voted Indiana's "best sports rivalry" by visitors to ESPN.com, the Monon Bell Classic has been televised by ABC and ESPN2 and has been the subject of features in Sports Illustrated and USA Today and on Charles Kuralt's CBS Sunday Morning. The annual DePauw-Wabash clash is also detailed in Rites of Autumn: The Story of College Football, a book by Richard Whittingham and was recently included on the Indiana Economic Development Corporation's 'Indiana's Top 100'. The game is seen on national television each year via AXS TV (formerly HDNet).