Aces fever on the rebound

UE basketball attendance fluctuates with wins

It's a Tuesday night at Roberts Stadium and the University of Evansville men's basketball team is holed up in the locker room with head coach Marty Simmons.

It's 45 minutes before children line the court to give high fives to Aces players as they trot out of the tunnel behind male cheerleaders hoisting purple A-C-E-S banners.

Hardcore Aces fans

UE backers love their basketball team


n What: University of Evansville basketball double-header (women vs. Creighton at 4 p.m., men vs. Indiana State at 7:05 p.m.)

n Where: Roberts Stadium

n Tickets: $16, $11, $8 (18-and-under, 65-and-over), $25 for family of four

See Steve Ford's previews of the games on Pages C1-C2.

Ruth Ann Scott, left, holds her 9-month-old granddaughter, Penelope Scott, as her other granddaughter, Avery Scott, 3, watches Ace Purple give a high-five to Jakob Scott, 9, before the UE men's basketball game against Northern Iowa at Roberts Stadium last season.

Photo by Jason Clark


JASON CLARK / Courier & Press
(File Photo) A young Purple Aces fan, Dalton Walsh, uses his head while showing his team spirit during the University of Evansville men's basketball game against Northern Iowa at Roberts Stadium on Tuesday.


Longtime Purple Aces fans Jim and Gloria Williams cheer for the team before the start of UE's men's basketball game against Northern Iowa.


But the stadium's concourses already are filling with 5,400 fans clicking through turnstiles — not as many as the heyday of the 1960s and 1990s, but enough to create an occasional roar for a floor-burn defensive stop or timely three-pointer by Jason Holsinger.

On this night, the Aces (11-5) will play poorly at home for the first time this year, losing to a methodical Northern Iowa club 58-47. But signs still point to an awakening of a program that has seen eight straight losing seasons.

Signs that Evansville fans are bleeding purple and white — not red.

"People follow a winner, and this team has been winning at home," said Bob Clayton, his season chair back a few rows above midcourt.

Clayton played on the last of UE's five college division national championship teams in 1971, a team he calls "fast as greased lightning."

"I think this community is hungry for the Aces to do well," he adds, "and it was a stroke of genius to bring back Marty."

He was referring to the popular former UE player in his second season as coach after five uneventful years with Steve Merfeld at the helm.

Clayton grew up in Fairfield, Ill., in the early '60s, following the Aces on TV when the team went 56-3 from 1963 to 1965, including the Jerry Sloan-led team that finished 29-0 in March 1965 and drew an average of 10,901 fans per game.

It was fast break basketball with players wearing long orange robes like a boxer when they were sitting on the bench.

"It kept you warm," laughs Clayton. "That was coach Arad McCutchan's idea. Arad was great, too, at analyzing games."

The robes won't return — one is on display in the stadium's Corridor of Champions, along with a giant picture of the '65 team, a bust of McCutchan and an area devoted to the plane crash that wiped out UE's first Division I team in 1977 — but fans hope the 20-win seasons will.

If '60s fans were the Redshirt Army because of McCutchan's red socks, and '90s fans were the Purple Pride under former Bob Knight assistant Jim Crews (six straight seasons averaging more than 10,000 fans a game from 1991-96), today's fans could be the Hungry Hardcore or the Mule Train. "Mule" was Simmons' nickname as a player.

"It's beginning to come back," claims Norbert Woolley, proud that he was an Evansville College cheerleader from 1947-1950.

"I haven't missed a home game since 1952, back when the Aces played in the old Armory," he said. "We'd draw a crowd of 1,200 if we were winning, 500 if we were losing, no different than today. Maybe we won't win the Missouri Valley Conference this year, but the people of this town will see us win it again."

Bill Hazelip and his wife, Dorothy, sit in Section 3, Row 8. Back in 1956, Hazelip was making $60 a week at Whirlpool Corp. when he plunked down $36 for Aces season tickets in a brand-new Roberts Stadium.

He says a special relationship existed between the Aces and the town long before the plane crash or the undefeated season. When Evansville was on its knees in the late 1950s — having lost major employers Chrysler, Servel and International Harvester — the jobless rate was double-digits and people were moving away.

"I had one neighbor headed to St. Louis who couldn't sell his house here. He wound up letting someone take over the payments in return for a washing machine," Hazelip recalled.

Into this mix came a new stadium and a legendary coach, McCutchan, whose teams began winning, beating such big boys as Purdue, Notre Dame and Iowa.

"More and more fans started going to games (7,200 per game in 1959). The Aces were the only thing that picked up our spirits," recalls Hazelip.

Dorothy Hazelip confesses she's already told her husband, "If I die on the day of an Aces game, go ahead and go to the game."

There are skeptics who say the Aces fan base is old and dying off, that lifestyles and social habits have changed and a university as small as UE (2,500 students) can't compete at the Missouri Valley level — factors that will continue to hinder attendance, now averaging about 5,700 a game.

UE sports information director Bob Boxell doesn't buy it.

"When I came here in 1982, people were saying the exact same thing, that the old fans were dying off," he said. "When we started winning under Jim Crews, suddenly we had a lot of younger fans and families."

UE drew a record 11,750 fans per game in 1992-93. Also, fans forget that in McCutchan's final seasons, turnout had dwindled to 4,500 per game.

Not far from the Corridor of Champions, Lee Hoagland, 36, and his children, 2-year-old Emily and 7-year-old Ben, stand beside the Aces souvenir counter. Emily, in her dad's arms, wears a $30 mini-Aces cheerleader outfit.

The Hoaglands are new to Aces basketball.

"I grew up in central Indiana near Crawfordsville," said Hoagland, a hospital radiologist who moved his family to Newburgh four years ago. "My wife and I like college basketball. She's an Indiana University fan, I'm a Purdue fan. We bought Aces season tickets our first year here. It's family time, a way to learn about the community."

Hoagland wasn't around to see Aces players Eric Harris, Theren Bullock and Larry Olsthoorn play their hearts out before a roaring crowd of 12,488 at Roberts Stadium on Dec. 2, 1978, losing to Larry Bird and Indiana State 74-70.

But he senses the tradition.

"Marty's been doing a good job," he said. "I hope he can turn it around."


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Comments » 33

mpyle46#196863 writes:

I think Marty is turning it around...I think that is why you see such disappointment when this team doesn't play with intensity....the fans, the community, really are hungry for Aces basketball to return to the excitement it has been before. Aces, if you read these blogs...just realize that there are thousands of fans out here who believe that we are coming back..and we believe that you are the beginning of the return to greatness. We're with you!

Lawnboy writes:

Yeah, Purple Pride! I'm feelin' it.
Bring back the wooden bleachers, let's make some noise. Go ACES !

voice_of_reason writes:

Great article. Loved it.

retiredminer writes:

That pic of Ace the mascot... is he holding a hockey stick?

Lawnboy writes:

He's holding a walking stick (cain).

scary_gary writes:

Sorry, I'm not seeing the "fever". I've been to four home games this year, (the Aces won three of them)and in each one Roberts was like a morgue. We know the old folks will show up; but they don't make much noise. The student section is a MAJOR disappoinment.

UE's current student body seems different than it was when I attended back in the 90's. The current students seem more interested in body-piercing, video games, and being "goth". There were more sports-minded students on campus back then...former high school jocks and cheerleaders, business majors, frat guys...a football team...students who like to attend sporting events. I just don't think a goth kid majoring in literature or theatre is going to be very interested in watching Aces basketball. I know, I know, we need liberal arts majors and cultural diversity. However, it doesn't translate into student support for Aces basketball when it becomes a majority on campus. On side note: We also had attractive women on campus back in the 90's, unlike now. My old fraternity invites women from USI to attend mixers, because the UE women "aren't up to par". Just thought I'd throw some red meat out to the P.C. crowd!

byroncraig writes:

Regarding that giant picture of the '65 team---
that's not the 65 team. That picture is the 63-64 team. How do I know? Wayne Boltinghouse is in that picture in uniform. He graduated in 1964.

TheJohnGaltLine writes:

Bring back football- bring back school spirit. Students are trained to either go home or do something not school-sports related on fall weekends. The university has even stopped attempting a fall homecoming. You can't suddenly create school spirit in December and January.

(BTW, this isn't a knock on the UE student body; it's more directed at the short-sighted school administration who thought it was a good idea to drop football.)

bumblebore writes:

scary_gary, talking about the womens appearance is just classless.

retiredminer writes:

tks lawnboy; why does he need a walking stick(cain) sp? Is he crippled?

uestudent writes:

I frankly believe that the UE athletics dept. doesn't give a crap about us showing up to the games. They don't offer us any incentives to show up to the games. They charge us $325 for a full year athletics pass. Freakin outrageous if you ask me.
But I guess that the tight atheltics department has to find a way to pay off Merfeld's buyout ;)

I think that this buyout, along with many other numerous factors, is causing the athletics department to be so tight. If you don't believe me, look at the coaches for UE. For the most part, they are very young. The tennis coach just graduated from college last year, the baseball coach is a cheap assistant, which is prolly cheaper than going to find a new coach elseware.

mpyle46#196863 writes:

I think that UE should not charge students...or should charge only a much-reduced price..for all athletic passes. Surely with the cost of UE tuition they could afford it. As a good community-strengthening move the university should help the students back their sports teams - Aces basketball has always helped to bring identity to Evansville and UE business leaders should do their part. Creative students could then do their part to liven up the student section. Drama and creativity should abound in a liberal arts school. And, if UE is smart, they should be trying to find Crazyman, to see if he is still interested in leading the fans in vocal support of the team. I remember nights of roaring fans, balloons and beach balls in the stnads, and electricity in the air, starting way befofe the tip-off. Big-time atmosphere was here and there is no reason why it can't return. Go Aces!

me4jimmies writes:

I am a student and the athletic department does not charge us $325 for a full year athletics pass. They DO have a $325 student activity fee, but that goes to many different things such as Athletics, the Theatre Department, the Fitness Center building, the Ridgway University Center building, the Crescent and the Yearbook. As part of that, a UE student can get into any athletic event FREE as long as they show their student ID.

I do agree that the student body is not as enthusiastic as it could be, but that is because in the last few years the team has not been winning and people don't want to watch a team that can't win. But the athletics department has tried to make an effort to listen to what the students want to get them to games. I am part of a group of students that is in the front row for every game (except for Christmas break when we go home) and I can attest to that.

krag writes:

me4jimmies...I enjoyed your comments. I have noticed your group at the games. I have also noticed the Lambda Chi men at the games. I know that Coach Simmons appreciates the support and is working hard to get more students to the games. Winning is the key! However, the effort this team puts into the games makes the trip to the stadium worth it! Go Aces!

gargantua3#57798 writes:

UE should send 100 tickets to every high school in the area for every game during the year. Fill the seats and make the money on concessions.

GoVols23 writes:

Nope, still not good enough to go watch for free even if they were playing out in the driveway!

voice_of_reason writes:

Great point about the fee, me5jimmies. "UEstudent" tends to want to put a negative spin on things. Thanks for posting. The truth is, things are looking way up for the basketball program. Oh, and the games I've been to have been far from a "morgue" atmosphere.

bigredmachine writes:

SMG gets all the money on concessions. That's why the Bluecats and SIAC basketball are gone. What a shame that none of our kids get a chance to play basketball at the stadium. SMG would rather have the place sit idle instead of giving a discount to the local schools or the Boat Show.

dell writes:

the picture above with the older couple, says it all. he isn't clapping hard enough to hear him and she is holding a cup of coffee. now the little kid pictured above them is making some noise. time to swap out season tickets if you want a stadium that doesn't feel like a morgue!

mpyle46#196863 writes:

to del..hey, these "older" people have been loyal fans probably for decades, paying their money, coming out to games....I hope every single one of them continues to come..and to bring their children and grandchildren. Age shouldn't matter when it comes to support of the team....I know a lot of older fans (me included) who are plenty loud at the we need a full student section making a lot of noise.

uestudent writes:

mpyle--honestly, I don't think that UE will have a full student section making a lot of noise ever again. The school just isn't big enough. The students that do go to school here predominantly do not care for basketball. The school is 60some% females. The only fraternity that primarily attends the games are Lambda Chis. When the football team left, the jocks left as well.

I would say that many more students attend the game than you think, but we just sit above the Students Section and watch the game. How can you expect us to get crazy about a game like UNC A&T, Ball State, or Missouri State? I thought the students did a great job against USI, though.

uestudent writes:

mpyle--I also wanted to add the more global approach to the student population, compared to the past, has led to this lack of student participation as well. Many of these students just don't understand Indiana basketball, or basketball in general.

tractordaddy writes:

Killing off football turned off a good many loyal Aces fans, including myself. Add in a basketball program that basically spun its wheels under Merfeld's tenure, and you can understand why people quit coming.

Marty's a good guy, the team has some decent talent now, don't get me wrong, but the UE administration has made enough mistakes that it will be years before we see big numbers of fans in the stands on a consistent basis ... if ever.

scary_gary writes:

UE student is correct. The student population is vastly different than it was back when many of our older fans attended UE. A significant number of current students are international, the majority seem to be from Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E. I'll bet none of them have heard of Jerry Sloan or Don Buse. Not too many Evansville natives on campus anymore. I think most local kids who want to stay close to home attend USI. Things have changed dramatically over the past ten years, beginning with the demise of the football program.

pepelapep#36355 writes:

Eliminating the football program was absolutely the stupidest thing the administration could have done. They claimed it was a financial reason, but how many students did they ultimately lose because of this decision. But enough of that GO ACES.

jsdugan65#85261 writes:

Great article... I can remember where I sat at the Larry Bird led Indiana St. game, near the top of the wooden bleachers! It was packed between the bleachers with people standing.
With Roberts, it's never been about the student section, it's always been a small school. It's always been about the community, that's what this article is about. I love that, if I die on game day, go ahead and go to the game.
This is the first year in a decade that you can hear the return of crowd support. Still there are gut wrenching times of silence. If you win, they will come!
Let's get em tonight ACES!!

jokers1 writes:

I say dump basketball and bring football back. I would go watch a decent college football team. Football is largely America's new "past time." It is simply where Americans attentions are aimed. As far as the article goes. The record will even out and the "fever" will be gone again when they get to the conference part of their schedule. Maybe USI will go get a football team. I think Evansville has changed and is ready for a college football program.

dontstartisback writes:

You win, people will come to your games. They are call bandwagon fans. Your real fans will come even when you lose. Put them all together it makes a fun atmosphere no matter why they are there.

As far as getting students to come, the ones that can do that more than anybody is the players themselves. They need to go ask their fellow classmates to come see them play. If they like them they will come.

hemicuda writes:

Bring back UE football??? Seriously? really? You all do remember how god awful they were right? I was on one of those teams and any semblance of football was purely accidental.

uechic writes:

As one of the apparently "goth" and unattractive humanities majors at UE, I'd just like to agree with dontstartisback's comment about the players themselves. I would consider myself a relatively popular UE student in that I am friends with or at least know of pretty much everyone. While I have numerous friends on other sports teams, in almost four years here I've never met any of the men's basketball players. I'm sure they are great people and I would be happy to be friends with them, but the fact is that UE has become so clique-oriented that it's basically impossible to interact with athletes unless you are one. It seems that most basketball players are studying subjects other than the humanities, which is perfectly fine, but when I have all my classes with non-athletes and don't have opportunities to meet athletes outside of class, it's pretty easy to decide on weekend plans. I don't really have any stake in going to basketball games since I don't know anyone, but, on the other hand, I can go to a theater production and support at least a dozen friends. Furthermore, the games are poorly advertised, and I hardly hear about them unless I personally know someone going. This isn't blaming the players at all (who I know work at least as hard as any other organization on campus) - just the frustrating social structure of the school. I think the student body has definitely changed since a lot of older fans attended, but I wouldn't say it's necessarily a bad thing - just a major factor in the reason students don't go to games as much anymore.

mpyle46#196863 writes:

uechic...I hope that you venture out of your regular activities and come with your friends to the UE basketball games, even if you don't know the players personally. I would think that your group could add a lot to the atmosphere in the are needed! I, as a much-older fan, attend Aces games and attend the wonderful theater productions that the university is famous for.....both basketball and theater help to give UE its identity. Hope to see you Tuesday night, wearing your purple, and adding some "drama" to the cheering section. Go Aces!

mxbadboy writes:

gargantua3: Giving away free tickets to the high schools is a great idea!

I hate to buy tickets for anything now that Ticketmaster rules the world.

The fans will come back slow but sure as they win more games. That's just a fact of team sports.

Chicago had to give tickets away before Jordan showed up.

Conservative writes:

UE student.....your attitude says it all. "They don't offer us any incentives to show up to the games." Have you ever heard of school pride? What do you want besides free tickets and a free ride to and from the game?
