Football coach Pat Fitzgerald talks about the Northwestern-Cubs partnership Tuesday at Wrigley Field.
The partnership announced Tuesday between the Cubs and Northwestern was so logical, so low-stress, that Cubs executive Crane Kenney described it this way: “This wasn’t (just) a bunch of lawyers in a room. It was really based on friendships. There are a lot of ways we can help each other. Mostly this was done with a handshake and a thank you.”
Said NU athletic director Jim Phillips: “It wasn’t strenuous. It was: ‘Let’s work this out.’ But we do have something more than just a handshake.”
Let’s examine some of the fine print by asking and answering some questions …
How many more football games are to be scheduled at Wrigley Field?
Five. The first will be in 2014 and then, depending on the Wrigley Field renovation schedule, they might be spread out over six to eight years. That’s all to be determined.
As are the opponents?
Indeed. The Big Ten barely knows how many schools it has, let alone what the 2014 schedule will look like with Rutgers and Maryland. The NU games are likely to be played in November to avoid a potential playoff conflict in October (don’t laugh), but Phillips would not rule out a September date.
Getting approval from the Big Ten will be a formality, and coach Pat Fitzgerald said of the opponent: “Knowing how much our entire conference values Chicago, I doubt any of my colleagues would balk at it. Of course we’re over-paranoid, so they would want to know about (the logistics). I’ll say: ‘Have your AD call my AD and I’ll see you at the 50-yard line at the 40-minute mark before the game.’ ”
Why no game in 2013?
Phillips wanted to give NU season-ticket holders more of a heads-up.
Wait, wasn’t there an issue the last time football was played at Wrigley?
Oh, you mean how both offenses had to use the same end zone? Kenney said creating enough space for a 12-foot perimeter around the field that satisfies the NCAA will not be an issue. It involves “filling in” the third-base dugout and removing a piece of the wall by the CBOE seats down the third-base line: “Ultimately as part of the restoration plan, you would create the home dugout in a way that it could basically come apart in the offseason.”
What other NU sports teams will play at Wrigley?
First up, NU baseball will be host to Michigan on April 20.
Coach Paul Stevens said that after he told his players, “they were just elated. The energy, the attitude and the enthusiasm have never been like that in any single practice.”
And then …
Kelly Amonte Hiller will bring her seven-time national champion women’s lacrosse team to Wrigley for a 2014 spring game against Notre Dame. NU officials hope they will attract new fans to the sport.
“I have a couple of young girls,” said Phillips, the father of five. “We need great role models.”
And then …
It’s up for grabs among other NU teams such as softball and soccer. Or baseball or lacrosse could get another shot. The deal lasts a minimum of five seasons.
Northwestern-Cubs deal: 5 Wrigley football games
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Northwestern-Cubs deal: 5 Wrigley football games
