Sunday, March 20, 2011

The Rock and the House, Nicknames For Memorial Stadium, Where Indiana University (Iu) Hoosiers Play

!: The Rock and the House, Nicknames For Memorial Stadium, Where Indiana University (Iu) Hoosiers Play

Memorial Stadium is the name of the football stadium that the University of Indiana (Iu) Hoosiers play their home football Games in. The beloved campus fixture in Bloomington, Indiana is ordinarily referred to by a join of endearing nicknames by students, alumni, and fans in general. The most beloved of these nicknames are "The Rock" and "The House."

The nickname The Rock started in 2005 as an endearing nickname for the Indiana University football stadium that can hold a capacity crowd of 52,692 screaming fans. Although the original architecture firm of Eggers & Higgins (based in New York City) never planned for the stadium that first opened in October of 1960 to ever be called anything other than Memorial Stadium the nickname shift occurred in 2005.

In 2005 the head football coach at the school was a man by the name of Terry Hoeppner and fans who appreciate the nickname "The Rock" have Mr. Hoeppner to thank. Although Terry Hoeppner was only with the Indiana Hoosiers for two seasons he left a continuing patrimony in terms of a nickname for Memorial Stadium that so far has proven thriving in standing the test of time. Perhaps the most beloved decision Coach Hoeppner ever made was having a large piece of limestone driven in and placed as a landmark in the north end zone. The large limestone bolder originated locally in Indiana and actually first appeared on the football convention field before being moved to the north end zone in Memorial Stadium.

During the two season tenure that Coach Hoeppner enjoyed as the head coach of the Big Ten Hoosiers he instituted a short lived tradition of having every player touch the rock before taking the field for each home game. This ritual inspired the nickname "The Rock" for Memorial Stadium. Sadly, on June 19, 2007 Coach Hoeppner lost his battle with brain cancer and passed away at the age of 59.

Bill Mallory was a predecessor of Terry Hoeppner as the head football coach at Indiana University. Coach Mallory served the agenda dutifully from 1984 through 1996. It was while the reign of Coach Mallory that Memorial Stadium was predominately referred to simply as "The House." Over the years "The House" nickname has faded with time and "The Rock" has predominately taken its place as a nickname for Memorial Stadium that honors the late Coach Hoeppner.

Exactly what hereafter nicknames will one day be beloved in Bloomington, Indiana remains to be seen. For the time being though fans of the Hoosiers football agenda are more than happy to refer to their beloved Memorial Stadium as "The Rock."


The Rock and the House, Nicknames For Memorial Stadium, Where Indiana University (Iu) Hoosiers Play

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