Anniversary of JFK Assassination Recalls Big Ten Postponements
November 19, 2003 | Football
Dec. 7, 1941. Aug. 6, 1945. July 20, 1969. Sept. 11, 2001.
Every generation of Americans has dates they can point to and say, 'I remember where I was when ''
For millions of Americans who lived through the middle of the 20th century, that date is likely to be Nov. 22, 1963, the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas.
It was, much like the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the terrorist attacks of two years ago, a day of shock and anger and sadness.
This Saturday marks the 40th anniversary of the JFK assassination. Wisconsin will host Iowa in Camp Randall Stadium (2:30 CST, ABC) and eight other Big Ten teams will be in action, as well. That was not the case 40 years ago.
Kennedy was killed on a Friday. The Big Ten football schedule for Saturday, Nov. 23, 1963, had the Badgers playing at Minnesota, Ohio State at Michigan, Purdue at Indiana, Iowa at Notre Dame in non-league action and Illinois at Michigan State in a game that would decide the Big Ten title and the league's Rose Bowl participant. That all changed once word of the President's death spread.
Initially, according to accounts in the New York Times, the Big Ten Conference let its institutions decide amongst themselves whether or not to play. The Wisconsin-Minnesota and Purdue-Indiana games were postponed and eventually re-scheduled. Iowa's game with the Fighting Irish was cancelled. School officials involved with the two games in Michigan decided initially to play on.
But Saturday morning, just hours before kickoff in East Lansing, officials from Michigan State and Illinois opted to postpone the game. Michigan-Ohio State also was postponed, along with the vast majority of sporting events throughout the mourning nation. Sept. 15, 2001 is believed to be the only other time Big Ten football games were cancelled or postponed.
Two of the games instead were played on Thursday, Nov. 28, Thanksgiving Day. Wisconsin finished its 5-4 season by dropping a 14-0 decision in Minneapolis and eighth-ranked Illinois, led by LB Dick Butkus, earned the league championship and Rose Bowl berth with a 13-0 victory over the fourth-ranked Spartans. The other two games took place on Saturday, with Ohio State knocking off the Wolverines, 14-10, and Purdue topping Indiana, 21-15.
