Memorable day at Wrigley Field

This sure seemed like as much fun as you can have with your school colors on.

Illinois beat Northwestern 48-27 on Saturday, but Wildcat fans likely had a good time anyway.

The intimacy of the venue, the throwback texture of the conditions, the overall uniqueness that used to be common they conspired to make the game special.

What else would you expect when you play the first football game in Wrigley Field since 1970 and the first college game in the ballpark since 1938?

A few national critics considered the venue a mockery, a circus, an embarrassment because the playing surface had to be crammed in like a Size 10 foot in a Size 9 shoe.

Some snickered when the Big Ten ruled that all offensive plays by both teams would head toward the west end zone so players wouldn't crash into the brick right-field wall behind the east end zone.

“Coach (Ron Zook) told us before the game not to worry about what's going on as far as the field and the direction we would be going,” Mikel Leshoure said.

The Illinois running back's GPS worked well enough for him to rush for a school-record 330 yards in the same ballpark Gale Sayers once scored 6 touchdowns.

Maybe the field and rules only added to the appeal.

Anyway, in the morning Wrigleyville was alive with the guy on Clark Street carrying a sign reading “Tickets Wanted,” the guy on Addison Street carrying a one reading “Anyone Need Tickets” and a bunch of other guys carrying signs reading “E-Z Out Parking.”

Northwestern billed the matchup as “Chicago's Bowl Game” but until the Cubs reach the World Series in somebody else's lifetime, this half-court festival will serve as the neighborhood's “Fall Classic.”

“I thought the atmosphere was incredible,” Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald said.

Everything is so regimented in sports these days, especially in football. Wear your socks too high or pants too low and be fined or penalized.

Well, the Bears played in Wrigley Field for nearly a half-century and didn't mind that one of the corners of one of the end zones was chopped off.

The appropriate call this time was safety first, but the Illinois-Northwestern game still was neat because it echoed back to a more casual time when not everything in sports had to be uniform.

A kid could sneak into a Bears game and sit in an aisle or buy standing room in Chicago Stadium and be the 20,666th customer when capacity was 16,666.

Fire regulations? What fire regulations?

Fans joined in the spirit early Saturday, turning the day into an experience and the game into an event.

The weather was chilly and some of the sightlines unsightly, but a good guess is not many in the sellout crowd minded.

The atmosphere outside Wrigley Field was like a frat party. Sheffield Avenue was dubbed “Wildcat Way” and looked like Bourbon Street on a Saturday night.

Two seniors in life, not school walked along chatting, one in Northwestern colors and the other in Illinois colors.

Bands played, alcohol flowed and ESPN's “Game Day” blared.

The sports police might not allow another football game in undersized Wrigley Field for at least another 40 years.

That's OK, though, because this one provided enough memories to last that long.

mimrem@dailyherald.com