Indiana University Athletics
The Walk Makes 2006 Debut on Saturday
8/31/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 31, 2006
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana fans will have their first opportunity of the 2006 season to see the Hoosiers take "The Walk" to "The Rock" - Memorial Stadium - prior to this Saturday's game against Western Michigan.
The game kicks off at 6 p.m. EDT, and at approximately 3:50 p.m., the team buses will enter Bloomington via the 45/46 bypass from State Road 37 and proceed south on College Avenue. The buses will then turn left on 17th Street to head towards The Rock, Memorial Stadium. To make fans aware of the team's arrival, the buses will drive around the perimeter of the south grass parking lots; heading south on Indiana Ave., turn left on 14th Street, and then back north on Woodlawn Ave. The team buses will stop along Woodlawn Ave. where head coach Terry Hoeppner and the team will depart the buses.
The Hoosiers will march toward the west entrance of Assembly Hall, where the IU Marching Hundred and Cheerleading Squads will await their arrival. The Marching Hundred will perform "Indiana, Our Indiana," "Indiana, Fight" and "R-O-C-K in the USA," and fans will line the pathway of "The Walk" to show their support for the Hoosiers as they head towards the crimson gates of Memorial Stadium.
Just as "The Walk" was an exciting new tradition in 2005, Hoeppner is expecting it to be just as thrilling for his team in 2006.
"The Walk was everything I had hoped," Hoeppner said. "When we made the turn by Assembly Hall and started towards the stadium, it was breathtaking."
Indeed, it only adds to the players' adrenaline.
"It's unbelievable," quarterback Blake Powers said. "Coach Hoeppner did such a great job reaching out to the fans last season and we knew that we had our fans' support. But to have that many people lined up before the game to welcome us to the stadium is great. It helps reinforce our home-field advantage."
