Game Day:Rose-Hulman Game Day coda

Like a typical self-editor, I'm impaired when it comes to streamlining the selection of my own pictures, hence this "overflow" third post on my Sept. 21 visit to Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.

The engineering, science and technology school outside Terre Haute, Ind., was the latest stop on my ongoing project to visit Indiana small colleges on football Saturdays and to photograph the campuses while there. The Fightin' Engineers defeated Defiance (Ohio) 23-19 in their 2013 homecoming game and Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference opener at Cook Stadium.

Those of you who have followed this blog for a while will remember my previous visits to Franklin, Hanover, Wabash and St. Joseph's colleges; DePauw, Marian and Taylor universities; and the universities of Indianapolis and St. Francis. In the case of Franklin, I've made three visits -- two for football, one for basketball. In the case of Hanover, Taylor and UIndy, I made two visits, one each for football and basketball. And I was at Wabash twice, both times for football. I know for me, one visit is not enough for any of these schools. One in particular I want to revisit is DePauw.

Still on my list of schools to visit are Manchester and Earlham colleges and Trine and Anderson universities. At one point, I had contemplated including Butler and Valparaiso universities because even though those are Division I schools, and technically not "small," they are private institutions so their enrollments are not huge, and their football programs -- unlike their basketball teams -- are not considered big league. At this point, however, I'm not going to make them part of the project, although that could change by the time I finish.

This post is a sort of second part to yesterday's campus kaleidoscope. I'll focus on the activity and scenery in and around Cook Stadium; it will include the tailgating, alumni reunions and the adjacent Sports and Recreation Center.

Keep in mind, this was homecoming weekend. There were a lot of people on campus; since this was the first of my Saturday campus visits that also coincided with homecoming, I had nothing to compare it to. But there were alumni and fraternity/sorority gatherings all over the place, from fraternity row on the southeast corner of the campus, to nearby Hatfield Hall (which is where the school's alumni office is located), to Hulman Memorial Union, several of the academic buildings and in tents outside Cook Stadium. It made me wonder what homecoming would be like these days at my own alma mater, the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Would you believe I haven't been to one since I graduated?

Leading off the post is a picture inside Hulbert Arena, which features a Boston Gardens-like parquet floor and is where the school's basketball and volleyball teams play their home games.

This is the third and last of consecutive posts focusing on my visit to Rose-Hulman. The first post covers my pictures from the Fightin' Engineers' victory over Defiance; The second post features pictures I took of the beautiful campus during my visit. 

For a full gallery of images from this portion of the shoot, visit my site at SmugMug.

Above and below: Some of the traditional tailgating seen across the creek from the stadium.

Above and next seven below: Views of the tents and children's play area set up in the large parking lot behind Cook Stadium. 

Above and below: These two men took the pull-up challenge -- to complete 10 pull-ups -- at one of the tent areas behind the stadium. 

Above: A row of tents east of the stadium and where several alumni and/or fraternity groups met and/or setup cookout spreads (below). 

Above: A game of cornhole occupied the interest of these people in the area just outside the stadium.

Above and next two below: Exterior views of the Sports and Recreation Center, which is immediately west of the stadium. 

Above: The indoor track at the Sports and Recreation Center, where the school's cheerleaders were reviewing routines they would execute later in the afternoon on the football field.

Above and remaining photos below: Looking east toward Phil Brown Field at Cook Stadium from the steps of the Sports and Recreation Center. Those are trees in adjacent Hawthorn Park to the left of the football field in the photo above.