A rooting interest

Don’t know where to go to watch your favorite team this fall? Grab your school colors, because we’re about to tell you

By Paul M. Banks

During the summer months, Mai-Tais, Pina Coladas and tiki bars are very popular. I’m sure many of you have worn a Hawaiian shirt or grass skirt and coconuts to a Jimmy Buffett concert or theme party recently. A lot of you have likely eaten barbeque or chomped on a porterhouse steak at a Texas roadhouse. You might even have been to the Chicago-themed pizza restaurant in the world famous Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco. They created their Chicago atmosphere with lots of Blues Brothers, Cubs and Bears memorabilia.

But have you ever been to a Michigan State bar not in East Lansing, Michigan? One located on another college campus in a different state?

Located across the street from the historical Biograph Theatre (where former Public Enemy No. 1 John Dillinger was gunned down by the F.B.I.) and near the heart of DePaul University’s campus lies the Gin Mill (2462 N. Lincoln). On the outside of this saloon, you’ll see a huge white Spartan “S” over the green doorway, and on the inside, you’ll notice the décor is that of a Sparty theme.

Just in case these signals are too subtle for you, a green neon light states “Welcome to East Lansing” in a very central and visible spot. The Gin Mill is the most overt, but all the MSU bars in Chicago are excellent at “staying on message” to their theme. Take it from someone who was at ground zero when Michigan State won the basketball national championship in 2000, Spartys really party seriously. During my semester of graduate study there, I felt like I was at a school full of Tara Reids.

Every year, more Spartan faithful move to Chicago than Detroit. Among Big Ten schools, they seem to be the most dedicated when it comes to opening up sports bars, as well as the most zealous in re-creating the college atmosphere. These bars are also a good place to watch Detroit teams in action: Lions, Pistons, Tigers and especially the Red Wings.

Other Michigan State bars include Higgin’s (3259 N. Racine), The Tin Lizzie (2483 N. Clark), which (in case you were wondering) is a nickname for the Ford Model T, and O’Malley’s West (2249 N. Lincoln).

What follows is an in-depth look at Chicago’s other large alumni bases and the respective establishments they call home to watch the big game.

Illinois — During the Final Four run in 2005, the antennae of the Sears Tower were blue and orange and the lights of the Blue Cross/Blue Shield building spelled I-L-L-I-N-I. As Chicago’s unofficial college basketball team, the “Orange Crush” can be found pretty much everywhere, even on college football Saturdays to witness the Illini pick up their customary one or two wins per season. Whenever I attend Illini Media Company reunions, we usually chat about how U of I alumni groups in other parts of the nation are smaller and more centralized. It seems the further away a school is, the more close-knit the alumni group tends to be. Most of Illini Nation tends to be from the Chicago area; therefore, many people stay in touch through regular casual channels and organize watch parties by informal methods. However, there is a very large and well-organized official club that often meets at Joe’s (940 W. Weed), the restaurant/bar in a sprawling big-box retail type structure. If you prefer your sports bar to be smaller than a Wal-Mart, check out Justin’s (3358 N. Southport), the Schoolyard Tavern (3258 N. Southport), Merkle’s (3516 N. Clark), Kendall’s (2263 N. Lincoln) and Brownstone (3837 N. Lincoln). All play host to a pro-Illini crowd.

Notre Dame — This is unofficially Chicago’s home college football team. In addition to the university, this team has the advantage of alluring large numbers of people to its fan base through religious (Catholicism) and nationalistic (Irish) affiliations. The Wrightwood Tap (1059 W. Wrightwood), Blue Bayou (3734 N. Southport), Kincade’s (950 W. Armitage), O’Donovan’s (2100 W. Irving Park), Halligan Bar (2274 N. Lincoln, the End Zone (10038 S. Western) and any sports bar/pub with an Irish sounding name from Bridgeport to Belmont is where you’ll find Irish eyes smiling about Touchdown Jesus, First Down Moses, Rudy, and Charlie Weiss’ bunch. Don’t forget to “Wake up the Echoes” and “Win One for the Gipper.”

Iowa — The Hawkeyes are also competing with MSU to be Chicago’s “second” college football team behind Notre Dame. Iowa’s student population draws heavily from the suburbs. As alumni, they often meet up at Merkle’s (3516 N. Clark), Sedgwick’s (1935 N. Sedgwick), Goodbar (2512 N. Halsted) and Gaslight (2426 N. Racine).

I spoke with Merkle’s managing partner Peter Faber about what happens when the bar’s two teams, and Big Ten conference rivals, play each other: “My partner Jim is an Illinois guy; I’m an Iowa guy. In basketball, the crowd is slightly more Illinois. With football, it’s mostly Iowa. At halftime, we have competitions featuring three people from each side. We have a beer chugging contest and see who can sing their fight song the loudest. It’s competitive, but light, really friendly and fun. Each side pokes fun at each other, but no one takes anything too personal. That’s when we get our biggest crowds and everyone has a good time.”

The Big Ten Conference — The Union Tavern (2858 N. Halsted) has six satellites and a plethora of televisions for watching all the conference action, even Illinois-Indiana football and Northwestern-Penn St. basketball games.

UIC — Hawkeye’s Bar and Grill (1458 W. Taylor). Don’t be fooled by the name. This establishment claims to be as neutral as Switzerland. In years the University of Illinois-Chicago Flames make the tournament, this place heats up with local UIC partisans.

Depaul — The Lincoln Park campus is situated next to the busiest section of Lincoln Avenue (from about 2000-2600 North), which is where most of the students convene to watch their team in action. In addition to students, the 60614 zip code is also heavily populated by young women often referred to as “Lincoln Park Trixies,” the examination of whom we’ll save for another time.

Loyola — The younger set tends to congregate on the Lake Shore campus in Edgewater; the older grad school scene at the Water Tower campus. “Hamilton’s, (6341 N. Broadway) where you can find people who are barely of age to drive or Jake Melnick’s (41 E. Superior), which really isn’t a Loyola bar,” according to Max Eybel, a 25-year-old Loyola MBA student. When Flap Jaws on Pearson and Wabash re-opens next year, expect a lot of the Water Tower contingent to gather there as well.

Michigan — At Duffy’s (420 W. Diversey), expect to hear “Hail to the Victors!” played a few times. The extremely flirtatious waitresses here are almost always decked out in Maize and Blue, the bars’ official colors. Ohio St. Buckeye fans and habitual light tippers beware!

Northwestern — Mullen’s (3527 N. Clark) and pretty much anywhere around the North Shore is where the “Purple Hearts” gather to cheer for the Cats, now led by the youngest coach in the nation, 31-year-old Orland Park native Pat Fitzgerald.

Wisconsin And Green Bay Packers — Transplanted cheeseheads have many choices, including Will’s Northwoods Inn (3032 N. Racine), Waterhouse (3407 N. Paulina) and Redmond’s (3358 N. Sheffield), the newest member of the ever-popular Bar 1 Events group. “I’m more of a Will’s Northwoods Inn type of gal myself,” admits Lakeview resident and Sheboygan, Wisc., native Kathy Daniels. “It’s an unpretentious Wisconsin bar. Love Packer/Bear games there — it’s a must-attend!”

Indiana — Joe’s (940 W. Weed) is where Hoosier faithful gather to watch Indiana basketball and foot ... does anyone actually watch Indiana football? “The only reason I go there is so I can play ‘Sink the Biz,’ a game from Nick’s English Hut, one of the greatest bars at IU,” explains Betsy Warburton, an Indiana alum and drinking game aficionado. “You need a bucket of beer, an oversized shot glass and an individual glass for each person. Everyone takes turns pouring beer into the shot glass and whoever sinks it, drinks it.”

Iowa State — Look for fans of the Cyclones at Gamekeeper’s (1971 N. Lincoln).

Florida State and Kansas — You can “Tomahawk Chop” and “Rock Chalk” all night in the back room at Kincade’s (950 W. Armitage). Manager Gregg Weinstein also informed me that this Lincon Park bar attracts a lot of people from Miami of Ohio and Virginia Tech, and it used to be the Chicago home of the N.C. State Wolfpack.

Louisiana State — Gamekeeper’s (1971 N. Lincoln) was rocking with purple and gold shirts, hats and Mardi Gras beads during last year’s NCAA Tournament. A face in the crowd was Vishal Vasanji, LSU alum and New Orleans native. “We chant ‘Tiger bait’ whenever people wearing the opponents’ colors walk by and ‘Go — that’s G-E-A-U-X — Tigers’ for our team,” he says.

Marquette — Southside native Dwayne Wade recently led the Miami Heat to their first NBA title. During his college days, he led Marquette to their greatest season in a generation. He is always spoken highly of when the MU crowd gathers at the Schoolyard Tavern (3258 N. Southport) or Halligan (2274 N. Lincoln).

Minnesota — “We are currently transitioning our Minnesota bar to The Ivy on Clark (3462 N. Clark). Redmond’s was sold, and we’ve decided to relocate. We will most likely have game-watching parties and such there for all things Minnesota,” says a fan from chicagogophers@yahoo.com.

Nebraska — For Cornhuskers’ action, check out Flounder’s (2201 N. Clybourn).

North Carolina — Gamekeeper’s (1971 N. Lincoln). My main college basketball watching buddy, Paul Sajovec, is the leader of this alumni group. With his UNC allegiance equal to or stronger than my Illini partisanship, we agreed during the 2005 Final Four that there was no way on earth we could possibly watch the national title game together and placed a mutual embargo on discussing college basketball for a month afterward. I’m still bitter about that loss. The Tar Heel folk have an interesting tribal custom of always spelling Duke as ‘Dook,’ which is one way they disrespect their hated rivals.

Ohio State — You can get all the “Hang on Sloopy” you can handle at Players Bar and Grill (551 N. Ogden), Casey Moran’s (3660 N. Clark) and McGee’s (950 W. Webster). On autumn Saturdays, these places are filled with Scarlet and Silver, as Buckeye fans converse about all things related to “Three yards and a cloud of dust.”

Oklahoma — Sooner fans should head to Innjoy (2051 W Division).

Colorado — Mad River Bar & Grille (2909 N. Sheffield), the new bar in the site of the former Blue Iguana (which replaced Brother Jimmy’s), also hosts fans of the USC Trojans and the Michigan Wolverines.

Penn State — Go watch Jo Pa’s boys at Flounder’s (2201 N Clybourn).

Purdue Boilermakers and Pittsburgh Steelers — You can wear your black and gold to watch football on both Saturday and Sunday at Durkin’s (810 W. Diversey).

Syracuse — To view the Orange, head to Kelsey’s (2265 N Lincoln).

Texas Tech — For both hoops and football, check out Kendall’s (2263 N. Lincoln).

Texas — Hook ’em Horns at Gaslight (2426 N. Racine).

USC and UCLA — Don’t know how this arrangement works out on rivalry weekend, as I was told these two Los Angles schools don’t like each other very much. Enjoy the friction at Lion Head Pub (2251 N. Lincoln).

Villanova — Head over to Sedgwick’s (1935 N. Sedgwick) to watch the Wildcats.

Virginia — The back bar of the Hidden Shamrock (2723 N. Halsted), a Gaelic bar with authentic Irish folk music and cuisine, is decorated with the blue and orange paraphernalia of the Cavs.

Buffalo Bills — On NFL Sundays, Scott Norwood is like a four-letter word at Lincoln Station (2432 N Lincoln).

Cleveland Browns — The Chicago chapter of the Dawg Pound gathers at The Field House (2455 N. Lincoln).

Cincinnati Bengals — Gregg Weinstein, general manager at Kendall’s (2263 N. Lincoln), told me how a couple of Bengals fans looking for a place to watch the game quickly built a grassroots organization and turned this sports bar into the official Chicago home for Bengal backers almost overnight.

“Last year, about three or four guys showed up one Wednesday night and asked me if I would put the Bengals game on one of the back TVs that Sunday,” Weinstein says. “So I did, and then the following week 20 more people showed up, then 40 the next week. They asked me to get a bus and sponsor a trip to the Bears-Bengals game, and 200 people showed up for the bus trip at 8:00 in the morning, before I’m even allowed to open. There were people coming in from out of town and staying in hotels looking to party here in Lincoln Park before taking the bus to Soldier Field. We filled up four buses. You should see it. It’s so big now, its mayhem.”

Much like Boston Red Sox fans have Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline,” Bengals fans have a song (two actually) near and dear to their hearts, “Welcome to the Jungle” by Guns n’ Roses and Todd Rundgren’s “Bang the Drum All Day.”

“We play those songs for them at least 30 times during a game day. We show the Bears, but if they’re playing at the same time as the Bengals, we show both and put the sound on for all Cincinnati games,” says Weinstein, who also runs Kelsey’s, O’Donovan’s and Kincade’s.

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