BLOOMINGTON — Indiana University football fans have waited nearly 60 years for the Hoosiers to make it back to the Rose Bowl. University archivists prepared for this moment by preserving a bouquet of souvenirs from their last appearance.
Indiana University Archives director Dina Kellams brought out a collection of memorabilia from the 1968 Rose Bowl, much of which was donated directly to the university by Hoosier alumni.
"They saved them for all of these years for a reason," Kellams said. "There's a t-shirt where the donor did not have the heart to throw it away. She sent it anonymously to the university, figuring we would find something they could do with it."
The unsealed collection includes items such as programs, tickets, shirts and newspapers.
Kellams has also published pictures of several items on the IU Archives social media pages, which often leads to Hoosiers sharing their memories in the comments.
"I posted one item on our Facebook, and an alum commented and said, 'I remember that,'" Kellams recalled. "I recognized his name immediately. He was the drum major for the Marching Hundred in 1968. I replied with his picture and said, 'I bet you do.'"
The youngest Hoosiers around for the last Rose Bowl appearance are far from their college days. An 18-year-old freshman at the 1968 Rose Bowl would be 75 years old for IU's return trip.
Kellams hopes the current Hoosiers do what they can to save the moment with material items and pictures.
"It's kind of a shame because we know that so much of how the story will be captured on iPhones, and we may never, ever see those," Kellams said. "Let's have some sort of physical memory that you can take a look at."
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Taj Simmons the In Your Community reporter for Monroe and Morgan counties. He joined WRTV in August of 2023. The Oakland, CA native is not a Hoosier by birth, but is excited to learn all about the area and tell the stories of the people who make this state feel like home. Share your story ideas and important issues with Taj by emailing him at taj.simmons@wrtv.com.
