Illinois
The Galloping Ghost: Nickname for Red Grange, the Illini running back who has been credited with popularizing professional football. A charter member of both the college and pro halls of fame, he scored on plays of 95, 67, 56 and 44 yards in a 1925 game against Michigan.
Butkus, Nitschke: Illini stars Dick Butkus and Ray Nitschke, both Pro Football Hall of Famers. Two of the most famous linebackers of all time, their surnames are synonymous with the position.
The Block I: The student section at football games, noted for its performance of card stunts during Illini games. The tradition dates back to 1926.
Chief Illiniwek: Illinois' controversial mascot danced at home football and basketball contests from 1926 to 2007, when the NCAA threatened to revoke Illinois' right to host postseason events.
Orange Krush: The student section at Illinois men's basketball games. In a tradition dating back to the early Lou Henson years in the 1970s, its members are noted for wearing Orange Crush soft drink shirts.
Indiana
32-0: Undefeated and national champion men's basketball team in 1976 — the last team to finish a season undefeated.
Isiah Thomas, Keith “The Shot” Smart and Steve Alford: Three outstanding Hoosier hoopsters who deftly survived brutal conference play as well as …
Bobby Knight: Coach, “The General” and occasional chair flinger. His teams won three national titles: the perfect 1976 team, Thomas' 1981 squad and in 1987, when Smart hit a last-second jumper to stun Syracuse.
Assembly Hall: A nondescript shrine to Hoosier basketball in Bloomington — though also a great white dome where the Illini fight in Urbana.
Iowa
Herky: School's hawkish mascot
Dan Gable: Legendarily intense wrestling coach who led the Hawkeyes to …
Nine straight wrestling titles: The string, 1978-86, ties for the most consecutive NCAA titles in any sport.
Nile Kinnick: 1939 Heisman winner and consensus All-American. The Navy aviator died in a training flight crash during World War II. The Hawkeyes' football stadium is named for him.
The Hawks Nest: Carver-Hawkeye Arena student section, where opponents' free throws go to die
Hayden Fry: Texas-born football coach who taught Hawkeyes to scratch where it itches and flummoxed foes with a pretty-in-pink visitors locker room. He's legendary just east of these parts for coaching Iowa to the Rose Bowl after the 1981 season, its first since 1960. He took the Hawks to Pasadena twice more, after stellar seasons in 1985 and 1990.
Michigan
Rose Bowl: Traditional postseason matchup of Big Ten's best and Pac-10's best, dating back to 1902. Michigan's 20 appearances are easily the most among Big Ten schools (Ohio State 14).
The Big House: Michigan Stadium, home to the Wolverines' football team. With a capacity of 106,201, it is among the largest stadiums in the world.
Desmond Howard's Heisman pose: After a 93-yard punt return for a touchdown in a 1991 victory over Ohio State, the UM standout posed for cameras in the end zone. He went on to win the Heisman Trophy.
Winged helmet: Design of Michigan's football helmets, dating back to 1938 when coach Fritz Crisler moved from Princeton. Crisler had designed the helmet at Princeton.
Maize and blue: School colors, dating back to 1867. So iconic, the colors are sometimes used as an alternative team nickname.
Hail to the Victors: Lyrics from Michigan's famed fight song, “The Victors.”
Go Blue: A rally cry for Wolverines' fans.
1997 football co-champions: At season's end, pollsters split the national championship between Michigan and soon-to-be Big Ten rival Nebraska.
The Fab Five: The 1991 men's basketball recruiting class of Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, Jalen Rose, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson. Considered to be among the best classes ever, all but Jackson were McDonald's All-Americans. They led the Wolverines to the NCAA title game in each of their first two seasons.
Michigan State
Sparty: Moniker for MSU's uniformed human mascot, as well as its 9-foot-7 ceramic statue inside Spartan Stadium Tower. A favorite site for photo-takers, the statue has been a campus landmark since 1945.
Old Brass Spittoon: The traveling trophy in Michigan State's football rivalry with Indiana. MSU leads the series 41-11-1.
Izzone: The student section at men's basketball home games, named for coach Tom Izzo. Under Izzo, MSU has reached the Final Four in six of the past 12 seasons.
Michigan State 10, Notre Dame 10: One of the first contests to be dubbed the “Game of the Century,” the 1966 battle ended in a tie after Notre Dame and coach Ara Parseghian played conservatively on their final series. The teams finished 9-0-1 and shared the national championship. Parseghian's conservative choice prompted famed Sports Illustrated writer Dan Jenkins to write “Tie one for the Gipper.” Led by defensive lineman Bubba Smith, MSU claimed a share of its sixth and final national championship.
Magic Johnson: As a sophomore, the Lansing-born Johnson led lovable Jud Heathcote and MSU to a national title, outplaying Indiana State's Larry bird in one of the most memorable NCAA title games. One year later, he became the only rookie to win NBA Finals MVP, leading the Lakers past the Sixers.
Minnesota
Floyd of Rosedale: Bronze pig trophy given to the winner of the football game with Iowa — where Floyd has been hanging out the past three years.
The U: Twin Cities shorthand for folks who don't have time to waste saying “the U of M.”
Bronko Nagurski: Got a full-ride scholarship in the 1920s when coach Clarence “Fats” Spears saw him plowing a field — without a horse.
Herb Brooks: Standout hockey player who later coached the Gophers, then led the U.S. to victory against the USSR in the Miracle on Ice. (“Do you believe in miracles? …YES!”)
Northwestern
Painting the Rock: Located near University Hall, the Rock is used to advertise Greek organizations, student groups and on-campus events. It was originally a fountain donated by the Class of 1902.
Expect Victory: Coach Gary Barnett accomplished something Ara Parseghian, Dennis Green and Alex Agase never did: take the Wildcats to the Rose Bowl. Keyshawn Johnson and USC proved too dominant, but NU's Rose Bowl berth after the 1995 season still ranks as one of college football's greatest surprises. The Cats' only other Rose Bowl trip came in 1949. So it's understandable that when everything came together during Northwestern's magical season, their slogan naturally was “Expect Victory.”
Ohio State
Woody and Bo: Legendary Ohio State football coach Woody Hayes and his famed Michigan counterpart, Bo Schembechler.
The Ten Year War: Perhaps the most heated portion of the OSU-Michigan rivalry, beginning when Schembechler took over at Michigan and ending with Hayes' firing in 1978. Michigan had a 5-4-1 edge in that span, but managed only one win from 1970-75, when the Wolverines entered every OSU-Michigan game undefeated.
Dotting the ‘i': It doesn't seem right that, way back in 1936, the ‘i' in “Script Ohio” was originally dotted by a trumpet player. Today, it's a high-stepping sousaphone player, and it is perhaps the most famous marching band maneuver in the country.
The Horseshoe: Nickname given to Ohio Stadium, home to OSU football games. With a capacity of 102,329, it is among the largest venues in the world, but is smaller than the stadiums of league rivals Michigan and Penn State.
Hopalong Cassady: One of the first OSU greats to become a household name, Howard “Hopalong” Cassady helped Hayes win the first of his five national championships in 1954. The next year, he became one of three Buckeyes to win the Heisman in a 12-year span (Les Horvath, 1944; Vic Janowicz 1950). OSU players have combined for seven Heismans.
Archie Griffin: Ohio State running back, the only two-time (1974, 1975) winner of the Heisman Trophy. First player to start in four Rose Bowl games.
Scarlet and gray: School colors for the Ohio State University.
The sweater vest: Present OSU football coach Jim Tressel's signature gameday attire.
Penn State
Joe Pa: For 44 years, bespectacled Joe Paterno has guided the Nittany Lions, amassing more victories than any other Division 1-A football coach.
Happy Valley: Another name for State College, Pa., where Nittany Lions roar.
Beaver Stadium: A cozy venue seating 107,282 white-clad rabid fans trying to distract opponents at WhiteOut Games.
Purdue
Big Bass Drum: The iconic symbol of Purdue's marching band, it has carried the inscription “World's Largest Drum.” Although it is clearly more than 10 feet tall, its actual size has remained a closely guarded secret.
Mackey Arena: Home court for Purdue's national powerhouse men's and women's basketball teams. It has been called one of the loudest hoops venues in the U.S. Purdue's men's teams missed only one NCAA tournament between 1983 and 2000. The women haven't missed the NCAAs since 1993 and were national champs in 1999.
Gene Keady: Former men's basketball coach, a six-time national coach of the year. Between 1980 and 2005, the Kansas native had a 512-270 record.
The Old Oaken Bucket: A more than 100-year-old bucket, it's the traveling trophy in the football rivalry with Indiana. Purdue has a 54-26-3 edge in the series since the bucket came into play more than 80 years ago.
Len Dawson, Bob Griese, Drew Brees: The three most notable quarterbacks in school history, all won Super Bowls in the NFL. Purdue-bred QBs have thrown more NFL TD passes than those of any other university. Other accomplished Purdue QBs: Jim Everett, Mark Herrmann, Kyle Orton, Gary Danielson and Scott Campbell.
Wisconsin
Bucky Badger: Badgers' mascot, more formally known as Buckingham U. Badger.
“On, Wisconsin!”: All together, now: “On, Wisconsin! On, Wisconsin! Plunge right through that line!”
Paul Bunyan's Axe: To the victor of the Wisconsin-Minnesota football game goes the spoils, straight from the toolbelt of the mythical giant lumberjack.
Barry Alvarez: Linebacker at NU for Bob Devaney, now athletic director at Wisconsin. He's athletic director now in large part because, as Wisconsin coach, he took the Badgers to the Rose Bowl three times between 1990 and 2005. Prior to that, they hadn't reached Pasadena since 1963.
Camp Randall Stadium: The Badgers play in the oldest stadium in the Big Ten, whose horseshoe shape doesn't always guarantee good luck.
Elroy “Crazy Legs” Hirsch: Running back in the 1940s, nicknamed by a Chicago Daily News sportswriter who wrote that Hirsch ran “like a demented duck.”
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