Bill Padgett, a partner at Barnes & Thornburg LLP, has some vivid memories from his two years as a Wabash College quarterback,
but one that stands out in his mind has more to do with the intense rivalry with DePauw University than football heroics.
During one Monon Bell game, Padgett looked up from his position near the ball and saw a huge brawl erupting in the end zone.
The fight among fans was so distracting, he said, "We almost had a delay of game, but I was able to get a play off."
Security at the game has improved much since the 1990s, and Padgett, as board president at the Julian Center for abused women,
is doing his part to channel the students’ competitive spirit into something positive. In the weeks leading up to this year’s
game, Nov. 15, Wabash and DePauw students held various fundraisers to benefit the Julian Center, as well as A-Way Home Shelter
in Putnam County and the Family Crisis Shelter in Montgomery County.
The winner of the fund-raising competition, called Co-Motion, was to be announced during the fourth quarter of this year’s
game. Padgett said he hoped to raise $10,000 this year with help from local alumni. That includes about 25 attorneys at Barnes
& Thornburg.
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