The final stop on this quick trip was the far north side of Chicago, where the Loyola Ramblers have been playing basketball since 1913. It took about an hour in rush hour traffic from the Hard Rock Casino, where I had cashed my winning sports bet, and I arrived around 5:10 p.m., plenty of time for the 7 p.m. tip. Now, there is a parking garage next to the arena, but I put the arena name into my GPS, and was directed along Sheridan Street, where I parked. I downloaded the ParkChicago app to pay and was told that I needed a $20 deposit to get started. Hmm, maybe cater to visitors? Anyway, that app was quickly deleted, so I went to the parking box. Oops, two-hour limit when I needed four. Now you can extend your time on the app, but it wasn't worth the $20 deposit, given that parking was $2.50 an hour. So I drove a couple of blocks and parked on a neighbourhood street. Oops, permit-only parking until 7. Thus began a 40-minute tour of Rogers Park, which is not a Canadian sports venue sponsored by Rogers, but the neighborhood around the campus. Anyway, I eventually drove far enough to find a spot where a permit wasn't needed. It was only a ten-minute walk away from the venue, so I still got there just after gates opened. I should note that the Loyola Station on CTA's Red Line is right next to campus and you should take transit if you can.
The Ramblers play out of Gentile Arena, which is tucked behind the Damen Student Center. The venue is named after Joseph P. Gentile,a local car dealer who donated money for the arena, and not related to the adjective that implies one is not Jewish. Though as a Catholic university, that could be true as well I guess. I approached from the northwest, where there is an entrance should you already have a ticket (below).
The main entrance and box office are on the southeast side, where you will find a statue of wolves named Los Lobos de Loyola. Why is the mascot of the Ramblers a wolf? Loyola University is named for St. Ignatius of Loyola, whose family was so generous, they would feed wild animals. A carving of two wolves eating over a cauldron was placed over the family's home and became a symbol of the Jesuit order. The team is called the Ramblers (the only such nickname in Division I) because in 1926, the football team travelled extensively across the country, "rambling" from place to place. Although football was dropped in 1930, the Ramblers nickname nears its century anniversary.
The current logo was adopted in 2019 and is the first since 1990 not to include the Rambler nickname. Still looks pretty cool.
Tickets started at $14, but I found a single for just $4 on the secondary market and chose that route. Immediately after entering the venue, you will see the display case dedicated to their amazing run to the Final Four in 2018.
If you happened to live under a rock during those two weeks, the 11th-seeded Ramblers, coming out of the Missouri Valley Conference, beat #6 Miami by two points, then #3 Tennessee and #7 Nevada by a point each, before thumping #9 Kansas State 78-62 in the Elite Eight matchup.
This gave them the South Regional championship, the trophy for which is shown here. The team lost to Michigan in the Final Four but had captured the hearts of the nation, in large part due to Sister Jean, the team chaplain who was 98 years old at the time and became a media sensation.
But what many fans might not remember is that this was the second time the Ramblers had made the Final Four, and in their previous appearance in 1963, they had won the championship. That trophy, so much more beautiful than the generic ones offered by the NCAA these days, is shown above, part of the display honouring this unlikely title. If you look closely, you will see that the text to the right is titled "Game of Change". That season, Loyola was the first D-I school to start an all-black lineup and when they played all-white Mississippi State (coming from a state that was still segregated) in the tournament, they defeated them by a score of 61–51. This game was particularly notable because the Bulldogs defied a state court order prohibiting them from playing a school with black players, leading to the game being called the "Game of Change". Hard to believe this was just 60 years ago.
To this day, they are still the only school in Illinois to have won the championship, a fact that must irritate Illini fans to no end, particularly as the Ramblers beat Illinois in the Round of 32 in 2021.
The Athletics Hall of Fame is nearby, as is a small display listing the school's All Americans over the years.
One aspect I found surprising is that retired jerseys are hanging above a merchandise store.
I continued to walk around the concourse, stopping to pick up a slice of barely warm pizza and a bottle of soda for $11, a bit high for this level. In fact, there are only two concession stands and offerings are very limited, so try to eat beforehand at one of many nearby restaurants.
The concourse does have the previous floor embedded, which I found to be an excellent addition that many might miss as they walk over it.
Directly above here is a statue of Jesus, who has certainly done his part in helping the team to much success.
A privately sponsored "banner" can be found here as well. I thought this was well designed and added a bit of colour to the relatively plain concourse.
However, once you are inside the seating area, plain is the furthest thing from your mind. The colours of maroon and gold dominate and I found Gentile to be quite beautiful and compact.
The arena opened in 1996 and underwent renovations just 15 years after that. Capacity is listed at 4,486, fifth smallest in the 15-team Atlantic 10 conference, to which Loyola moved in 2021.
There are two levels of seats separated by a small walkway. The lower level is all chairbacks, while the upper level is benches except for the three sections along the sidelines and the first row.
However, you will want to avoid the first row unless you like watching games through the barrier. Below is the view from my assigned seat in 214 Row A, though I did not sit in it at all, for obvious reasons.
There are banners around the top of the building, with the two most important next to each other. The men's volleyball team won back-to-back national championships in 2014-15, with the first actually played here. There are only 29 schools participating in D-1 men's volleyball, which is why it doesn't get much coverage.
The center-hung scoreboard is circular and just displays the basics, with score, timeouts left, and fouls.
Team and player stats can be found at each end of the arena, next to videoboards.
The logos of the A-10 schools are on display along a facade above the upper seating bowl. The Atlantic-10 now has 15 schools, many of which are quite far from the Atlantic. The stupidity of conference movement continues unabated and I have lost all ability to keep track of which school is where these days. The amount of money being thrown around to destroy tradition will come back to haunt college sports as greed rarely results in a good long-term outcome.
Although most students are on the holiday break, the dance squad and cheerleaders were there to keep things interesting.
It's tough to see here, but there are four stars on the court the represent the Flag of Chicago. A nice touch that escaped my attention at the time.
Overall, Gentile Arena is a very attractive arena that houses some incredible history. I would advise that you take transit if possible and avoid the food inside, but otherwise, they know what they are doing here. Next time you are in the Windy City, see if the Ramblers are at home and pay a visit to Rogers Park to see LUC.
The Game
The Charleston Southern Buccaneers from the Big South had made the trip up to chilly Chicago, only to be disrespected as 17.5-point underdogs. Sister Jean, now 104, delivered the prayer before the game, ending with a hearty "Go Ramblers!"
The first half was a delight to watch with five lead changes, four ties, and few fouls. Both teams shot 50% or better, with the Buccaneers going 5-11 from downtown, while the Ramblers were just 1-8. Only an incredible 15-20 performance from inside the arc kept it close as CSU led 38-36 at the half, a brewing upset.
In the second half, the score was tied at 40 after 90 seconds and then the visitors let the weather get to them as they went cold, cold, cold. Over the next ten minutes they scored just six points while Loyola notched 17, capped by a trey from big man Dame Adelkun (6'8, 230) that got the place rocking. Another three from Braden Norris and a jumper from Patrick Mwamba made it 62-46 with 7:25 to go.
Charleston Southern never got closer than 13 the rest of the way and the game finished 72-59 for the Ramblers, whiles CSU perhaps got the moral victory by covering. Going 6-24 in the second half (0-6 from downtown) is not going to win you many games.
The Buccaneers bench played only 18 minutes, while A'lahn Sumler led them with 25 points, including all 15 from beyond the arc. DJ Patrick played 40 minutes and scored zero points, something that has to tie a record of some sort. For Loyola, a balanced attack was led by Adelkun and Philip Alston, each with 12 points. This was a very entertaining and fast-paced game, again helped by officials who called just 25 fouls, with 15 against the Ramblers.
Notes
Matt, another sports traveler, contacted me on Twitter and we met up during the game, sharing stories of our recent adventures. The best thing about keeping this blog is encountering all the like-minded stadium chasers on my travels. My upcoming games are listed at the top of the blog, so if you are going to a game that I plan to see, let me know and we can meet up.
Next Up
A family trip to Colorado, where I hope to see the final two teams in the Centennial State as Denver and Colorado State are both home while I am there. Check back for recaps in 2024 and Happy Holidays everyone!
Best,
Sean
Really enjoyed meeting up with you. Hopefully our paths will cross again
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