Gratitude is ingrained deeply in the couple, who support the University’s Botanic Gardens, professional theater program, and, naturally, Delaware Football, where Russ serves as president of the Touchdown Club, the philanthropic “team behind the team.” 

Since UD entered Conference USA, the 79-year-old organization has witnessed a 15% spike in membership, which Russ attributes to “more meaningful, more interesting games,” the bowl game being the most prominent example. 

“There’s so much pride,” he added — not just for the team, but for the institution.

As a longtime subscriber to the Wall Street Journal, Crook recalls beaming at UD’s top-10 public institution ranking. 

“We were hooked on UD from day one,” said Russ. “And it’s only gotten better.”

Bowl game spurs study abroad memories 

For Liz Hoadley, Class of 2014, UD’s bowl appearance is a chance to reflect on the excitement and awe of her undergraduate years.

Take the night scuba dive she completed during a study abroad trip to the Cayman Islands. Alongside fellow Blue Hens, Liz kicked on her back through turquoise water nearly half a mile to the dive site as the sun began to set. Then, with an otherworldly reef on either side, she descended below, swimming alongside sharks and octopuses. When she resurfaced, “the sky was pitch black, and you could see every single star. It was incredible.”

It was also the perfect setup for romance. Not one — not two — but three Double Del couples fell in love on this trip and eventually married, including Liz and her now-husband, Kenneth Hoadley, a 2016 Ph.D. graduate. Today, they are both marine science educators living on Alabama’s Dauphin Island.

While recent years have been filled with career-building and raising their two young children, game day will be about reconnecting with their Blue Hen roots. The couple will cheer alongside Liz’s parents, Chris and Carole Baker, Double Dels from the Class of 1989 flying in from Delaware for the occasion. “They’re true superfans,” Liz said. “They’ve had season tickets since before my memories formed.”

As for what’s more thrilling — a Cayman Islands night dive or the Fightin’ Blue Hens’ appearance on this historic national stage — Liz won’t choose. But both moments, she says, are more than a little serendipitous. “It feels like the stars have aligned.”

Once a lineman, always a Blue Hen

Bill Records always pictured himself in Delaware Stadium. Before he was a college student, he’d start his Saturday mornings playing for Newark High School, shower, and then head to campus to cheer on the Blue Hens.

From 1971-1974, he was on the field, experiencing championships and that undefeated 1972 season.  

Now, the former defensive linesman is looking forward to history being made once more, this time in Mobile, Alabama. 

“It’s going to be a very special game,” he said. “The place will be rocking.”

Rocking partially, no doubt, with Records’ cheers. Calling the current team “a lot bigger, faster, stronger” than their 1970s predecessors, he has also noticed “players who develop themselves over time, who get better and better with each game.” 

It takes him back to milestones like the 1974 Grantland Rice Bowl, where the Hens were 19-point underdogs against the undefeated University of Nevada, Las Vegas — and victors, 49-11. (“They’d never seen the Wing-T,” Records said.)

Beyond the games, “we were a family.” He remembers a quarterfinal game the Saturday after Thanksgiving, how out-of-state players stayed with the locals and his mom cooked an extra turkey. 

“That,” he said, simply, “is what it means to be a Blue Hen.” 

A Mobile welcome for her Delaware team

It’s a little-known fact that Mardi Gras originated not in New Orleans, but in 1703, in Mobile, Alabama. And so the tradition continues, with the city’s largest parade occurring on the eve of the 68 Ventures Bowl.

Alumna and local resident Coral Gubler enjoys the celebration (“it’s very PG — stuffed animals, frisbees, lots of moon pies”), and she looks forward to the next day’s game, tickets for which she had purchased before this year’s teams had been announced. 

“It was a great surprise,” she said of her alma mater making it to the postseason matchup. “I can’t wait to cheer them on.”

As a master’s student in physical therapy, the 1993 graduate didn’t attend too many football games: “The rigor of the program didn’t allow for much free time.” But, she added, “the vibe was always fun and welcoming.”

Now, Gubler looks forward to donning blue and gold and representing her team on her home turf. 

“I think of UD as where I started and where I come from,” she said. “It’s cool to see us play on such a big stage. Go Hens!”