Remember Roberts Stadium!: What A Finale!

(Click on images to enlarge)

Today, the Evansville Ace's men's basketball team played their final game at Roberts Stadium. This was one game I just wasn't going to miss. The chance to see the Ace's leave legendary Roberts Stadium only comes once in a lifetime and I sure hope you didn't miss this game either.

At first though, it did look like I was going to miss a good portion of the game. On my way to Roberts Stadium, my car's transmission decides to bust a seal and leak all of its transmission fluids out leaving my car paralyzed. That right there is the story of my life- CAR TROUBLE. It is my opinion that we should be saying good-bye to the automobile (and hello to mass transit) not Roberts Stadium.

After I got that situation under control, I ran a two-minute drill to the stadium and surprisingly made it right as the ball went up in the air. I'm disappointed that I missed the pregame festivities but am quite grateful to have made it to see the crowd come alive for the start of the game.

The game itself was hard fought. Throughout the whole time, it seemed like neither team was going to give up the lead. Thankfully, the Aces took control for good with just a few minutes to go and never looked back. Good Job Aces! Also, I would like to congratulate Illinois State on a great game as well. That had to have been a tough position to be in as the visiting team on Roberts Stadium's final game. My hat is off to both teams on a well played game.

The best part of the day was when Lance Wilkerson took the microphone at mid-court for a final tribute to Roberts Stadium. As Lance spoke, over 100 + UE basketball alumni gathered around him. I graduated from the University of Kentucky with an interest in sports management and I have never ever seen that many alumni comeback for a basketball game. Not even for the mighty UK Wildcats. The Aces did a great job bringing all of these legends back to the hardwood.

I also would like to thank the Aces athletic dept for allowing the fans (me) to go out on the court and mingle with the alumni after the game. The Aces didn't have to do that but they took it upon themselves to make sure the fans got as close to the game as possible. Last September, I drove to Omaha, Nebraska for the final game at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium. They did not allow the fans to go on the field. In my opinion, the difference in these two events is what makes the University of Evansville the class of all sporting organizations.

Once on the court, I had a field day. That was an amazing feeling to stand at mid-court and take in the entire Roberts Stadium surroundings. It was such a surreal moment.

While on the court, I brought my UE Aces basketball to get signed. I am very fortunate to have the autographs of Jerry Sloan, Jim Crews, Larry Humes, and Dick Walters. Once again, none of these great alumni had to socialize with fans or even come to the game. The fact that all of these alumni, who are nothing short of being legends of the hardwood, stayed after the game and signed autographs and took pictures for every single person who asked just shows the character that these men are made of. Today, the University of Evansville should be very proud of 1. its basketball team 2. its legendary alumni & 3. Roberts Stadium.

So with all of that being said, the battle to save Roberts Stadium still goes on. For this reason, we the people of Evansville must be vocal in our support for keeping this Evansville icon. If you went to today's game and felt no emotions to the great history of this facility than fine, BUT if you went to today's game and felt the history, the passion, and the nostalgia of this legendary venue, then come aboard the Save Roberts Stadium Express and let's get the job done!

As promised here are a few photos from today's game. Sometime this week, I will compile all the photos I took today and will post them in one huge slide show. Enjoy...