The Top 10 games in Ryan Field history

Now that the Evanston City Council approved Northwestern's plan to rebuild Ryan Field by a 5-4 vote on Monday night, we know for sure that Saturday's 23-15 Wildcat win over Purdue was the last game at the venerable old stadium in its current iteration.

So, before the wrecking ball knocks down those iconic towers of the West stands, we thought we would look back at the 10 greatest games in the stadium's long, storied history.

There have been more than 1,000 games played at the stadium since it was built in 1926. Ryan Field has been through 17 U.S. presidents. It has hosted seven of the eight Big Ten football championship teams in Northwestern history. In all, it has seen 418 Wildcat wins, 579 losses and 19 ties.

It was called Dyche Stadium from 1926-97, after former Evanston mayor and construction overseer William Dyche, and was changed to Ryan Field, in honor of NU super-donor Patrick Ryan, in 1997. It sported artificial turf from 1973-97. It's been in a couple Hollywood movies.

We did our research and tried to spread the top games out over the decades as best we could. Some were chosen for excitement or entertainment value. Some for what the game meant to the Wildcats.

We had just one rule as we compiled this list: we'd only consider games Northwestern won. This is the Wildcats' home field, after all. So if you're looking for the historic 2006 loss to Michigan State, when Northwestern blew the largest lead in college football history, you'll have to look somewhere else. The 2013 showdown with Ohio State, when ESPN College Game Day came to Evanston? You won't find that one here, either.

So, grab your marshmallows and shake your keys. Here's our list, from 10 to 1, and a few honorable mentions.

Oklahoma was the Alabama of the 1950s, winning three national titles in the decade and 47 straight games from 1954-57, a record that still stands. The Sooners were ranked second in the nation when they rolled into Evanston for the season opener with just two losses over the previous five years.

So you can imagine how stunned fans were after the 10th-ranked Wildcats laid a 32-point beatdown on the Sooners. It was the worst loss of legendary OU head coach Bud Wilkinson’s career.

Northwestern scored two touchdowns in the first quarter, when it was dry, then two more in the second, when it was raining in sheets. The Wildcats scored three more times in the second half, when the field was a muddy quagmire. Given the elite opponent and the dominant result, this may be the finest performance ever by the Wildcats.

But what really makes this game intriguing is that 12 Sooner players, including the quarterback and two running backs, came down with food poisoning on the Thursday night before the game, after the team dined at the swanky Chez Paree nightclub in Chicago. Six had to stay overnight at a hospital.

Many pointed to a fruit cup as the culprit, but all the players ate the same meal. An investigation proved inconclusive, but a QAnon-level conspiracy theory was hatched that gamblers poisoned specific players to influence the outcome. Wilkinson brushed off the incident's influence on the game, giving full credit to Northwestern.

The Wildcats jumped to No. 2 in the AP poll after the win and stayed there after winning their first six games of the season, but they would lose their last three games to finish 6-3 (4-3 Big Ten).

Northwestern trailed Nebraska by 10, 31-21, with less than three minutes left and looked to be on the verge of losing its fourth of six games. Drew Luckenbaugh, a backup kicker, hit a 31-yard field goal with 2:27 left to bring the Wildcats to within seven. The defense forced a punt, but it was downed at the NU 1-yard line with 2:02 left. The Wildcats had no timeouts remaining.

That's when QB Clayton Thorson orchestrated a drive that was a work of art: eight plays, 99 yards in 1:50. It started with a 15-yard roughing the passer penalty on Nebraska's Carlos Davis that got them out of a hole. Thorson threw to Riley Lees for five yards, Flynn Nagel for 11, 9 and 32, and then to Bennett Skowronek for 27. That got them to the Nebraska 5-yard line, and he then connected with JJ Jefferson for the game-tying touchdown with 12 seconds left.

In overtime, JR Pace picked off an Adrian Martinez pass in the end zone. Then Luckenbaugh drilled the game-winning 37-yarder and got carried off the field.

That turned out to be the second of seven straight Big Ten wins as Northwestern finished the regular season 8-4 (8-1) to win the Big Ten West. The loss meant that Nebraska fell to 0-6. The Huskers would beat Minnesota the next week, but the Wildcats can say for the foreseeable future that they started, with a 31-24 overtime win at Memorial Stadium in 2017, and capped off Nebraska's program-record 10-game losing streak.

The Wildcats lost the Big Ten title game to Ohio State but then upset No. 17 Utah in the Holiday Bowl to finish 9-5 and ranked 21st in the final AP poll.

The last 32 seconds of this game produced three touchdowns, three lead changes and three moments when everyone in the stands figured, "Well, that's the ball game."

First, Northwestern put together a Herculean 14-play, 70-yard drive that was capped by a 10-yard touchdown pass from Zak Kustok to Kunle Patrick with just 32 seconds left to give the Cats a 24-20 lead. Game-winner, right?

Herb Haygood disagreed. The speedy MSU returner man took the ensuing kickoff 84 yards for a touchdown with just 15 seconds on the clock. The Spartans celebrated in the north end zone. Surely, that was the final nail.

Nope. NU took over at their own 13. Kostok rolled right and fired a deep shot that was tipped by a Spartan at the MSU 40 and fell into the arms of a sliding Jon Schweighardt at the 33. After a Kustok run up the middle, kicker David Wasielewski drilled a 47-yard field goal with five seconds remaining to seal a roller-coaster win.

Northwestern, which had suffered the tragic death of Rashidi Wheeler in fall camp, was 3-0 after the win but lost the next week at Ohio State. The Wildcats beat Minnesota but lost the last six games of the season to finish 4-7 (2-6).

Another Top 10 Michigan team looked to be well on its way to methodically squeezing the life out of Northwestern, leading 16-0 at the end of the third quarter. That's when one of the wildest fourth quarters in NU history unfolded.

First, the Wildcats drove for a touchdown and got a two-point conversion to make it 16-8. Then Northwestern LB Pat Fitzgerald (remember him?) recovered Chris Howard's fumble in Michigan territory and Brian Gowins tacked on a field goal. Another Gowins field goal made it 16-14 with 5:25 left.

Northwestern's defense forced a punt, and the Cats marched 12 plays, including a fourth-and-9 conversion, to get down to the Michigan 22-yard line. With the game on the line, Gowins drilled the game-winning 39-yarder into the wind with 13 seconds left -- twice! -- for the win. His first make was waved off because the referee hadn't officially started the play clock.

The Wildcats outgained Michigan 172-28 in the final quarter and earned back-to-back victories over the Wolverines for the first time since 1958-59.

The Cats would go on to win a share of their second straight Big Ten title but lose to Tennessee in the Florida Citrus Bowl on New Year's Day. They were ranked 15th in the final AP poll.

This game makes the list for a couple reasons. First, it's always good to knock the bejesus out of Notre Dame. And second, the win vaulted the Wildcats to No. 1 in the AP poll, the last time they've been atop all of college football.

This was no upset. Northwestern was coming off of an 18-14 win over No. 6 Ohio State in Columbus the week before and were ranked third.

The Wildcats had a prolific offense led by QB Tom Myers and end Paul Flatley, who made a leaping, one-handed grab against the Irish that old-timers will tell you was the greatest they've ever seen. They built a 21-0 lead by halftime and coasted, as Notre Dame didn't score until late in the game, after the Wildcats had already put 29 points on the board.

Northwestern's victory was the fourth straight over Notre Dame, the longest winning streak in school history against the Irish. The Wildcats occupied the No. 1 spot in the polls for two weeks. They won the next week at Indiana, but then got hammered on the road at No. 8 Wisconsin. The Wildcats finished the year 7-2 (4-2).

While NU fans were giddy about beating the hated Irish four straight times, it ultimately cost them Hall of Fame head coach Ara Parseghian. Notre Dame figured if you can't beat him, hire him away, and they did just that after the 1962 season.

Any Northwestern fans at Ryan Field that night can close their eyes and see Noah Herron breaking through the line for the touchdown in overtime that slayed the dragon and ended a 24-game losing streak against the Buckeyes.

The Wildcats were just 1-3 coming into the game but took it to No. 7 Ohio State. Brett Basanez threw for 278 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Noah Herron ran for 113 yards on 33 carries and three scores.

Northwestern built a 10-point fourth quarter lead, but the Buckeyes rallied to tie it with a touchdown with 1:54 to go.

In overtime, OSU's automatic All-American kicker Mike Nugent missed a field goal on the first possession. It didn't matter. The Wildcats got the ball and went right through the Buckeyes' defense, Herron going over the left side from a yard out for the winner.

Fans stormed the field and took down one of the goalposts to celebrate the Cats' first win over Ohio State in 33 years, since Richard Nixon was in the White House.

Northwestern's season ended with a disappointing loss to Hawaii to finish 6-6 (5-3) and kept the Wildcats out of a bowl game.

Talk about a cathartic win.

It was on this day that the Wildcats snapped their 34-game losing streak, which remains the longest in NCAA Division I history. They got the monkey -- make that an 800-pound gorilla -- off of their backs, although some people will tell you that some of the stigma still lingers more than 40 years later.

Think about this: it was the program's first win since Sept. 15, 1979, a span of more than three years. 1,106 days to be exact.

Northwestern ended the streak emphatically, whipping the Huskies by 25 points. QB Sandy Schwab completed 16 of 28 passes for 212 yards, and Ricky Edwards ran for 177 yards and four touchdowns, including an 80-yard touchdown sprint in the third quarter that made it 28-6.

Northwestern, led by second-year coach Dennis Green, won its next home game, too, over Minnesota, and added a late-season victory at Michigan State.

The Wildcats finished 3-8 (2-7) that year. That may seem like a paltry record, but it was the program's best since 1975, and it was enough to win Green the Big Ten Coach of the Year award.

There may have been many more exciting or meaningful games at Ryan Field, but make no mistake: this was the high-water mark for Northwestern football.

Legendary broadcaster Keith Jackson was in the house to call the game for ABC. It was on national TV in the 2:30 time slot, back when that meant something. Ryan Field was sold out, and, most importantly, the crowd was virtually all purple, the only time most NU fans have seen that in their lifetimes. In fact, officials had to stop the game at one point because fans were blocking view of the play clock in the south end zone. Northwestern never knew that could be a problem because no one had ever sat in those seats before.

The next week, star running back Darnell Autry appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated. If you're of a certain age, a framed copy of that cover hangs in your home office or man cave.

The Wildcats were 8-1 (6-0) and ranked sixth, but were underdogs to a No. 12 Penn State team that was 6-2 (3-2). The game itself was a bit of a snoozer. Northwestern just outmuscled the Nittany Lions with their typical MO: they ran the ball down their throats and played lights-out defense.

Autry ran for 139 yards and all three touchdowns on 35 carries to lead the Wildcats, while Fitzgerald racked up 20 tackles and a sack. The Cats jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first half. Penn State managed to whittle it down to 14-10 before Autry sealed the deal with a 1-yard TD run with 11:03 left in the fourth quarter.

You know the story from there. The Wildcats finished the season ranked third at 11-1 (8-0) and claimed its first Big Ten title in 59 years. They went to the Rose Bowl for the second time in school history and lost to USC to finish eighth in the final poll.

This is an all-but forgotten classic in Northwestern history that very few people talk about. But they should. It was the biggest showdown in college football that season, No. 1 against No. 3.

The win lifted the Wildcats to No. 1 and helped them win the Big Ten title, the fifth conference championship in the school's history and third in six years. It remains the only time in school history the Wildcats beat the top-ranked team in the nation.

Minnesota came into Evanston as the two-time defending national champions with a 28-game unbeaten streak. Northwestern was 4-0 and was led by College Football All-America Steve Reid. As the highlight video shows, the game is scarcely recognizable, with both teams running into the line again and again out of tight formations.

The Wildcats took advantage of a Minnesota fumble in its own territory, and then a penalty against the Gophers for unnecessary roughness put the ball at the Minnesota 1. On the third try, fullback Steve Toth finally broke through the line for the only score of the game. The extra-point attempt was blocked. The Gophers reached the NU 18-yard line late in the game but came away empty.

Northwestern was named No. 1 in the AP poll the following week. They beat Wisconsin and Michigan the next two weeks, but then lost the season finale to No. 11 Notre Dame, 26-6, in South Bend to drop out of the top spot.

The Wildcats won the Big Ten title but finished seventh in the final poll. Who won the national title? Minnesota, believe it or not, even though the Gophers had an identical 7-1 record, had lost to Northwestern head-to-head and finished second to the Cats in the Big Ten. Go figure. That anti-Northwestern bias goes back a long time.

Fans might argue about Nos. 2 through 9 on this list, but there's no question that this is the greatest game ever played at Ryan Field. And it will still be No. 1 even if they play football for 97 more years at Central & Ashland.

It was a monumental win over a ranked Michigan team that enabled the Wildcats to eventually win a share of the Big Ten title. It packed the excitement of four quarters of two-minute offense from both teams. It delivered high drama, with Northwestern scoring the winning touchdown with 20 seconds left.

And on top of all that, it has been called the most important game in college football history by The Athletic and several other media outlets.

“There’s no doubt that’s the game that changed college football,” said long-time broadcaster Gary Danielson.

This frenzied contest between two ranked teams ushered in the spread offense that would revolutionize the game. Northwestern's spread attack put up a mind-boggling 654 yards of offense, the most all-time against a Michigan team. The next year, it seemed like everyone was running it.

The Wildcats ran for 332 yards, including 268 yards and two touchdowns from Damien Anderson. Zak Kustok threw for 322 yards and two TDs, and rushed for 55 yards and two more. Together, Michigan and Northwestern combined for a ridiculous 1,189 yards on 171 plays.

Anderson looked like the goat when he dropped a sure touchdown pass on fourth down with 1:38 left to give Michigan the ball back. But on a second-and-3 with less than a minute to go, Michigan's Anthony Thomas, who rushed for 199 yards and three TDs, broke through the line for a first down. Somehow Sean Wieber got his hand on the ball as and popped it loose as Thomas broke into the clear, and Raheem Covington recovered the fumble at Michigan’s 30-yard line with 46 seconds left.

Three plays later, with 23 seconds left and the ball at the Michigan 11, Kustok hit Sam Simmons on a slant for the game-winner. Michigan tried a 57-yard field goal on the last play, but the snap went through the holder's hand. Bedlam ensued.

The win upped Northwestern's record to 7-2. The Wildcats wound up 8-4 (6-2) and finished in a four-way tie for the Big Ten title. They lost to Nebraska in the 2000 Alamo Bowl.

Here are five more classic games we considered that didn't make the cut for the Top 10:

Oct. 3, 1931: Northwestern 19, Nebraska 7: This one is a novelty: Notorious Chicago mob boss Al Capone showed up to watch the Cats beat the Huskers on their way to their second straight Big Ten co-championship.

Nov. 11, 1995: Northwestern 31, Iowa 20: Sub-zero wind chills forced ESPN College Game Day indoors as Northwestern come back to snap a 21-game losing streak to the Hawkeyes.

Oct. 21, 2017: Northwestern 39, No. 16 Michigan State 31 (3OT): The Wildcats scored three TDs in the extra periods to outlast the Spartans in the only triple-overtime game in Ryan Field history.

Nov. 2, 2020: Northwestern 17, No. 10 Wisconsin 7: Playing in front of a few hundred fans due to COVID restrictions, the Cats' defense dominated the Badgers on their way to a Big Ten West title.

Sept. 23, 2023: Northwestern 37, Minnesota 34 (OT): The Wildcats trailed the Gophers 31-10 going into the fourth quarter before scoring 21 straight points to tie it, and then scored another TD in overtime to give then-interim head coach David Braun his first Big Ten win.