A Legacy of Traditions

For 100 years, Homecoming has brought generations of Cardinals back to Ball State University to celebrate the traditions, friendships, and memories that make the University feel like home.

From marching in the Homecoming parade and cheering on the Cardinals to participating in campus traditions and reuniting with friends, each generation has its own stories to tell. As Ball State celebrates its 100th anniversary of the first Homecoming, alumni are looking back at the moment that made their Homecoming experiences unforgettable.

“The year I was on the Homecoming Steering Committee holds all the best Homecoming memories! Our theme was so fun! It was No Place Like Homecoming, going off the Wizard of Oz. The group worked well together, and homecoming week was a blast!” Bishop said.

Bishop recalled one of her favorite memories of that year being the night before the parade, when she and all of the steering committee decided to go watch the band, Florida Georgia Line, perform at Emens. “It was so worth it, even after having to wake up at 4:00 A.M. to start setting up the parade,” she shared.

For other alumni, Homecoming became a family tradition that continued long after their college years.

Lisa Kemp, ’90 and ’22, remembers bringing her newborn son, James, to the 1995 Homecoming parade. Because of the cold weather, the family watched from their car, holding him up to the window. James learned the Ball State fight song at age 2 and eventually became a Ball State graduate.

Heather Hileman, ’96,  similarly watched her daughter’s connection to Ball State grow. Hileman and her husband returned to Homecoming 21 years ago to march with the band and brought their daughter with them. Fascinated by her father’s baritone, she eventually graduated from Ball State and became a band director.

For Kara Schmid,’13, Homecoming provided an opportunity to introduce her children to Cardinal traditions. She remembers “introducing my daughter, named Charlie, to Charlie Cardinal” after her son had met the mascot the previous year at Family Weekend. Courtney Katrina Brown, ’25, also remembers bringing her children to Homecoming as a senior to watch their aunt perform with the marching band. Now, Brown is returning to Ball State for her master’s degree.

For many alumni, Homecoming Week traditions remain some of their favorite college memories. Ashley West ’10 remembers “Air Jam and all the other Homecoming Week festivities,” while Sarah Schaetzel Daily, ’20 and ’25, recalls Air Jam, bed races, and time spent with the Ball State University Singers.

The Pride of Mid-American Marching Band is another tradition that has left a lasting impression. Kirstie Brown, ’18, remembers marching in the Homecoming parade and rooting for the Cardinals during the Homecoming game.

Some alumni remember traditions that may be less familiar to today’s Cardinals. Vickie Welsh-Huston, ’80 and ’81, participated in the residence-hall yard display contest while living in what was then Johnson Complex. In 1977, with the Homecoming theme “Greatest Show,” students created an elaborate circus organ display featuring Charlie Cardinal and little red birds popping out from the organ pipes.

Preparing for the competition, Welsh-Huston remembers the late nights spent “stuffing tissue paper into chicken wire” and getting to know other residents along the way.

For Leeannda Fischer, ’13, Homecoming became the setting for another milestone: “In 2013 my husband and I got engaged at Homecoming!”

For alumni like Jennifer Rausei, ’02 and ’08, returning to Homecoming is a way to celebrate both Ball State memories and the University’s continued impact.

“We love coming to Homecoming each year celebrating Ball State and its continued efforts to provide a quality education while reminiscing about our wonderful experience during our college years,” Rausei said. As an educator, she added, returning to campus also serves as a reminder of the importance of making meaningful connections with students.

That sense of connection is echoed throughout the memories shared by Cardinals across generations. Whether they are marching in the parade, competing in a residence-hall display, cheering from the stands, dancing in Air Jam, or bringing their children back to campus, alumni have found countless ways to make Homecoming their own.

After 100 years, the traditions of Homecoming may continue to evolve, but its purpose remains familiar: bringing Cardinals together. The memories alumni carry with them, and the new memories they continue to create with their families and friends, are what make Homecoming more than a celebration on the calendar. It is a tradition that connects generations of Cardinals to one another and to the University they call home.