Bill and Sherry Benner are both graduates of Indiana University. Bill got his education degree with a major in journalism in 1973 and entered the world of sportswriting. Sherry received her degree in occupational therapy in 1974, and spent decades working in that area in schools and outpatient rehabilitation centers.
Some of us would see these as equally noble pursuits, although that could be a minority opinion. Bill left the Indianapolis Star after several decades in 2001, for other jobs in civic promotion and the media related to sports in Indianapolis. The departure from the newspaper did allow Benner to put neutrality aside.
“Sherry and I have been IU season-ticket holders for 24 years,” Benner said in a phone call Tuesday. “I remember one drive back home to Indianapolis, the Hoosiers had gotten blown out again, in front of a small crowd with fans leaving early again. “And Sherry looked at me and said, ‘Why do we do this?’” Turns out, it was to be in Memorial Stadium for the late summer and fall of 2024, without having to face the accusation of being frontrunners.
In this college season of Vanderbilt beating Alabama, Florida State being 1-8, Oklahoma celebrating a victory over Maine, Southern California and UCLA being simultaneously lousy, etc., there is no greater surprise than this: The Michigan Wolverines are coming to Bloomington, Ind., on Saturday as double-digit underdogs.
Indiana entered the 2024 season with 712 losses, the most of any team with a cur.
