Story and photos by Monty Siekerman
Where can you
* play football on a hardwood floor
* be guaranteed no broken bones or concussions
* have no restrictive NCAA or OAC rulebooks to follow, any infractions of which will send you directly to Hell? (But there are rules.)
The place: ONU’s King-Horn Gym. The time: Each April for the past four years. The event: Robot Football. (We’ll tell you who won late in the story, not the hometown team.)
Robot football is similar to the real thing experienced in the fall, but the players aren’t human. There is a coin toss, refs dressed in black and white shirts, yard markers, even Vince Koza was there to give the play-by-play. About 125 spectators were on hand when the competition began, more came later.
The robots are remotely controlled by students (mostly engineering) standing on the sidelines.
In Robotic football, the teams are designed, built, and operated by students. The goal is to use the allure of competitive football to showcase how engineering can enrich lives and provide excitement.
The winning team receives the Brian Hederman Memorial Robotic Football Trophy. Brian, a Notre Dame student, died at a young age, but left behind a drawing that inspired the competition.
The results:
First round: ONU lost to Notre Dame 12-57. Valparaiso beat Purdue-Kokomo 54-33.
Consolation round: Purdue-Kokomo knocked off ONU 36-16.
Championship: Valparaiso wins 37 to Notre Dame 34 in an exciting finale.
