In a distant land, Junction Punch and Black Widows are served at the same bar, and Bobcat fans of every age congregate under one roof to cheer on their so-called undefeatable team.
Chicago alumni have declared Vaughan’s Pub Lakeview the new Bobcat bar amongst a sea of Bears and Cubs supporters. Lately, the North Sheffield Avenue bar has been flying its Bobcat flag high to cheer on the Ohio University football team in its current reign.
“Vaughan’s Pub is a lot like The Pub on Court Street,” said Katie Arnold, last year’s Ohio University Chicago Alumni Chapter president. “It’s pretty small; it’s always crowded and has those same dim lights. The first time we went there for a game, we packed the bar to capacity, so we went to the next bar and packed it to capacity and ended up in the streets.”
Andy Massell, manager of Vaughan’s Pub, said Bobcat fans first flooded the place during the basketball team’s historic stint in the NCAA tournament this past spring. When the pub reached capacity, OU alumni extended the party to its two neighboring bars.
“I just remember going to games (at OU) and rushing the field,” Arnold said. “That’s the same feeling I get here.”
The Chicago Alumni Chapter is one of 22 outside the state of Ohio, and with about 3,200 members, it’s one of the biggest.
There were 4,178 OU grads living in Illinois last year, according to the Ohio University Alumni Association’s Annual Report. That is the sixth highest number on the U.S. map, behind Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, Florida and California.
But the number of Chicago-area OU alumni continues to grow, said Erica Lipscomb, the assistant director of regional programs at the Alumni Association.
“It seems to be a hotspot (for recent graduates) right now,” she said.
The football team’s success is not only radiating Bobcat spirit across the globe, it is also drawing more alumni to the games. Compared to the usual 100 attendees, about 325 alumni showed up at the Penn State Bash, an away-game event that was hosted by the Alumni Association.
“We have found time and time again that Ohio alumni are like no other,” Lipscomb said. “They are an affinity we cannot explain. It’s just the experience they had in Athens that brings them together.”
And with Athens-style drink specials like Black Widows and Junction Punch, the little Irish pub does its best to make Vaughan’s a home away from home.
“They say that Vaughan’s Pub reminds them of a bar they used to go to in Athens, so we try to do things for them that remind them of home,” Massell said.
“During the basketball games, I’ve never heard any bar louder in my entire life, and I’ve been in the bar business for 20 years. They’re very into their games.”
During the spring hoopla, Massell said there were about 400 people stuffed into the little pub under a few big screens streaming the Sweet Sixteen.
The Chicago chapter has kept an Athenian tradition alive 400 miles away by modifying the Court Street Shuffle to fit Clark Street, Chicago. The group also does brewery tours, wine tastings and networking events, but Arnold said it’s been sports overload lately.
“It’s important to remember where you came from,” Arnold said. “We all go to different places, but it’s always great to go anywhere and see a paw print.”
oy311909@ohiou.edu
