KNOXVILLE, Tennessee — When we learned Tennessee would face Indiana in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl, my mind immediately went to WBIR's Madison Stacey. Stacey is a digital storyteller for Channel 10, a great friend of mine, but most importantly to our story, an Indiana Hoosier.
Stacey was born in Indianapolis and graduated from Indiana University. She is a Hoosier through and through. To that I ask this simple question: what does it mean to be a Hoosier?
"I think in a lot of ways, it means everything," Stacey said. "I'm very proud to be a Hoosier, I think it's nice because people may not know where Indiana is on the map, but they know what a Hoosier is."
That's all well and good, I can respect having pride for where you're from, but it still doesn't answer my question: what does it mean to be a Hoosier?
"Even Hoosiers don't really know what a Hoosier is, it's just someone from Indiana, but it has a lot of different meanings," Stacey said. "It could be someone who was from Indiana originally. It could be someone who went to Indiana University. It could also be someone who just moved to Indiana and really liked it, stayed for a long time... like Peyton Manning, perhaps?"
One of the greatest players to every wear Orange and White, Manning was picked No. 1 overall by the Indianapolis Colts in 1998 and played in the Hoosier State until 2011, winning Super Bowl XLI along the way.
The Indiana state government website gives a bit more details on the origin of the phrase.
"We know that it came into general usage in the 1830s. John Finley of Richmond wrote a poem, 'The Hoosier's Nest,' which was used as the 'Carrier's Address' of the Indianapolis Journal, Jan. 1, 1833."
Just as with our own Hoosier, the government doesn't know a precise starting point or definition, but does list out a few options you can check out here.
As for the game on Thursday, Stacey doesn't have her hopes too high.
"The vibe that I think IU fans have with this upcoming game a little bit is more kind of like, 'oh if we win, that's great, if we lose it's kind of expected.' I think SEC wins more, so they're going to be more proud of it and rightfully so."
As for the Indiana fans themselves, Stacey says they're pretty nice folks.
"I've been to games with other schools kind of, and the fans can get really intense if you're in a bar or restaurant somewhere, but I think with IU it's not really like that."
"It's more of a relaxed kind of feeling."
Tennessee and Indiana will play in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl on Jan. 2 at 7 p.m.