Every great team has an origin story. Before Nationals appearances, tournament wins, and decades of tradition, the HoosierMama?s were just a handful of players figuring it out—scraping together a roster, learning from tough losses, and building something bigger than themselves.

Let’s dive into how the Mama?s went from a ragtag group playing in Dunn Meadow to a Nationals-caliber program.

Let’s go back to where it all began...

The First Throw

Before the HoosierMama?s became a competitive ultimate team, they were just a scattered group looking for a game. Tim Anderson, one of the original players, remembers the moment ultimate pulled him in.

“I saw a 5-on-5 game in Dunn Meadow and immediately stopped my motorcycle to jump in. No one wore cleats, and it was pretty chaotic, but that was the start of it all.”

At the time, there wasn’t an official IU Ultimate team. Pick-up games popped up, but nothing lasted—until 1984, when a handful of students formally organized through IU Rec Sports.

That first group included Ken Ebbott, Jay Lustgarten, John Heichelbech, Bob Flynn, Dave Jones, and Robin Tener.

Woodlawn Field, likely Spring of `87, might be Spring `88. From left to right: Steve Cederbloom, (unknown player), Thad Tarpey, Jeff Behrends, Jason Shear, Mark Veldman 

But the first true HoosierMama?s practice happened that fall. They didn’t have a set offense, didn’t have a system, and often barely had enough players to run a scrimmage. The game plan? Run hard, throw to someone wearing red, and hope for the best.

Despite the chaos, the team spirit was undeniable.

How the HoosierMama?s Got Their Name (And Their Look)

The name HoosierMama?s wasn’t carefully planned—it started as a joke between teammates that somehow stuck.

“We were throwing names around, and Ken Ebbott just said, ‘HoosierMama?’” John Heichelbech recalls. “It made us laugh, so we kept it.”

Once the name stuck, the team needed a logo and jerseys—but, true to Mama?s style, those came together in a way as unconventional as the team itself.

The First Disc & The Legendary Typo

The first team disc was designed to feature the IU trident, but with a question mark instead of the “I.” Across the top, it read “HoosierMama?” and underneath was supposed to say “Illegitimate Ultimate.”

Except… it didn’t.

“No one caught it before we sent it in,” Bob Flynn says. “We misspelled it as ‘Illigitimate Ultimate’—and we printed the full batch.”

The typo became a part of Mama?s history—the perfect reflection of a team that wasn’t about looking polished but about playing with heart.