CEDAR FALLS - She will turn 95 on Nov. 10, and Lila Anton is planning a big day. Candles and cake can wait, though.

"I chose to go to the ball game. And then we'll go to dinner the next day."

Anton is a fan. Her priority that Saturday will be an outing at the UNI-Dome, where a massive crowd - perhaps the third consecutive sellout - will watch the Panthers take on Indiana State.

Anton is on her way to the dome today, too. She is a season ticket holder and will attend the game against Youngstown State. Kickoff is at 3:05 p.m.

Anton will be in section P, row 24, seat 104, surrounded by about 17,000 close allies. They - and everyone who wanted to get in - are riding a wave of purple passion. The tide is crashing across Iowa, buoyed by the Panthers' perfect 7-0 season and No. 1 ranking.

"It's definitely generating some pride and fun on campus," says Mark Jastorff, president and CEO of the UNI Alumni Association.

He is relatively new to town. Jastorff accepted his job not long before UNI faced Appalachian State in the championship game in December 2005. The Panthers lost that contest, 21-16, in Chattanooga, Tenn., but Jastorff says he recognized something then and during earlier visits to Cedar Falls.

"There is a sense of pride. … It's not true of every campus," he says.

The atmosphere has only gotten better so far this season. Purple and gold merchandise is a hot commodity. Fans have filled the dome to capacity twice so far. Smart money would bet on two more sellouts before the regular season ends.

In 2006, Students Today Alumni Tomorrow - a group offered to UNI students through the Alumni Association - had 934 members. This year, the group has 2,400.

Wednesday morning, Jastorff, staff members and students distributed 350 purple T-shirts in about 30 minutes. Before the morning was over, all 500 available were gone.

Perhaps it wasn't not too surprising since the shirts were free and carry a popular message: "Beat the Penguins." Except the giveaway started at 7 a.m., which is widely regarded as an unholy hour by college students. As many as 200 people were already in line when Jastorff arrived for work, camped out in lawn chairs and wrapped in blankets.

"That's a pretty cool way to start your day," Jastorff says.

The Alumni Association passed out 300 "Beat the Salukis" shirts Oct. 13. The organization plans to distribute "Beat the Sycamores" and "Beat the Thunderbirds" versions to welcome Indiana State and Southern Utah to town.

Village people

Anton started buying season tickets when she was about 80 but was cheering for UNI before the school even knew its own name.

"I graduated from the Iowa State Teachers College in 1932 - and I've got a shirt to prove it."

That puts her on the Panthers' bandwagon when Herbert Hoover was president, when Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers made their first movie and when John Deere still thought two-cylinder tractors were the only way to go.

Anton lives at Friendship Village and rides to the UNI-Dome on the retirement community's bus with about 30 of her neighbors. Activity coordinator Jane Shea orders the season tickets and sometimes drives.

"The first year they were on the students' side. That didn't work very good," Shea says.

The young people like to stand during games. Shea's bunch - not so much.

Which is not to say Anton and her neighbors aren't capable of getting rowdy.

"I think I get kind of fired up," Anton says. "I don't mind getting tired. It's a good kind of tired."

The seniors take their sense of humor to campus, too. Shea says one sign the group flashes on occasion reads "The Village People support the Panthers."

Anton, a retired school teacher, travels alone these days. Her husband, Myron, another true believer in UNI athletics, died in 2000.

"He was maybe a bigger fan," Anton says. "I don't know if I am an avid fan, but I am a good fan."

She has noticed the larger crowds, suggesting latecomers have finally found their way to the Panther party.

"No, it doesn't bother me. But they've missed a lot. I guess everybody likes a winner," Anton says.

Background noise

Hanna Albaugh of Des Moines and Tyler Quandt of Schleswig spent part of Wednesday promoting class rings in Maucker Union. They belong to Connecting Alumni to Students, another group organized by the UNI Alumni Association.

They recognize UNI football is the dominant force this year in the state. Teams at the University of Iowa and Iowa State University are struggling. The Hawkeyes are 3-5. The Cyclones are 1-7, their lone victory coming against Iowa.

The Panthers beat the Cyclones, 24-13, early in the season. Albaugh and Quandt believe a matchup with the Hawkeyes would probably go the same way.

Quandt's friends who back the other state schools aren't as eager to debate lately.

"It's kind of nice to have that quiet in the background," he says.

Given the size of UNI's campus, Quandt, a senior, has known many of the Panther football players for years.

"I watched them grow up. I watched them get bigger and better," he says.

Many on campus are indeed excited, but the team at least is keeping things in perspective. Quandt says the players he knows are competitive and carry a sense of unfinished business after a disappointing trip to Tennessee two years ago.

"They'll celebrate at the end of the year when we win a championship," Quandt says.

Despite the sellout crowds, the interest in purple and overall energy level on campus, Albaugh and Quandt predict additional frenzy as the team racks up wins. The phenomenon will grow.

"I think it's going to get bigger," Quandt says.

Jastorff with the Alumni Association also recognizes a good thing when he sees one.

"Athletics is always going to be the front porch of your university," he says.

Which is why having a winning program in a major sport - and grabbing national headlines - represents such a windfall.

"From a public relations perspective, this is big," Jastorff says.

Alumni all across the country who watch the scores receive pleasant reminders about where they got their college degrees. The topic is a natural when Jastorff and others from UNI try to make contact.

"It gives us something to talk about. Then we can talk about other things," Jastorff says.

He has no problem capitalizing on the moment and seeing that "buzz turns into action."

"When you're good, take advantage of it. Because you know what? There will be times when you're not," Jastorff says.

Anton and the Village People will cheer today. She has no particular favorites on the team - "Of course, you're always interested in the quarterback" - and doesn't remember precisely how much the tickets cost - "Whatever it was, it was worth it."

She is most interested in the outcome.

"The part I like is that they are winning."

Contact Dennis Magee at (319) 291-1451 or dennis.magee@wcfcourier.com.