MUNCIE — In January 1989, Ball State football coach Paul Schudel called David Haugh into his office.
In the days leading up to Mike Neu’s official visit to Ball State, Schudel wanted to make sure Haugh, a junior safety, knew what was at stake when he hosted the 6-foot-4, 173-pound quarterback from Perry Meridian High School.
Before Neu would become the heir apparent to star quarterback David Riley, before Neu led Ball State to a Mid-American Conference title in 1993 and before Neu would become the program’s head football coach in 2016, the Cardinals simply needed him to like Muncie so that’d he sign with them.