The First Game: St. Ignatius vs. Sacred Heart Oldest Athletic Rivalry West of the Rocky Mountains

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1 The First Game: St. Ignatius vs. Sacred Heart Oldest Athletic Rivalry West of the Rocky Mountains The start of a great athletic rivalry between St. Ignatius and Sacred Heart, the longest of any school west of the Rocky Mountains, started with a rugby game played on St. Patrick s Day in The centenary of that rivalry was celebrated in the fall of 1992 at Kezar Stadium with a crowd of 7,000 witnessing SI s 7-3 victory over the Irish. That anniversary was actually a bit premature (see below). San Francisco Chronicle writer Will Connolly, in the November 4, 1949 edition, wrote about that first game in an interview with Warren White, an English teacher at SI at the time. White had researched the history of the rivalry. He told Connolly that the game began when Cornelius Kennedy, a Sacred Heart College student, bought a pamphlet on How to Play Football, written by a young man under the style of Amos Alonzo Stagg. Kennedy collected a team at SH and elected himself coach and captain because he owned the textbook and the football. He had an investment of $12 and needed competition to protect it. So he visited SI and cajoled the boys into fielding a team. Kennedy was magnanimous. SI had no coach, no team. He generously agreed to teach them the fundamentals gleaned from the Stagg book. For two weeks he tutored the Ignatians late in the day, after putting in licks with his own SH eleven. The game was played on March 17, which is St. Patrick s Day and a holiday for the schools. The game was held in Central Park at Eighth and Market streets where the Crystal Palace now stands. In those days, the corner was on the outer fringe of the downtown district, virtually in the sticks. Both SH and SI had to practice surreptitiously, for the Brothers and the Jesuits considered football a brutalizing sport at that time and a distraction from scholarly pursuits. The way it was played, they were right. Injuries were common. SH won, The Irish were accoutered in canvas jackets, red and yellow stockings. SI wore black and gold, a radical change from the colors they now affect. You could suspect that Kennedy deliberately under-coached St. Ignatius. As a matter of fact, he gave his best effort. The game was close. Under association rules, at that time, a touchdown counted four points and a field goal two. There is one additional twist to the whole lore of the rivalry. For decades, the actual year of that first game was in dispute, even between the two schools. Was in 1892 or 1893? In the summer of 1992, leading up to the centennial game, research was conducted at the Main Library by scanning through the microfilm of San Francisco newspapers from March, However, nothing materialized. The newspapers from the same time period in 1893 were then reviewed. That research indeed proved the game everyone thought had been played in 1892 was actually one year later. The story doesn t stop there. There is one additional twist that most fans, alumni and even media have never heard. There was one more game that was played and somehow lost in time. In December, 1896, the two schools matched-up again. This time SI beat SH by the score of 8-0. It was the first shutout in the long series. SH alum Tom Mourgos (Class of 1975) found that nugget with his diligent research. Football Game Results and Bruce-Mahoney Trophy Winners Over the Years Football Game Year Football Game Winner Competition Year Trophy Winner 1893 Sacred Heart, 14-4 Notes Rugby. TD = 4 points / FG = 2 points 1896 St. Ignatius, 8-0 Rugby. First shutout in series Tie Game, 6-6 No Game Played 1921 No Game Played 1922 Sacred Heart, 3-0 First football shutout in series First SH shutout in series 1

2 1923 Sacred Heart, Sacred Heart, Sacred Heart, Sacred Heart, St. Ignatius, Sacred Heart, St. Ignatius, St. Ignatius, Sacred Heart, St. Ignatius, Game Cancelled 1934 No Game Played 1935 No Game Played 1936 St. Ignatius, St. Ignatius, St. Ignatius, St. Ignatius, Sacred Heart, Sacred Heart, Tie Game, Sacred Heart, St. Ignatius, 25-0 Advent of the Bruce-Mahoney Trophy Competition Football Football Game Winner Competition Trophy Winner Game Year First SI football shutout in series Notes Year 1945 St. Ignatius, Sacred Heart 1946 St. Ignatius, St. Ignatius 25th Game 1947 Sacred Heart, Sacred Heart Thought to be the 25th Game 1948 St. Ignatius, St. Ignatius 1949 Sacred Heart, Sacred Heart 1950 Sacred Heart, Sacred Heart 1951 Sacred Heart, Sacred Heart 1952 St. Ignatius, St. Ignatius 1953 St. Ignatius, St. Ignatius 1954 Sacred Heart, Sacred Heart 1955 St. Ignatius, St. Ignatius 1956 St. Ignatius, Sacred Heart 1957 Tie Game, St. Ignatius 1958 St. Ignatius, St. Ignatius 1959 St. Ignatius, St. Ignatius 1960 St. Ignatius, Sacred Heart 1961 Sacred Heart, Sacred Heart 1962 St. Ignatius, St. Ignatius 1963 St. Ignatius, Sacred Heart 1964 St. Ignatius, St. Ignatius 1965 Tie Game, Sacred Heart 1966 Sacred Heart, St. Ignatius 1967 No Game Played Shared by Both Schools 1968 No Game Played Shared by Both Schools 1969 No Game Played St. Ignatius 1970 St. Ignatius, St. Ignatius 1971 Sacred Heart, St. Ignatius, Sacred Heart Sacred Heart 1973 St. Ignatius, St. Ignatius 1974 St. Ignatius, St. Ignatius 50th Game Largest shutout margin by SH in series Most points scored by SI in series 2

3 1975 St. Ignatius, St. Ignatius Thought to be the 50th Game 1976 St. Ignatius, St. Ignatius 1977 St. Ignatius, St. Ignatius 1978 St. Ignatius, St. Ignatius 1979 Tie Game, St. Ignatius 1980 St. Ignatius, St. Ignatius 1981 Tie Game, St. Ignatius 1982 St. Ignatius, St. Ignatius 1983 St. Ignatius, St. Ignatius California Tie Breaker won by SH Largest shutout margin by SI in series 1984 St. Ignatius, St. Ignatius 1985 St. Ignatius, Sacred Heart 1986 St. Ignatius, St. Ignatius 1987 Sacred Heart, Sacred Heart Last shutout by SH in series 1988 Sacred Heart, Sacred Heart 1989 St. Ignatius, St. Ignatius 1990 St. Ignatius, St. Ignatius 1991 St. Ignatius, St. Ignatius 1992 St. Ignatius, St. Ignatius 100th Anniversary Celebrated 1993 St. Ignatius, Sacred Heart Actual 100th Anniversary 1994 St. Ignatius, St. Ignatius 1995 St. Ignatius, St. Ignatius 1996 Tie Game, St. Ignatius 1997 Sacred Heart, Sacred Heart 1998 St. Ignatius, St. Ignatius 1999 St. Ignatius, St. Ignatius 75th Game 2000 St. Ignatius, St. Ignatius 2001 St. Ignatius, St. Ignatius 2002 Sacred Heart, St. Ignatius 2003 St. Ignatius, St. Ignatius 2004 St. Ignatius, St. Ignatius Last shutout by SI in series 2005 Sacred Heart, St. Ignatius 2006 St. Ignatius, St. Ignatius 2007 St. Ignatius, St. Ignatius 2008 St. Ignatius, Sacred Heart 2009 St. Ignatius, St. Ignatius 2010 St. Ignatius, St. Ignatius 2011 Sacred Heart, Sacred Heart 2011 St. Ignatius, Most points scored by SH in series. Last win by SH CCS Division III Championship Game played at AT&T Park 2012 St. Ignatius, St. Ignatius 2013 St. Ignatius, St. Ignatius 2014 St. Ignatius, St. Ignatius Game played on-campus at SI 2015 St. Ignatius, St. Ignatius 2016 St. Ignatius, St. Ignatius 2017 To Be Determined To Be Determined Oldest High School Football Rivalries West of the Mississippi River All-Time Year Started Schools State 1892 Abilene Chapman Kansas 1892 Pueblo Central Pueblo Centennial Colorado 3

4 St. Ignatius 1893 California Sacred Heart Source: NFHS Football Record Book, 2017 Additional Series Historical Notes General The oldest high school rivalry, private or public, west of the Rocky Mountains. The third-oldest high school rivalry west of the Mississippi River. The oldest Catholic school rivalry in the United States. After the rugby game of 1893, the two schools met again in 1896 (also rugby). SI would prevail in that contest. The two schools would not meet again until football was in fashion when the rivalry was kindled. The years of saw no game played. From , the schools met each year. Early on, it was the Irish who looked like the stronger of the two when it came to this new sport. The two schools have played every year in succession since That is the year SH joined the West Catholic Athletic League (WCAL). The two schools also played every year from 1936 through This is when both were members of the City s Academic Athletic Association (AAA). SI left for the WCAL starting in SH remained from three more years. Prior to 1936, there was three years in-a-row when the schools did not play ( ). The 1933 contest was cancelled for some reason and there were no games schedule for , as SI had jumped from the City league and played as an independent for several years. SH completed a merger with Cathedral High School (girls) in 1987 and became co-educational. The new school name officially became Sacred Heart Cathedral. SI went from being an all-male school to co-educational in The 2017 game will be the ninety-fourth match-up between the two schools. Ninety-three of those have come in the regular season. The only game not to be in regular season was the second game in 2011 that decided the CCS Division III Championship. Victories SI has 61 victories in the series (60 in regular season). SH has 25 wins all-time. Tie Games There have been seven games that have ended in a tie. The first came in 1919, 6-6. That was the first official meeting in football between the two schools. The California Tie Breaker was invoked in 1979, with SH winning that mini battle. Yet the result was never utilized as there was not a championship or seeding question at the end of the season related to either school. 0-0 Tie Games There have even been 0-0 ties in this long history of competition. In 1942 and 1979, the teams could not score a single point on each other. That is, in regulation. Because in 1979, the unpopular California Tie Breaker was used to decide a winner. SH captured this, but the game is officially in the record books as a tie game, not a win for SH. Shutouts There have been quite a few shutouts in the series for both schools. The first being by SI in that 1896 rugby match. Many of the shutouts occurred in the infancy of the match-up, in the early-to-mid 20th-century. These figures include the two 0-0 tie shutout games. SI has blanked SH 21 times over the years. Four of these came in succession, from The last shutout for SI came in 2004, The Irish have kept SI of the scoreboard nine times. SH too had a four-game run without allowing a point, from The last shutout for SH came in 1987, Points Scored SI has had some high-scoring games at the expense of the Irish. In 1952, the Wildcats prevailed In 1959, they won by a score of In 1983, the score was The 58 points in 1952 in the most SI has put up versus SH. The SH high-score record against SI is more recent. In the 2011 regular season, the Irish won at Kezar Stadium. 4

5 Winning Streaks The longest winning-streak for SI, and either school in the series, is seven consecutive. This was from If you include two ties during that span (including 1981), then SI had a 15-year undefeated streak against the Irish ( ). The 100th Anniversary? In 1992, Ray Calcagno stepped-down as SI varsity football coach. Alum Joe Vollert became one of the youngest men, at 26, ever to serve as varsity football coach. One of Vollert s early tests came in his first year as coach. SI and SH marked the 100th anniversary of the first time the two schools met back in 1892 or 1893 for a St. Patrick s Day rugby game. Although the two schools do not agree on the actual year. One says 1892, the other The 100th" game was seen by some as one year early due to a typographical error in one local newspaper story. The Irish of Sacred Heart came decked out just for the event with special jerseys reading Beat SI on the fronts and Mahoney on the backs in memory of their deceased alumnus Jerry Mahoney of Bruce-Mahoney fame. SI may have lost that first match-up in the 1890 s, but the special jerseys didn t provide the Irish with luck this time around. SI beat SH 7-3 before a crowd of 7,000 at Kezar Stadium. Championship at Stake In the 125-year history of the storied rivalry between Sacred Heart and St. Ignatius, there have been numerous athletes who have distinguished themselves and single plays that have impacted the outcome. Many of these have risen to the level of legend. No doubt, each in their own right has added to the fabled tradition and folklore of the greatest Catholic school football rivalry in this nation s history. Yet, only once in their history did SI and SH have a championship at stake when the met. On Saturday night, December 3, 2011, SI and SH met at San Francisco s AT&T Park to decide the football championship of the Central Coast Section (CCS) Division III. The Wildcats were unlikely participants in this affair, as they had made the postseason with a regular season record. But this was the culmination of an unlikely playoff roll for SI who had won the first two games of the postseason in dramatic fashion. Those wins setup the showdown with the Irish in Mission Bay at the home of the San Francisco Giants. Having lost to SH during the regular season 38-14, few gave SI a chance of winning. But SI head coach John Regalia, a master in game preparation, installed a new Power-I formation that saw Brian Wolowitz, brought up from the junior varsity team, being the lead blocker for back Dominic Truoccolo. The rugged senior carried the ball on 13 of the first 14 plays during SI s first possession to set the tone for the evening. The passing game for the Wildcats normally balanced attack, led by quarterback Jack Stinn who entered the contest with almost 2,600 passing yards, was put aside as SI attempted just five passes without a completion on the night. With 12,155 frenzied fans in the stands on a cool night, the tension built as the score was tied midway through the fourth quarter. As Sacred Heart drove down the field, Irish quarterback Jack Harrington fumbled the snap from center. SI junior linebacker Danny O Malley was on the spot to scoop-up the ball and ran 50 yards unabated to the east end zone for the winning touchdown. The Cats held-on for the final four minutes to prevail and capture their second-ever CCS football crown. Truoccolo finished with 36 carries for 179 yards rushing and one touchdown. Wildcat Shining Moments 1952: The 58 points scored by SI was a school record and is still one of the highest in Wildcat gridiron history. 1975: Junior Dan Hurley set a school record with his 81 yard punt return for a touchdown. 1975: Junior Dan Tracey managed six pass break-ups against SH to set a new school record. 1975: SI defense recovered four fumbles against SH, tying the school record. 1975: SI defense registered 13 pass break-ups against SH - second-best in school history. 1975: Back Kevin Ryan carried the ball 36 times against SH to establish a then school record. Ryan surpassed the mark he set just one week prior versus Archbishop Riordan with 34 attempts. 1976: SI defense held SH to -26 rushing yards - third-best in school history. 1983: The 52 points scored are one of the highest in school history. 1983: SI defense allowed only two first downs to SH, a new school record. 1983: SI defense held SH to 18 yards of total offense - fourth-best in school history. 1998: SI defense held SH to -31 rushing yards - second-best in school history. 1998: SI defense held SH to 1 yard of total offense - second-best in school history. 1998: SI defense notched 15 tackles-for-loss against SH, a new school record. 2000: Three receiving touchdowns by Aaron Hines set a new school record (since tied twice). 2002: Conor Coyle registered 12 solo tackles versus SH, one of the best in school history. 2002: Conor Coyle set a then school record with 17 tackles versus SH (since been tied). 5

6 2003: SI defense held SH to -4 passing yards - best in school history. 2004: The 329 team rushing yards gained are one of the highest in school history. 2006: SI defense allowed only three first downs to SH, one of the best in school history. 2006: SI defense held SH to 66 yards of total offense - fifth-best in school history. 2011: The 34 pass attempts, in the regular season game, by Jack Stinn, are one of the most in school history. 2011: In the regular season loss to SHC, Jack Stinn connected with receiver Mike Pia for a 62 touchdown via the air. This was believed to be the second-longest (at the time) in school history. 2011: Junior Danny O Malley returned a fumble recovery 50 yards for a touchdown to seal a win over SHC in the 2011 CCS Division II Championship Game. This was one of the longest returns for a score in school history. 2011: Dominic Truoccolo had 36 rush attempts against SH in the CCS Championship. This is tied for third-most in school history. 2011: Despite winning the CCS Championship Game 21-14, the Wildcats did not complete a single pass against SHC in the 2011 CCS Division II Championship Game. Quarterback Jack Stinn was 0-for : Charlie Goldensohn of SI became first prep to play baseball and football on AT&T Park field. 2012: 322 team rushing yards gained is one of the highest in school history 2012: 491 yards of total offense by the Wildcats is one of the highest in school history. 2012: Two SI running backs rushed for 100-plus yards in the win over SHC. Junior Elijah Dale gained 182 yards (29 attempts / 1 TD) and senior Albert Waters gained 129 yards (18 attempts / 2 TD). Together, the pair amassed 311 rushing yards. The 2014 edition of the rivalry saw the game being held at J.B. Murphy Field, on the St. Ignatius campus, for the first time in 25 years. This was due to the fact that Kezar Stadium was being renovated. Special Thanks The late Dr. Robert A. Jeffrey, Jr, M.D., SI Sports Information Director extraordinaire from , contributed much of the research contained in this piece. He was just known as the Doc. Special thanks also go to Gene Clancy, SI Class of 1977, for keeping such copious amounts of game notes, information, newspaper clippings, programs, etc. from that era. 6