City–Poly football rivalry

The City–Poly football rivalry, also referred to as the "City-Poly Game" is an American football rivalry between the Baltimore City College Black Knights (City) and the Baltimore Polytechnic Institute Engineers (Poly). This matchup is the oldest football rivalry in Maryland.[1] The rivalry is believed to be the second-oldest high school football rivalry in the United States between public high schools, predated only by the English High School of Boston-Boston Latin School football rivalry, which started two years earlier in 1887. The rivalry began in 1889 and the teams have met 134 times in history. City College leads the series 66-62-6.[2][3]

A game ticket to the 1936 matchup between Baltimore City College and Baltimore Polytechnic Institute.

From the first game in the series until 1922, the game was played at various parks in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Starting in 1923, the game was played on Saturday after Thanksgiving Day in football stadiums, starting with Baltimore Municipal Stadium. The game was moved to Thanksgiving Day in 1944 due to a scheduling conflict with the Army-Navy game, which was also played at Municipal Stadium that year.[4] [5] The game remained on Thanksgiving Day for nearly five decades years until 1992 when City College and Polytechnic withdrew from the Maryland Scholastic Association (MSA) to join the Maryland Public Secondary School Athletic Association (MPSSAA.[6] Today, the game is continues to be played at a neutral site and currently takes place at Hughes Stadium on the campus of Morgan State University.[7] In November 1941, 30,000 spectators attended the City-Poly game, which continues to hold the record of the largest attendance in the series.[8]

History edit

A budding rivalry (1889 through 1909) edit

The first City-Poly game took place in 1889 when a junior varsity football team from Polytechnic met the varsity football team from City College at Clifton Park in the northeast section of Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The inaugural game was won by City College. Then known as the Collegians, City College continued to beat rival Poly each year through 1901. In 1902, for the first time in the then-12-year-old rivalry, no game was played.[9] The series resumed in 1903, with City beating Poly each year until 1906. In 1907, the two teams experienced the first tie or draw in the series occurred.[10] Poly beat City for the first time ever in 1908.[10]

Baltimore's premiere high school rivalry (1910s through 1940s) edit

 
Cover of a 1925 game program from a matchup between Baltimore City College and Baltimore Polytechnic Institute

During the 1910s, Polytechnic improved its football program significantly and was the dominate team in the series. Between 1910 and 1919, Poly won every game in the series, except the 1912 game when they were bested by City.[11] During this decade, Poly shut out City in 1914, 1915, 1916, and 1917. Polytechnic's winning streak over City College continued through 1921. In 1922, City College beat Polytechnic by a score of 27–0 to end a nine-game losing streak against the Engineers.[12]

By the 1920s, the City-Poly rivalry the dominate and most heated high school football rivalry in the Baltimore region. One of the most controversial games in the series took place during the 1920s. The eligibility of a City College player was challenged prior to the 1926 matchup. The Maryland Scholastic Association formed a committee to investigate the matter. Following an investigation and a physical altercation involving the player's father, the committee ruled that the player was banned from participating on the team and expelled was expelled from Baltimore City Public Schools.[13] Following the ruling, the two teams met at the Baltimore Stadium with 20,000 spectators on hand. Polytechnic won the game by a score of 3–0 with a late field goal in the fourth quarter. The 1920s concluded with Polytechnic dominated a 20-year stretch in the annual series with City College.[2]

The City College football program was resurgent in the 1930s. Polytechnic dominated the series in the previous two decades, however the Engineers only won two of the 10 games against Collegians between 1930 and 1939.[11] In 1934, Harry Lawrence, a Polytechnic graduate and former player, was hired as head football coach at City College.[14] Lawrence coached the City College Collegians to several dominate wins over Polytechnic Engineers through the 1930s and into the early-1940s. In November 1941, 30,000 spectators attended the City-Poly game, which continues to hold the record of the largest attendance in the series.[8] In 1944, the annual series, which had been played on the Saturday following Thanksgiving Day, was moved to Thanksgiving Day afternoon due to a scheduling conflict with the Army–Navy Game.[4] The game remained on Thanksgiving Day for nearly 50 years.

National prominence: The Lumsden and Young era (1950s and 1960s) edit

 
Future Baltimore mayor, Kurt Schmoke (#10), throws a pass at the 1965 City-Poly game

From 1950 to 1959, Polytechnic, led by legendary former head football coach and athletic director Bob Lumsden, won nine out of the 10 games of the decade, including five straight wins. In her career at Poly, Lumsden earned a win-loss record of 11–7 record against City, when he retired as Poly's head coach in 1966. In 1962, Lumsden coached Poly to an undefeated record of 9-0 and earned a trip to the unofficial high school national championship game at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida against the top-ranked Miami Senior High School. The tide turned in the 1960s when George Young was hired as City's head football coach. During his time at City College, Young coached the Collegians to six wins over their rival Engineers and also won six MSA championships.[15][16] Young also created a nationally ranked program in City College with the Collegians finishing the 1968 season ranked No. 8 in the National Sports News Service (NSNS) prep football poll.[17]

Poly dominates the series (1970s and 1980s) edit

During the 1970s and 1980s, Polytechnic controlled the series with their rival City College. During this period, City College lost 17 straight games in the series, before winning in 1987.[2] This is the longest winning streak in the series for either team. In 1993, the Baltimore City public schools withdrew from the Maryland Scholastic Athletic association and joined the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (MPSSAA).[18] This change meant that the football season would end earlier forcing Poly and City to move their game from Thanksgiving Day to the first Saturday in November.

City dominates the series (1990s through present) edit

Since 1990, City College holds a win-loss record of 22-10 versus Polytechnic. From 1990 to 1999, the game was played at Baltimore Memorial Stadium. In 1999, the two rivals played their last-ever game at Memorial Stadium. The game was moved to M&T Bank Stadium due to the NFL's Baltimore Ravens opening a new downtown stadium. From 1990 to 1999, the two teams spilt their annual series during this period, winning five games each. The next decade also featured a spilt series, with each team winning five games in the 10 seasons from 2000 to 2009. Since 2012, the City owns a 12-0 undefeated record against Poly, which is the second-longest winning streak in the series all-time. In 2017, history was made when the first-ever female player took the field in this series.[19]

As it had been since 1922, all games in the series between 1990 and 1996 were played at Baltimore Memorial Stadium, a multi-purpose stadium that was home to the Baltimore Colts and the Baltimore Ravens of the NFL and Major League Baseball's Baltimore Orioles. When the Ravens moved to M&T Bank Stadium in downtown Baltimore, the game moved to that location. The last City-Poly game at M&T Bank was played in 2017.[20] The game is now played at Hughes Stadium on the campus of Morgan State University.

Cultural significance edit

The City-Poly game has been ubiquitous in households across Metropolitan Baltimore since the series began in 1889. Along with the Turkey Bowl played between Loyola Blakefield and Calvert Hall College High School, the City-Poly game is the most high-profile high school football game in the Baltimore area. profile high school football rivalry. While some households root strictly for City or Poly, many homes spilt allegiances between both schools.[21]

As it has for the last 134 years, the City-Poly continues to maintain cultural significance in Baltimore. Today, the game is considered each school's homecoming game and attracts thousands of students, alumni, and affiliated supporters to a week-long series of local events, culminating in CityPoly Fest, a festival which attracts sponsors and thousands of participants each year.[22]

Game results edit

Since 1889, the Black Knights and the Engineers have played 134 times. City College leads the series 66-62-6. Since 1923, the game has been played in football stadiums. That year, the teams met at the Baltimore Municipal Stadium, which later becomes the Baltimore Memorial Stadium. The two rivals met at this location until 1992, when both schools withdrew from the Maryland Scholastic Association to join the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association to compete for state championships with Maryland's other public schools.

City victoriesPoly victoriesTie games
No.DateCityPolyNotes
121889-1900City won the first 12 games of the series
131901City5Poly0
141903City10Poly0No game was played in 1902
151904City6Poly0
161905City6Poly4
171906City5Poly0
181907City2Poly2
191908City0Poly11Poly win
201909City0Poly11
211910City3Poly0
221911City0Poly6
231912City13Poly6
241913City10Poly20
251914City0Poly3
261915City0Poly13
271916City0Poly13City's only loss of the season
281917City0Poly26
291918City3Poly13
301919City7Poly19
311920City2Poly14
321921City0Poly27
331922City27Poly0
341923City14Poly6
351924City13Poly6City retired the Evening Sun City-Poly trophy[23]
361925City12Poly0
371926City0Poly3future City coach kicks winning field goal for Poly
381927City11Poly18
391928City6Poly33
401929City0Poly7first year with numerals on both sides of game jersey(City)
411930City0Poly18
421931City7Poly7
431932City0Poly0
441933City6Poly12
451934City13Poly0
461935City26Poly0
471936City20Poly6
481937City6Poly6
491938City33Poly0
501939City12Poly0
511940City19Poly0
521941City18Poly0
531942City19Poly7
541943City12Poly19
551944City7Poly7
561945City6Poly7
571946City6Poly0
581947City7Poly623,000 in attendance[24]
591948City13Poly12
601949City26Poly6
611950City0Poly12Lumsden was assistant coach
621951City7Poly18
631952City0Poly21
641953City0Poly620,000 in attendance
651954City0Poly19
661955City12Poly1217,242 in attendance
671956City6Poly12
681957City0Poly30
691958City6Poly12
701959City0Poly12
711960City30Poly26City's first win in 11 years
721961City30Poly8
731962City6Poly14
741963City0Poly28
751964City14Poly6
761965City52Poly6Schmoke City's quarterback, 22,676 in attendance[25]
771966City42Poly6Anderson was team captain
781967City20Poly16City headcoach George Young coaches his last high school game.
791968City26Poly6
801969City12Poly6
811970City0Poly6
821971City14Poly22
831972City6Poly32
841973City0Poly29
851974City0Poly6
861975City6Poly20
871976City0Poly34
881977City0Poly7
891978City6Poly30only 5,000 in attendance[26]
901979City7Poly31no City varsity game played by JVs[26]
911980City0Poly47no City varsity game played by JVs[26]
921981City0Poly32
931982City12Poly30
941983City0Poly18
951984City0Poly48
961985City0Poly33
971986City21Poly41
981987City34Poly22City's Chris Smith throws 100 yd TD pass,[27] first win in last 17 years
991988City20Poly7
1001989City36Poly6100th anniversary of rivalry, Mayor Schmoke throws out first ball[28]
1011990City0Poly27
1021991City14Poly8
1031992City20Poly0last game played on Thanksgiving
1041993City20Poly21
1051994City6Poly7[29]
1061995City14Poly31
1071996City26Poly20
1081997City7Poly0
1091998City13Poly12
1101999City20Poly38
1112000City18Poly6
1122001City2Poly0Poly was forced to forfeit game (ineligible player)
1132002City6Poly7
1142003City21Poly41
1152004City6Poly24
1162005City15Poly12game played at Ravens Stadium
1172006City44Poly8game played at Ravens Stadium
1182007City26Poly20game played at Ravens Stadium
1192008City13Poly16City led 13-0 at halftime
1202009City20Poly26City misses extra point in regulation, Poly wins in overtime.
1212010City6Poly14game was tied 6-6 at halftime
1222011City16Poly22
1232012City20Poly14
1242013City36Poly14
1252014City22Poly12both teams entered the game with losing records
1262015City42Poly6
1272016City30Poly28the game was tied at 16 at the end of regulation
1282017City22Poly18last game at M&T Bank Stadium
1292018City32Poly14game played at Hughes Stadium (Morgan State)
1302019City10Poly6City played without 10 suspended players
1312020no game due to covid-19
1322021City20Poly18Poly missed game winning field goal as time expired
1332021City24Poly12teams met for a MPSSAA playoff game
1342022City24Poly16a fight at the game resulted in both teams being banned from the playoffs
1352023City44Poly6City lead 30-0 at halftime
Series: City leads 68–60–6


References edit

  1. ^ "Maryland's oldest football rivalry continues". November 2019.
  2. ^ a b c Patterson (2000), p. 7.[full citation needed]
  3. ^ "City football claims dominant 44-6 win over Poly in 134th edition of rivalry: 'This game means everything for City'". 28 October 2023.
  4. ^ a b Patterson (2000), p. 8.[full citation needed]
  5. ^ "City And Poly Will Clash In Annual Game Next Saturday". The Sun. 17 November 1929. p. S4. ProQuest 543458538.
  6. ^ "City, Poly and a Thanksgiving Tradition That's No More". 27 November 2019.
  7. ^ "The City vs. Poly tradition lives on". 27 October 2023.
  8. ^ a b Goldstein, Alan (25 November 1959). "Poly-City Game May Draw Biggest Crowd". The Sun. p. S23. ProQuest 540479670.
  9. ^ Leonhart 1939, p. 219.
  10. ^ a b Leonhart 1939, p. 221.
  11. ^ a b Leonhart 1939, p. 229.
  12. ^ Leonhart 1939, p. 224.
  13. ^ Leonhart 1939, pp. 225–226.
  14. ^ Leonhart 1939, p. 227.
  15. ^ Marudas, Kyriakos (1988). The City-Poly Game. Baltimore: Gateway Press. p. 66.
  16. ^ DiBlasi, Joe (2006-11-09). "City-Poly". Word Smith Media Ventures. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-07-26.
  17. ^ Jackson, James H (7 January 1966). "City College Football Team Ranked 8th In Nation". The Sun. p. C1. ProQuest 539659379.
  18. ^ Mills, Keith (2007-11-08). "Poly vs. City: Tradition Time Is Here Again". Word Smith Media Ventures, LLC. Archived from the original on 5 December 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-09.
  19. ^ "First Female Football Player to Take the Field in City-Poly Rivalry History". 3 November 2017.
  20. ^ "M&T Bank Stadium no longer the permanent venue for Turkey Bowl, City-Poly football games". 14 November 2017.
  21. ^ "City - Poly; A Rivalry Like No Other". 26 October 2021.
  22. ^ https://www.citypolyfest.com/
  23. ^ Saye, Hyman, ed. (1925). The 1925 Green Bag.
  24. ^ Offit, Benson, ed. (1948). The 1948 Green Bag.
  25. ^ Jackson, James B. (1965-11-26). "Unbeaten City Deals Poly First Loss 52–6". Baltimore Sun.
  26. ^ a b c Dixon, Joseph V., ed. (1979). The 1979 Green Bag.
  27. ^ Mills, Keith (2007-11-08). "City vs. Poly: Tradition Time Is Here Again". The Press Box. Archived from the original on 2007-12-05. Retrieved 2009-08-29.
  28. ^ Mills, Keith. "City vs. Poly: Tradition Time Is Here Again". Press Box Preps. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
  29. ^ "Fall Scoreboard (1994)". Ancestry.com. Yearbooks. Retrieved 17 November 2022.

Sources edit

  • Leonhart, James Chancellor (1939). One Hundred Years of the Baltimore City College. H.G. Roebuck & Son. OCLC 610526848.