September 27, 2019
4
Boys’ Bowl
THE 75TH
BOYS’ Boys’ Bowl: Once a Game, Now a Tradition Nick D’Abate ‘21 Staff Writer
Three quarters of a century ago, in 1944, Catholic Central football coach Alex Chesney was ready for one of the biggest challenges of his career. The Shamrocks had endured one of the most arduous and unfortunate seasons ever recorded. Only two out of seven games were counted as victories in the official records, two games were ties, and three were major losses. However, Coach Chesney was determined and unshaken. He and his team were ready to face Fr. Flanagan’s well-seasoned Boys Town, the best high school football team in the country, in the first ever Boys’ Bowl game. The Boys’ Bowl game was to be a fundraiser played between the best team in Michigan, CC, and the best team in the country, Boys Town. According to Alumni Relations Director Tim Burke ‘86, “The proceeds from this game went to charities in Detroit. It helped build 6565 West Outer Drive, and Boys Town also received money. This was before Twitter, iPads, cell phones. But it was a big community thing, the Governor came, people from all over the place came to this event.” In fact, over forty thousand fans at-
tended the first Boys’ Bowl game. When the men of Boys Town arrived in Detroit from Nebraska, people of Catholic Central and Boys Town sat down to what was the original Boys’ Bowl breakfast in the Book Cadillac Hotel. Then they parted ways as the men of Boys Town went on a tour of Detroit, starting with the Ford Rotunda, Ford Motor Company’s headquarters at the time. The city of Detroit was illuminated as thousands of football fans gathered around for a parade before they entered Briggs Stadium, later known as Tigers Stadium. Three minutes into the game, the Detroiters put the first points on the board. The Shamrocks’ kick was later blocked, leaving Boys Town to begin the second quarter on the seven-yard line. On the first play the score was 7-7 and the rest of the quarter was a stalemate with much commotion. With the beginning of the third quarter underway, both teams penetrated deep into both sides until Boys Town started to take control, leading to another seven points. However, with a few minutes left, Catholic Central’s quarterback threw a pass from the 29yard line, complete to the two-yard line. With 30 seconds left, the Shamrcks tied it up at 14. From that day forward a new tra-
1944 Shamrock carries the ball in the very first Boys’ Bowl
dition was born, the “Boys’ Bowl.” As time progressed, the Boys’ Bowl became more than a simple Saturday sporting event. Rivalries grew larger, and new customs like the mural, the floats, and Mass and Breakfast formed Boys’ Bowl into what we Shamrocks know of it today. Mr. Herman recalls, “Boys’ Bowl for me, I remember being like a 6-year-old kid running around under the bleachers, getting addicted to the sounds of the cheering of both sides. And it wasn’t uncommon for the faculty to engage in those cheers.” On a simple walk down the art hallway, one sees the images of the murals of the past and notices just how beloved Boys’ Bowl is and how powerful the rivalries are with the other schools. Mr. Herman often fondly re-
Photo from archives
calls his own Boys’ Bowl memories. He said, “On the last play, our quarterback threw a hard pass which got us into position to kick a 42-yard field goal to win the game by two points.” “I remember,” he continued, “looking up at Wisner Stadium, and literally, a sea of people just flowed down over the bars that separated us from the field and just rushed the field.” From then on Brother Rice was not featured in Boys’ Bowl until 2017. This year we are very fortunate to see the jolly pumpkin heads once more.
CC vs. Rice: Another Great Rivalry Brendan Nordstrom ‘21 Staff Writer
It is hard to imagine our society without light bulbs, the internet, and even America. These innovations would not be possible without the presence of rivalries. The definition of rivalry is “a competition for the same objective or for superiority in a certain field,” yet it is so much more than just the aforementioned competition. A rivalry is one set of beliefs and morals pinned up against another. The thing that fuels these is not just the desire to win but rather the willingness to work the hardest to push the bounds in the name of what one believes in. Ultimately, they bring out the best in all sides as it fuels advancement and pushes teams, companies, and even countries to fight, manipulate, and outplay the other. Without this competition, the world we all know today would be far less advanced and far less intelligent. A common misconception about rivalries is that they promote hostility when cooperation would be more beneficial. This can be disputed in many cases as competition forces people to push their limits and results in the strongest and most resilient group on top. Three prime examples of this are the American Revolution, Tesla versus Edison, and the Cold War. The colonists were untrained, unprepared men going up against one of the strongest and most successful armies in the world. When the British threatened their way of living, they took it upon themselves to be liberated from this dark presence
overshadowing them. If it weren’t for these colonists’ passion for freedom and enmity towards Britain and their policies, America would never have existed and grown to the prowess we know today. Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison are known as two of the greatest minds in history, and, unsurprisingly, they were bitter rivals with separate and very different beliefs. While it is still undetermined who “won,” the true winner was society as the feud resulted in many historic inventions, such as the
lightbulb, the phonograph, the moving picture, and other major advancements in the study of electricity. At the conclusion of the Second World War, the growing dissent between the US and the Soviet Union finally broke out into the Cold War. The Cold War is the epitome of rivalries as it led to enormous advancements rooted in the ideals of capitalism versus communism. Throughout its 34-year tenure, the Cold War brought the world the intense 1952 Olympics, the infamous space race, and the advancement
A historic rivalry lives on today.
Photo from archives
of atomic weapons. None of these monumental achievements would have developed if not for the two sides propelling each other to achieve dominance over the other in the name of their beliefs. The chief rivalry at Catholic Central is, of course, against the Warriors of Brother Rice. While this rivalry might not be a matter of life or death, it is a major part of what makes Catholic Central the school it is to this day. The rivalry gives all teams across the school a common adversary and a goal for which to strive. It is no coincidence that the weeks leading up to matchups against the Warriors constantly reach new heights of energy and passion amongst our students and alumni. Just mentioning Brother Rice can trigger memories of decimated pumpkins on the gym floor, scoldings for wearing a hint of range, and Rice Krispies raining down in the cafeteria. Whether it is out-sprinting their top runner, winning the match point in tennis, trading off lacrosse state championships, or reaching victory formation in the Boys’ Bowl, this rivalry is deeply ingrained in Catholic Central tradition and motivates all students to compete and cheer as hard as possible for not only their own pride, but also the highly esteemed reputation of the school.
