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Writer's pictureDavid Hegler

The Little Big Game: Santa Clara vs Saint Mary's



Every year, Stanford and Cal clash in the annual "Big Game". While the teams are often not very good, the rivalry is filled with memorable moments that are etched into the hearts of fans all over the Bay Area. But while this is certainly a cherished rivalry, there is another one with a similar name that is hardly ever mentioned. In its heyday, the "Little Big Game" between Santa Clara University and Saint Mary's College was just as big as the Big Game. This is the story of a long forgotten rivalry.


The Early Years


Like good coffee, rivalries take time to brew. It began with a simple scrimmage on Thanksgiving Day 1896 with the Santa Clara Missionites defeating Saint Mary's College 46-7. Two years later, the Missionite were again victorious, this time by a score of 57-0.



And that's when the "rivalry" took a hiatus. For the next eleven years, the two squads didn't meet. A lot happened in America during that stretch. Major League Baseball's World Series began in 1903 and the Wright Brothers took flight just a couple of months after that. Henry Ford's much-celebrated Model-T was first produced in October of 1908.


Through all of that history, the two Catholic colleges in Northern California quietly gained footing in the athletic community while establishing young football programs. It was only a matter time before the two would clash again.


Saint Mary's won their long awaited matchup in 1909 5-0 and the Missionites won the following year 7-3. After Saint Mary's won 5-3 in 1911, the two teams paused their annual appointment until clashing again in 1922.


The Glory Days


The rivalry began anew with a bang. Saint Mary's led 9-0 when the Missionites' John Logan caught an 80 yard touchdown pass to bring Santa Clara within two. Santa Clara recovered a fumble soon after and drove down to Saint Mary's six-inch line where the Saints held for four downs, winning the game by a nose.


The following year saw change for both programs. While Santa Clara eschewed the "Missionites" label to become the Broncos, Saint Mary's inspired the famed sportswriter Grantland Rice to dub them the "Gaels" after the many Irishmen on the roster. Both schools have kept their mascots to this very day.


In 1923, the newly christened Gaels led 9-0 when the Broncos returned an interception 40 yards for a touchdown. Bud McKee then kicked the game-winning field goal to give Santa Clara a thrilling 10-9 victory.


Walter Camp was in attendance for the 1924 Thanksgiving Day affair and the Gaels put on a show for the father of the game. Norman Strader took over the game with 211 total yards as the Gaels cruised to a 28-7 victory. It was the last football game that Walter Camp ever attended.


A sliver of change happened to the rivalry after this game. At the time, both colleges had associated prep schools that participated in the festivities. Affectionately known as the "Little Little Big Game", it was just as hyped as the colleges. 1924 was the last year that Saint Mary's Prep and Santa Clara prep played each other. The following year, Santa Clara Prep played as an intramural and moved to their current campus a year after that, changing their name to Bellarmine College Preparatory. The two schools still often play each other.


Saint Mary's dominated the rivalry for the next decade, at one point winning nine in a row. Aside from a 6-6 tie in 1933, the Gaels won 11 out of 12 games between 1924 through 1935.


Amazingly, while it wasn't much of a rivalry in those days, the game was moved permanently to San Francisco's Kezar Stadium in 1927 to accommodate for the larger crowds.


Through all the losing, the Broncos had quietly been building a contender and by 1936 they were ready to show the world what they were made of. Led by first-year coach Buck Shaw, the Broncos began 1936 5-0, having given up just a single touchdown in that stretch. They had just beaten 16th ranked Auburn 12-0 when they entered their annual clash with Saint Mary's.



In front of 60,000, the ninth-ranked Broncos shutout the Gaels 19-0. It would prove to be Santa Clara's finest year as they went on to beat second-ranked LSU in the Orange Bowl. The Broncos won the 1937 contest as well, 7-0, on their way to the school's first undefeated season an another victory over LSU, this time in the Sugar Bowl.


After Saint Mary's won the next two contests each 7-0, Santa Clara began the 1940's by beating the Gaels 19-7. They repeated the feats in 1941 (35-13) and 1942 (20-7) as the world tumbled into war. With World War II raging overseas, both schools suspended football operations for the remainder of the war and didn't renew the rivalry until 1946.


Although the Gaels won the 1946 contest 28-19, the Broncos closed out the decade with three straight wins. By the time the two met in 1950, rumors were swirling that Saint Mary's was going to discontinue its football program. Neither team was very good that year, with Saint Mary's winning just twice and Santa Clara winning just thrice. The sight of just 11,000 in the cavernous Kezar Stadium was a sign that the once-heated rivalry was hanging on by a thread. When Santa Clara beat Saint Mary's 9-0, the rivalry paused for the next 19 years.


Jumpstarting Something Old



Change was in the air in 1969. With America fully vested in the "Summer of Love" and the Vietnam War, the citizens of the San Francisco Bay Area needed a distraction from the all of the chaos. Finally, after 19 long years, Santa Clara University and Saint Mary's College renewed their longstanding rivalry. Only this time, the Little Big Game wouldn't be played at Kezar Stadium but at their respective campuses in Moraga and Santa Clara. Instead of crowds 60,000 strong, the teams would play in front of 5,000 or so.


The Gaels took a 7-0 lead in the first three minutes of the game, but the next 45 belonged to the Broncos as Santa Clara prevailed 43-7. Quarterback Dan Pastorini was excellent in that game, completing 11 of 15 passes while leading his team to gain an impressive 579 yards.


Although their rivalry was renewed, it was spotty for the first decade as the two teams didn't meet again until 1978. The Broncos "Crunch Bunch" defense was no match for the Gael's Oliver Hillman who ran all over Santa Clara, but ultimately, fumbles doomed the Broncos.



1979 began a new generation of the rivalry as that week was filled with pranks such as an attempt at stealing the Mission Bell, dying Santa Clara's Graham Pool "Gael Purple" and wallpapering the Saint Mary's campus with "Bronc-itis" bumper stickers. In the end, it was the Broncos who had the last laugh, winning 26-3. It was a total domination as the Broncos rumbled to the tune of 313 yards and two touchdowns against a stingy ground defense. From then on, nary a rivalry week went by that a prank or three wasn't pulled by one or both of the universities.


In 1980, Tyrone Forte rushed for a Broncos record 243 yards, with 195 of those in the second half, as Santa Clara won 27-16. The two teams duked it out in 1981 and the game wasn't decided until Dave Romane picked off a pass in the end zone to give Santa Clara a hard fought 21-17 victory.


The two teams traded wins over the next two years, with each contest proving to be a tough, defensive slugfest. Santa Clara was once 4-0 in 1984 and ranked fourth in the Division II, but a three game skid killed their momentum. They took out their frustrations. on the Gaels, prevailing 28-6.


The teams spent the rest of the decade splitting the series. In 1989, the Santa Clara football team was caught off guard amidst rumors of lost scholarships and created a petition to stop it from happening. The student body stepped in as well, wearing shirts bearing the phrase "Kill the Albatros". All of the hoopla surrounding the program made their 30-18 victory in the Little Big Game that much sweeter.


The original rumors of lost scholarships was a sign of things to come. It had been decades since the football team was the main breadwinner of the university, with attendance resembling more of a high school game. No one wanted to admit it, but the writing was on the wall for Santa Clara's ultimate demise.


Saint Mary's opened the 1990's with a 27-20 win while Santa Clara obliterated the Gaels 44-14 in 1991. The next year was the final game in the long history of Santa Clara University football. In front of a crowd of 5,439 at Saint Mary's, the Broncos ended their program in disgrace, losing 55-22 to their rivals.


While the rivalry in the sport ended abruptly, the schools continue to battle in other sports including basketball and baseball. Still, the rivalry is not the same. In 1999, a group of Santa Clara alumni attempted. to revive the program. Their main supporter? The Saint Mary's Gaels.




 

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