NYT: Obstacles Nothing New for Georgetown Football

[DFW HOYA]

The state of the Hoyas, in 1100 words or less.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/16/sports/ncaafootball/georgetown-trying-to-get-football-program-righted.html

[Fordham]

Nice article, dfw. Particularly good to hear that your Gridiron club was able to raise $341k this year. Huge jump from last year.

[grayghost06]

Good story DFW. Hopefully, one of these days they will be properly funded and finish the stadium. My dad is a two time graduate from GU and was there when they went the Sun Bowl in 49.

Don't know if you ever saw this pic of the proposed (1920s) Memorial Stadium on Georgetown's campus:17238

And for those that don't know of the Hoyas history:

1940- The greatest season in Georgetown football history. Winning their first eight games by an average margin of 32 points, Georgetown takes a 23 game unbeaten streak and a #11 national ranking into Boston to meet Frank Leahy's undefeated #5 ranked Boston College team. BC prevails in a thriller, 19-18, before 41,700 at Fenway Park.

Georgetown falls to Mississippi State 14-7 in the 1941 Orange Bowl. Ten members of this Georgetown team would go on to play in the NFL.

[Sader87]

Good story DFW. Hopefully, one of these days they will be properly funded and finish the stadium. My dad is a two time graduate from GU and was there when they went the Sun Bowl in 49.

Don't know if you ever saw this pic of the proposed (1920s) Memorial Stadium on Georgetown's campus:17238

And for those that don't know of the Hoyas history:

1940- The greatest season in Georgetown football history. Winning their first eight games by an average margin of 32 points, Georgetown takes a 23 game unbeaten streak and a #11 national ranking into Boston to meet Frank Leahy's undefeated #5 ranked Boston College team. BC prevails in a thriller, 19-18, before 41,700 at Fenway Park.

Georgetown falls to Mississippi State 14-7 in the 1941 Orange Bowl. Ten members of this Georgetown team would go on to play in the NFL.

My father and his father were amoungst the 41,700 that day....they later saw the error of their ways and became HC fans.

ETA: That '40 GTown-BC tilt is still considered one of the all-time great college football games ever. "Chuckin" Charley O'Rourke famously killed the clock running around the end zone to take a safety.

http://www.bceagles.com/genrel/071000aac.html

Grantland Rice wrote wrote a game story of that game but it's blocked unless you subscribe to the Boston Globe.

[grayghost06]

My father and his father were amoungst the 41,700 that day....they later saw the error of their ways and became HC fans.

ETA: That '40 GTown-BC tilt is still considered one of the all-time great college football games ever. "Chuckin" Charley O'Rourke famously killed the clock running around the end zone to take a safety.

http://www.bceagles.com/genrel/071000aac.html

Grantland Rice wrote wrote a game story of that game but it's blocked unless you subscribe to the Boston Globe.

I was thinking that UMass should play a game at Fenway- it's the kind of novelty that would draw interest. The first football game there since 1968 or so.

[Sader87]

I was thinking that UMass should play a game at Fenway- it's the kind of novelty that would draw interest. The first football game there since 1968 or so.

Sorry to hijack DFW.....there is some movement on bringing college football back to Fenway but it won't be UMass as they have a "sweetheart deal" with the Krafts/Patriots to play at Gillette.

As for GTown football and the article, good positive piece. Hopefully GTown (and its alums, students, followers etc) can start to build a "football culture" there.

[CHIP72]

I was thinking that UMass should play a game at Fenway- it's the kind of novelty that would draw interest. The first football game there since 1968 or so.

Maybe the Patriots can do a tour of Boston area college football stadiums and baseball parks like they did in the 1960s. xlolx

More seriously, it amazes me how many different facilities hosted Patriots' home games back in the 1960s - Nickerson Field (Boston University), Alumni Stadium (Boston College), Fenway Park, and Harvard Stadium (Harvard University). Did I miss any (excluding that home game the Patriots played in Birmingham, AL)?

[CHIP72]

Regarding Georgetown football, the fact the Hoyas can even be competitive in a Division I-AA league while playing their games at a facility some high schools would reject as too small is amazing. (I've been to Georgetown football games at Multi-Sport Field, so I know what its like.) It would have been an incredible feat had Georgetown been able to be a little better in 2011 and qualify for the Division I-AA playoffs.

[DFW HOYA]

Regarding Georgetown football, the fact the Hoyas can even be competitive in a Division I-AA league while playing their games at a facility some high schools would reject as too small is amazing. (I've been to Georgetown football games at Multi-Sport Field, so I know what its like.)

Most people on the board haven't seen the field first hand, but you can understand how difficult it must be to recruit any talented kid with what little they have to work with there.

Of course, the short answer is that you recruit the front of the campus, not the back, but you can't exactly hide it, either.

[Sader87]

A question DFW: Do you think the younger GU alums (those that have graduated during and after GU joined the PL in football) are any more likely to come back to GU for a football day/weekend than those that graduated before?

I think that's one advantage that Holy Cross has over Georgetown (and Fordham) in that HC has an uninterrupted history of D1 football going back 75-100 years.

[grayghost06]

I couldn't speak for the younger grads, but I know my dad was thrilled to see his alma mater on TV aganst Princeton. There are still a few alums around who can recall GU playing where the Redskins used to play. Catholic colleges, especially in large urban areas, really put the de-emphasis on football shortly after WWII. One might look at BC and Georgetown's schedules back then and not think too highly but a lot of those teams were very good. Holy Cross, Fordham, Duquesne, U of Detroit, St. Marys, Santa Clara, Catholic U, Univ of San Francisco, Marquette were major college football and most went to a bowl game at one time.

Is it a parking issue or purely funding which has halted the Multi Sport stadium? Sure would be nice if they could do a small classy place like Richmond. Seems to me that the Patriot is a good fit with a bunch of high caliber academic schools, the types where your friends , peers and collegues would have gone. Hope the scholarship issue doesn't ruin the partnership.

[Go...gate]

This is a great article. Thanks for posting, DFW!

[RichH2]

DFW
Nice article. Now habing been to the Hoya firld, Kelly has done a remarkable job. Lets hope for better times.

[caribbeanhen]

I was thinking that UMass should play a game at Fenway- it's the kind of novelty that would draw interest. The first football game there since 1968 or so.

no football game is deserving of being played at Fenway

[Sader87]

no football game is deserving of being played at Fenway

Actually Fenway is actually a pretty poor venue to watch a football game i.e. poor sight-lines, cramped seating etc

That being said, the Red Sox ownership has put out overtures to some schools to look into playing a game in the Fens.

[grayghost06]

Bleachers in front of the Monsta!17248

[Sader87]

I never personally saw a football game there...a little too young but my Dad saw a fair amount there (and at the old Braves Field) and my impression was that he felt it wasn't a very good place overall to watch a game.

I'd love to see HC play there though if only for the novelty/public-relations aspect of it. This has been discussed on the HC board...plans are in its initial stages etc.