There are certainly no shortages in the rivalries on the gridiron here in the Heartland of New York. When Norwich and Oneonta kick off on Friday night, Oct. 24, at Lloyd Baker Field, it will mark the 80th meeting in the storied rivalry.
The first meeting took place in October 1925. There were no games between 1926 and 1928 or in 1946, and in 1943 the teams played twice.
For all-time in the series, Oneonta has 31 wins, 47 losses and one tie. The tie game came in 1939. There has been one forfeit, and that came from Norwich in 1989.
Leading up to that first meeting in early October 1925, there was an enormous difference between the teams in being prepared to play.
Norwich appeared to be a well-oiled machine. Second-year coach Reeves "Ribs" Baysinger had developed an undefeated championship team in 1924.
Perry Browne was a sportswriter for The Norwich Sun and wrote in the Sept. 30 edition, "There is little doubt the fans who have witnessed one or more of the several recent matinee practice sessions of the Baysinger clan but that an eleven worthy of carrying on the tradition of the Purple and White school will be placed on the field. The team may well be called a tank' as have the recent football varsities qualified and great things are expected of the 1925 machine."
Oneonta, on the other hand, hadn't fielded a football team for seven years, as the program had been dropped. Coaches Al Risedorph and Edwin "Shorty" Long had quite a task in putting together their starting 11 players and substitutes. Not one of them had ever played a game of football and five of them had never seen a game. The weekend before their first game the team was taken to Syracuse to witness the Syracuse-Hobart game.
On Saturday, Oct. 3, the teams played in Norwich. It was the season opener for both teams. Norwich prided itself with having completed the building of bleachers on its athletic field at the high school with a seating capacity of 700 people or more.
"Fandom has long cherished the idea of being able to view the Purple and White gridsters in action from an advantageous point," Perry Browne wrote.
Fan enthusiasm also differed markedly. The Oneonta Star reported that "one bus load of High school girls will make the trip and attend the game." Back on Sept. 23 the Norwich Sun reported how, "A gigantic drive to get every fan out to witness the opening contest will be launched by high school students."
About 500 attended the game. "Great credit is due to the Oneonta team for their sportsmanship and spirit, which never lagged even when they knew they were fighting a losing fight," the Sun reported. The final: Norwich 57, Oneonta 0.
In subsequent years things didn't get much better for OHS. Norwich had a series 12-game winning streak on Oneonta between 1943 and 1954 (no game in '46), and by the time the 30th meeting was held in 1958, Oneonta had a dismal seven win, 22 loss, one tie record.
Coach Lloyd Baker took over around this time and between his leadership and later by Ed Pushkar and Joe Campbell, the all-time series had drawn as close as it had ever been in 1974, with Oneonta at 21-24-1.
Fan enthusiasm since 1925 has hit its ups and downs. The 1950s and '60s were well-known for hefty school spirit and some mischievous activities on game days in Norwich and Oneonta. Other times saw little enthusiasm.
A recent low time for enthusiasm, 1990, was one to stir up community spirit. Oneonta Mayor David Brenner declared the week of Oct. 29 as "Beat Norwich Week." Both schools had their parades and pep rallies. Brenner had a friendly bet with Norwich Mayor Marjorie Chomysak on which team would win, with the loser buying dinner in the loser's hometown. Brenner recalled the game, and sat for awhile with Chomysak at the game, played in Norwich. Oneonta lost, 34-0.
The two mayors and their spouses finally coordinated their calendars and had dinner at the former Cathedral Farms in Oneonta's West End. "It was all enjoyable, except the score," Brenner recalled.
There have been plenty of memorable games to feed the rivalry. In 1965, Norwich beat Oneonta, 13-12, giving Oneonta its first and only loss of that season, and ending an eight-year Oneonta domination. A year later, Oneonta returned the favor, stunning Norwich, 14-12, and ending its undefeated season. There was the 0-0 tie in 1939, and then there was the absence of defense in 1995 when Norwich beat Oneonta, 48-46, in the closing minute.
The tradition will continues this month.
On Monday: Renters in 1953 prepared to dig a bit deeper into their pockets.
City Historian Mark Simonson's column appears twice weekly. On Saturdays, his column focuses on the area during the Depression and before. His Monday columns address local history after the Depression. If you have feedback or ideas about the column, write to him at The Daily Star, or e-mail him at simmark@stny.rr.com.
His website is
www.oneontahistorian.com.
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