THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Wednesday, November 25, 2020 Page 9 FOOTBALL| FROM PAGE 1 event after event, it has been an unending series of postponements, reschedules and most of all, outright cancellations with no hope of a “TBA” in sight. STORY INSIDE: We rate Top 10 most memorable Malden wins One of the biggest iconic sports events to topple and disappear this year was the Boston Marathon, which has gone on, in some form, continuously since 1897. Well, the ancient Malden-Medford Thanksgiving Day football rivalry is older! For the first time since 1889, Malden-Medford 2020 will carry a gigantic asterisk: *NO GAME– COVID-19. There is no game tomorrow due to the fact the entire high school football season has been cancelled and moved to a “Fall 2” season that, at this time, is designated to start on Feb 22, 2021. Just like that – poof. The longest-standing and most storied tradition of two neighboring high schools vanishes. First game played on a random Tuesday in 1889 The first game was played eight and half years before the Boston Marathon even started, on October 15, 1889. The game was played five months after the Eiffel Tower opened to the public in France and just over three months after renowned abolitionist Frederick Douglass began serving in his post as U.S. Ambassador to Haiti. The Malden-Medford game was not always played on Thanksgiving. As you can see, the first one was played on a random Tuesday, October 15, 1889, a game won by Medford, 34-0. The two teams actually played a second time that year, on Saturday, November 30. There are few high school sporting events that compare to the annual Malden-Medford Thanksgiving Day rivalry. Tomorrow’s cancelled matchup would have been the 133rd meeting between the two schools. Every year the Thanksgiving Day game is basically its own season. It really is true about “throwing out the records.” Many a time a Malden or Medford team has come in with a subpar record, even winless, and put it together to grab a “season-saver” victory. The first meeting between the two schools was played on October 15, 1889, at the Medford Cricket Grounds. Medford easily beat Malden by a score of 34-0, but the game was not without controversy. Malden accused Medford of using players from Tufts and MIT. In response to the complaints, Medford hosted Malden in a rematch on the Saturday after Thanksgiving and won the game 4-0, the only scoring being a field goal (then worth four points) by the Mustangs. After these humble beginnings, the two schools have played the game continuously – through the Flu Pandemic of 1919-1920 and two World Wars. First time in over 100 years, no football on Thanksgiving This will be the first time in over 100 years, since the game began to be held on Thanksgiving Day in 1899, that the game won’t be played tomorrow on the holiday. Over the years, the two schools have played many memorable games. —In 1899, the series moved to Thanksgiving Day, its traditional date every year since. The 1899 game also set an attendance record at the time with 1,500 spectators, and it was especially disappointing to Malden fans, who brought a large balloon that they planned to fly over the field with Malden’s winning score written on it. Bubble burst, Malden! —In 1905, Malden installed ex-Dartmouth and Everett High end Matt Bullock as coach specifically for the Medford game and upset the Mustangs, 27-0, in the first game at Bryant Street Park in Malden. —The 1906 matchup was the first game in which a forward pass was legal. Malden used the pass to score (touchdowns were worth 5 points that year) but lost the game to Medford by a score of 6-5, earning the Medford a Suburban League title. —In 1908, the rivalry heated up and got nasty. With the game tied at 0-0, a Medford touchdown was called back on a penalty. Medford was then given a 40-yard penalty for “slugging” and also saw one of theirs ejected. After a police officer escorted the player off the field, Malden scored the only touchdown of the day for the 6-0 victory. —In 1924, a new attendance record was set in when 15,000 people saw Malden get 4 touchdowns from quarterback “Sheep” Jackson in the second half to take the game, 27-6. —The record lasted five years, until 1929. That year the all-time largest crowd of 18,500 (with 2,000 to 3,000 additional spectators outside the stadium) saw Malden captain Sam Fishman score the only score of the day on a 55yard punt return. The win also earned Malden its fifth EMass championship. Malden got national attention in 1948 —The post-World War II years of 1947 and 1948 had both Malden and Medford receiving national attention. Medford topped Malden in 1947, 13-7, to win the Class A State Championship and earned the Mustangs an invitation to represent a national-level game at the Gator Bowl in Florida. —In 1948, Malden won, 3314, over a “peaks and valley” descent Medford that came in at 0-9, and clinched a Class A state title and an invitation to the Gator Bowl. Malden went on the Gator Bowl victory, 140, over Lee, Fla., on December 11, 1948, and came home to a hero’s welcome. —In 1951, both teams entered the Thanksgiving game unbeaten. Malden, with one tie, was out of contention for a state title, but could still stop Medford (8-0) from claiming the title. The Tornadoes prevailed, 19-0, and denied their rivals their sixth state title. —The 1969 game was memorable, the game involving a dramatic story line. After receiving 60 stitches in his head, as a result of a car accident the night before, Malden co-captain Dave Moulton watched the first half from the sidelines as a precaution. With Malden trailing, 6-0, to Medford at the half, Moulton suited up and convinced Coach Bill Tighe to let him onto the field In the second half. Moulton entered the game and led a game-winning Tornado rally, scoring two touchdowns as part of 26 unanswered points as the Tornados rolled past Medford, 26-6. —Former Tornado star Paul Finn (Class of 1965) became the youngest head coach in Malden history when, at age 25, he took the reins of the football team in 1973 from his own former coach Bill Tighe. In just two seasons, he steered Malden to back-toback Thanksgiving wins (4215 in 1974 and 14-8 in 1975) and two GBL co-championships in a row led by a slew of Golden Tornado Hall-of-Famers, including Jack Freker, Mark Burns, Jeff Sullivan, Pops Ruelle, John Stanasek, Don Roach, Charlie Russell and Shawn Brickman. —The 1978 Turkey Day contest was the last year when the rivalry featured state champiFOOTBALL| SEE PAGE 12 A new home for Malden Auto Body of Everett A landmark on Route 99 in Everett was recently torn down to make way for the Encore resort casino project. Although we rgret dearly leaving our Everett facility which was our home for over 50 years. We are proud to announce our new home at 9 Whitman Street, Malden. It has a very similar look and we still have the same phone number and staff. We offer the same exceptional service and deliver you the same quality work as always. - We value your loyalty and hope you can consider allowing us to handle all your auto body needs. - We offer you insurance claims assistance and arrange Enterprise rentals. We work with most insurance companies and offer you a smooth experience in getting your vehicle back to pre-accident condition. - We offer 24/7 towing service to our shop. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you are in need of our services, or just stop by to say hi. Please note there are other body shops with similar names so make sure you come to 9 Whitman Street, Malden and ask for Jim. We are the original Malden Auto Body of Everett Inc., James Massone president. We have been a family run business since 1947 and plan to continue serving the Greater Boston area for many years to come. 617-389-3030 PHONE 617-389-7578 FAX EMAIL: MALDENAB@YAHOO.COM
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