Malden High School - Maldonian Yearbook (Malden, MA)

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1 . The 1926 game at Pearl Street Stadium overprinted on a 1906 team picture. 2 . The 1938 band with student leader Ralph Connors at the “half century game. 3 . The 1952 game (27-0, Medford) was a revenge match for Medford which had suffered a humiliating at home title loss the year before. everyone who ever pkiyed on thanksgiving remembers al about It

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the notion’s oldest schoofcoy rivalry Amid all the publicity and pageantry of the hundredth confrontation between Malden and Medford there was a sense of history and tradition which permeated the Thanksgiving Day game. Memories of past triumphs and defeats filled all who watched the playing with a sense of nostalgia. The legendary game has survived the passage of time and the changes of new generations. . In the brisk October of 1889, the first game was played between the two cities with Medford surfacing as the victor defeating Malden 30-0. Protests by Malden forced the game to be replayed for Medford enlisted players from Tufts and M.I.T.. Even with the rematch Malden failed to defeat Medford losing 4-0. This continued each year subsequently around and on Thanksgiving through the day of the hundredth kickoff. With the passage of time the game evolved from a mere tumble in the mud of a group of high school kids looking to prove their city ' s superiority, to a major event between structured the game teams with citywide response and political involvement. The rivalry was no longer simply a a question of which city had a better football team rather a battle of city pride. The glory of a Thanksgiving day victory has been passed between Malden and Medford for 98 years and 100 games. Malden has experienced the exurberance of a Turkey Day win 47 times to Medfords 43, tying a total of ten games. Nearly a decade of football triumphs and defeats has been condensed into mere statistics and facts but with historical significance of the I game, old memories and emotions were reborn. The presence of former Tornado captains and J quaterbacks along with j fresh new players bridged the generations of football legacy. The rivalry began with a Mustang victory and nearly one hundred years later it , ended with a Tornado triumph. History was written and relived, statistics were once again representative of the sweat and pride of the people. 24 ttM gam

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the game is only part of the whole tradition the thanksgiving experience Regardless of who won or lost, how many brilliant plays were made or who emerged as the star player, the Malden- Medford game was destined to be an historical event. Not through any physical feat or crushing upset was the was the confrontation to be noted but merely by the way in which the numbers fell, for 1987 was to be the 100th playing of the Turkey Day game. The build up for the confrontation, which is amoung the oldest in the nation, was complete with everything from the traditional pep rally and showings of the blue and gold to the expulsion of the capitalistic spirit in the hawking of souvenirs and press releases. Each class promoted the spirit through the selling of hats, pins, banners, and other memoribilia. Outside the realm of the community T.V. news and news publicatons carried news of the game and it ' s history. The tornados enterred the Thanksgiving game with only one defeat for the season and the determination to keep their losses at one. Brilliant seasonal performances by the entire team and her senior players in particular built the hopes that Malden could win the historical game. The coaches, players, and fans psyched themselves up for the game through various functions held in honour of the game. The seniors held a centennial dance while a banquet was set for all the former stars of tornado football fame and present players by the city. The annual pep rally prepared by the cheerleaders and others boosted the spirit for the game to a high the night before. All the preparations resulted in a smashing victory for maiden with the thrill of being the winner of the centennial game. Tornado players had a high never to be forgotten for they were able to say they not only played in the historic game but through their efforts they could also say they won. The hundredth game had it ' s share of touchdown passes, emotional upsets, and uplifting experiences. 26 football