Hoya File Photo/The Hoya The 1946 Georgetown football team was just one of Georgetown’s memorable Hoya teams.
Did you know that Georgetown used to be nationally ranked? No, I’m not referring to our legendary basketball squads of the ’80s and ’90s, but the Georgetown Hoya football team.
Indeed, before World War II, Georgetown competed as a national force on the Division I level, reaching places we wouldn’t dream about today. This university has been around longer than many may truly realize, and the evolution of its athletic program demonstrates both its colorful history and also its potential for change.
Many students are aware either from campus tours or random trivia knowledge that Georgetown’s football team once battled against Division I squads on Copley Lawn, when the team was known as the “Stonewalls.” Furthermore, many can also recite the metamorphosis from “Stonewalls” to “Hoyas,” described in detail on the backs of those popular bookstore T-shirts. But the Orange Bowl?
Not even the most optimistic of Hoya fans would ever believe that our team, even on its best days, is a team headed to such athletic greatness. Those games are now all but reserved for the great football schools in the southern and western conferences of the NCAA.
However, in 1941, the Georgetown team played against Mississippi State in the Orange Bowl, losing by a touchdown, 14-7. The team scuffled against the University of Michigan, Boston College and other football powerhouses – and even managed a competitive record. Matthew Woods (MSB ’05), a dedicated fan of the football team, said, “Most big college football programs are big because they have a deep history. However, Georgetown, who used to play in bowl games, solely competes against Division I-AA [teams] today. I don’t understand why.”
Only 10 years removed from their historic appearance at one of the few national bowl games, Georgetown cut its football program in 1951. The process back to the competitive levels of NCAA football has been long, progressing from simple club football to Division III football to Division I-AA play, first in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and now in the Patriot League. During that span of time, the team has moved from Copley Lawn to Kehoe Field to Harbin Field.
Football programs nowadays require such intense funding, recruitment efforts and general support that climbing back to a high level of football glory, especially to Division I-A, may be impossible.
The university has taken steps to improve the situation, moving sports to Harbin Field and planning to construct a more stadium-like structure. Chaz Perin (COL ’05) said, “I think a new stadium is a great idea. Kehoe Field is far away and not very intimidating.” The move to Harbin has given more accessibility to both students and alumni, making it easier to draw larger crowds. However, it may be years before a Division I-A structure would even be a consideration.
But Georgetown wasn’t a one-trick pony in the old days – our baseball team was also a force to be reckoned with. With the building of new academic, residential and athletic facilities, our once-beautiful baseball diamond is now a pavement car corral.
At one time, several fields existed on campus for America’s pastime – when the football team wasn’t battling on the gridiron, Old College Field (now Copley lawn) changed with the seasons, transforming into a baseball diamond and extending into present-day White-Gravenor territory. Additionally, before Lauinger Library landed on the southeast part of campus, that plot also served as a baseball field in the earlier part of last century. Now, the baseball team has moved out of the District with the building of the Southwest Quadrangle and the need for alternative parking spaces.
As Harrison Osbourne (SFS ’05) remarked, “Sadly, the only purpose for the scoreboard in the Leavey parking lot is to keep track of how long it takes to find a spot.”
The vast majority of students think of basketball before any other sport as Georgetown’s particular forte. This program, however, came well after the baseball, football and crew teams, yet its development far exceeds the growth of any other program. The team reached its first NCAA championship in 1943, losing to Wyoming. The team played in the Ryan Administration Building, an incredibly small venue for the enthusiastic student supporters. cDonough Gymnasium, built in 1951, served as the new home for Georgetown basketball, until it too became obsolete as a competitive facility.
Georgetown’s image as a basketball powerhouse, however, did not reach its peak until the dominating teams of the 1980s, led of course by Patrick Ewing and Coach John Thompson. With Ewing’s amazing talents and height as the premier college center and Thompson’s ability to utilize his power and continuously recruit solid teams, Georgetown rose to the upper echelon of basketball programs, reaching the NCAA finals in 1982, ’84 and ’85, triumphing in 1984 as the NCAA champions. Now, as the team struggles on a yearly basis to reach the “Big Dance,” students yearn for the old days of glory.
As Mary Kogut (MSB ’05) said, “It’s sad that Georgetown not only lacks a sufficient basketball facility, but also suffers from a declining reputation as a Big East contender.”
While our program may seem to be losing strength with the departure of Thompson in 1999, the ups and downs of the basketball program merely illustrate the common vulnerability to time and change. Georgetown’s size has limited its ability to create legendary venues and memorable stadiums, but our history has shown that we can do much with the little space we have.
If the past has taught us anything, it’s that every Hoya program has the potential to rise to collegiate glory.