By John Reagan
June 4, 2018



A basketball history stretching over a century has brought a lot of familiar and unfamiliar names to Georgetown basketball. We remember names St. John's and Syracuse as it were yesterday. Others, like U.S. International University or New England College, are long since forgotten.

What keeps some schools top of mind and others out of mind altogether? In sports, it is the concept of rivalry, that odd confluence of repeatable and remembered opponents that bring home the competitive nature of sports. The author Louisa May Alcott, who had little or no contact with intercollegiate athletics during the 1800's, nonetheless defined rivalry as that which "adds so much to the charms of one's conquests."

College sports rivalries exist within a Venn diagram of location, of common purpose, and of memorable games. Alabama and Auburn share all three. Harvard and Yale. Michigan and Ohio State. Notre Dame and USC share memories, but not of location or purpose--a rarity in sports which includes Georgetown and Syracuse, which we'll mention below.

Familiarity is, by itself, not a rivalry. It must be competitive. When President John F. Kennedy asked "why does Rice play Texas?" it was about more than the score. Nonetheless, Texas has defeated Rice in 41 of the last 42 games and leads 72-21-1 overall. On the contrary side, Clemson owns a 20-132 record versus North Carolina in men's basketball, including a mind-boggling record of 0-59 in Chapel Hill. Such are not the numbers of treasured memories.

Rivals are often cited within college fight songs. No major college team has as many references to rivals within its fight song as Georgetown, and absolutely none of them apply to basketball. Yale, Navy, Cornell, Harvard and the like were afterthoughts on the hardwood, and from its earliest years Georgetown has struggled to identify and retain any consistent rivals through the generations. A century ago, it would be Virginia, VPI, and Navy--the "Virginia Tech Victory March" even listed the Hoyas in their own song; that is, until it was rewritten to conform to ACC opponents.

Fifty years ago, a different group was considered its rival schools, and many are forgotten today. This feature looks at five such schools whose names resonate through the fabric of basketball at Georgetown. Will we ever see their likes again?


Boston College

First Game: Dec. 10, 1946, at Boston Garden, Boston, MA
Last Scheduled Game: Jan. 29, 2005 at Conte Forum, Chestnut Hill, MA
Georgetown leads the series, 44-28

Boston College was a relative latecomer to college basketball, having dropped the sport in the 1920's and not committing to a Division I schedule until the 1945-46 season. Georgetown arrived on the Eagles schedule the following season, and played in a pair of post-season fund raisers in New York for Catholic Relief Services. The schools began an annual series in 1958-59, playing for 46 consecutive seasons.

What Happened? Unsettled by the prospect of an unstable Big East, BC clandestinely met with ESPN officials to promote a bid to the Atlantic Coast Conference , and jumped ship at the first opportunity, along with Miami and Virginia Tech, which was a last minute selection over Syracuse. The move led to a lawsuit by Connecticut Attorney General (now U.S. Senator) Richard Blumenthal, and it is suggested that BC maintains a veto power to keep UConn from joining the ACC as a result.

Boston College was the #1 seed entering the 2005 Big East tournament, its final season, but was bounced in its first game by West Virginia, 78-72. With the MSG crowd serenading the Eagles out the door to "Big East! Big East!", the Eagles packed for the ACC, where its sports programs have labored in obscurity amidst annual TV revenues of over $20 million. Its basketball team has not made the NCAA's since 2009 and has won just nine ACC games in three seasons, including an 0-18 record in 2015-16.

Not surprising, perhaps, neither Georgetown, Villanova, St. John's, Seton Hall, nor Connecticut have scheduled the Eagles since. Georgetown met BC in the second round of the 2007 NCAA tournament, where the Hoyas won, 62-55.

Did You Know? Both schools have been coached by former players of the other school. From 1953 to 1962, the Eagles were coached by former Georgetown forward Don Martin, while BC's Jack Magee coached the Hoyas from 1966 through 1972.

BC's Greatest Game: Feb, 21, 1964. John Austin, a guard from DeMatha Catholic by way of Washington's John Carroll HS, became the first African-American basketball player at BC in an era where Georgetown did not recruit black players. In his first meeting vs. Georgetown, Austin scored 49 points in the Eagles' 107-92 win at Roberts Center. Austin became an All-American at BC, where the 49 points remains the school's single game record, and Georgetown's all time opponent mark.

Georgetown's Greatest Game: Jan 31, 1980. Rallying from a six point deficit in the era before the shot clock and three point line was no small undertaking, yet Georgetown scored nine points - seven by foul shots -- in the final 30 seconds to tie Boston College 80-80 at Roberts Center and prevail in overtime, 97-92. It remains the most dramatic comeback in Georgetown history.

Will the Rivalry Resume? Unlikely. Though both have Jesuit ties, Boston College has distanced itself from Georgetown and prefers to be thought alongside Notre Dame, the only other Catholic university playing major college football. Despite the good times it enjoyed in the Big East (where the Eagles made 12 NCAA appearances from 1981 to 2005) BC has set this rivalry aside for a back seat at the ACC.


Holy Cross

First Game: Feb. 3, 1948, at Boston Garden, Boston, MA
Last Scheduled Game: Feb. 23, 1980 at McDonough Gymnasium, Washington, DC
Holy Cross leads the series, 11-9

A football rivalry that moved to the hardwood, Holy Cross dominated the early years of this series when it was the preeminent team in New England in the late 1940's and early 1950's. The schools began an annual series in 1967-68, playing until the 1979-80 season.

What Happened? In its formative months, the founding Big East schools (Georgetown, Providence, Syracuse, St. John's) were unsure whether to invite Holy Cross or Boston College. HC president John Brooks S.J., who famously held that his college "was not in the entertainment business", turned down the offer, which Boston College promptly accepted. Georgetown opted not to continue the Holy Cross series with the move to a 14 game Big East conference schedule in 1980-81.

As the Big East thrived, HC became an afterthought in major college basketball, earning just one NCAA bid from 1980 to 2001. Holy Cross stayed as an independent four five more years, downgrading to the MAAC in 1984 and finally the Patriot League in 1991. Since turning down the Big East, HC has not been ranked in the Associated Press Top 25.

Did You Know? Holy Cross was founded by Jesuits from the Baltimore Province in 1843, most of whom were Georgetown alumni or prior teachers at the Hilltop. When the Commonwealth of Massachusetts refused to allow the new college to issue degrees, the early graduates of Holy Cross received their degrees from Georgetown instead. Its college cheer refers to a "Hoiah", a homophone of the familiar Georgetown "Hoya".

HC's Greatest Game: Jan. 14, 1950. Senior All-American Bob Cousy led the #1 ranked Crusaders to a 77-51 win over the Hoyas at the Worcester Auditorium. It was Georgetown's first meeting against a team ranked #1 in the AP poll.

GU's Greatest Game: Dec. 27, 1977. The two teams were still close competitors when the Hoyas met Holy Cross at the ECAC Holiday festival in New York. Derrick Jackson led the Hoyas to a 79-65 win over the #12-ranked Crusaders, and earned its first AP poll appearance in school history the week following.

Will the Rivalry Resume? No. Some HC fans will argue that Georgetown owes the Crusaders a series as part of their Patriot League ties in football, but Patrick Ewing has no such obligations. Holy Cross lacks the national presence where this could gain some level of interest. With Providence as an annual stop for the Hoyas, Worcester no longer carries the same impact.


Fordham

First Game: January 18, 1908, at Convention Hall, Washington DC
Last Scheduled Game: December 31, 2007 at Verizon Center, Washington, DC
Fordham leads the series, 27-23

In the 1960's and 1970's, Georgetown played as many as five New York area schools every season, ensuring regular travel to schools like Manhattan, NYU, Fordham, and Columbia. Fordham and Georgetown played annually from 1950 through 1979, with a single appearance by the Rams during the Christmas break of 2007 being the only meeting since.

What Happened? The series fell victim to the expanded Big East calendar with regular visits to St. John's and Seton Hall, another longtime Georgetown rival.

Did You Know: Fordham's high water mark came a decade before the Big East, where the Rams were 26-3 and ranked #10 in the 1970-71 Associated Press poll under first year coach Richard (Digger) Phelps. After one season, Phelps left for Notre Dame and the Rams never recovered. Since 1971, the Rams have accounted for just one NCAA appearance.

Fordham's Greatest Game: March 4, 1971. Charlie Yelverton scored 38 points as the Rams secured its first NCAA bid since 1954, defeating the Hoyas 81-68 before a sold out crowd at McDonough Gym. The Rams moved to 22-2 on the season while the Hoyas, a year removed from the NIT, finished its season 12-14.

Georgetown's Greatest Game : Feb. 11,1943. A 52-39 win over the Rams at Tech Gym wrapped up a crucial Georgetown homestand with wins over Penn State and Syracuse, elevating the Hoyas into NCAA tournament discussion. It also marked the only Georgetown win in the series from 1925 to 1952, a run of 15 Fordham wins to just one for Georgetown.

Will the Rivalry Resume? No. While Fordham has more visibility from the Atlantic 10 than, say, Holy Cross from the Patriot League, scheduling a third annual series in New York is not practical, at least not at the 93 year old Rose Hill Gym, seating just 3,200. The Rams are not competitive in the A-10 and are not attracting national opponents in out of conference series such as this.


St. Joseph's

First Game: Dec. 16, 1912, at Arcade Rink, Washington DC
Last Scheduled Game: January 8, 1980 at The Palestra, Philadelphia
Georgetown leads the series, 17-16

From 1957 to 1980, this was the Hoyas' chief Philadelphia rival, though the Hawks enjoyed a 14-2 run in as many games. A spirited series between Jesuit rivals on and off the court, Georgetown won five of the final six as the new Big East led to adding Villanova to future schedules.

Much like Fordham, St. Joe's retreated from national attention outside the bright lights of the Big East. The Hawks were not ranked between 1980 and 1997. The Hawks advanced to the NCAA regional semifinal in 2004 and finished the season 30-2, and won the Atlantic 10 tournament in 2014 and 2016.

What Happened? The series fell victim to the expanded Big East calendar, while the two schools also drifted apart academically. Nearly four decades later, no one thinks of Georgetown and St. Joe's in the same conversation, unless it's surrounding some sort of faculty colloquium of the Maryland Province of the Jesuits.

Did You Know: St. Joseph's mascot, the Hawk, has attended every SJU basketball game since 1955-56, and by tradition, keeps its wings moving throughout the entire game.

St. Joseph's Greatest Game: Feb. 11, 1966. While it may or may not prove the greatest game for the Hawks, the meeting between the 13-5 Hoyas and the 16-4 Hawks at the Palestra had all the makings of a battle for a post-season berth. From a three point lead midway in the first half, the Hawks blew the game open, leading by 20 at the half and carrying home a 111-73 win, ending Georgetown's nine game win streak and sinking any post-season hopes for the Hoyas.

Georgetown's Greatest Game : Jan. 14, 1970. Wins were hard to come by in this series, but Georgetown's 89-80 win in early January 1970 proved vital to its case for an NIT bid, with five Hoyas in double figures. At 9-6, this wasn't the best SJU team, but Hoyas fans could proclaim that "The Hawk Is Dead" at McDonough Gymnasium for the first time in 14 seasons.

Will the Rivalry Resume? No. This is a series that was severed with the move to the Big East and there's no ties left to make it what it was. The Big Five schools may disagree but when it comes to a series with Georgetown, it's Villanova that holds the city's attention, not St. Joe's.


George Washington

First Game: Feb. 27, 1907 at the Carroll Institute, Washington DC
Last Scheduled Game: December 16, 1981 at Capital Centre, Landover, MD
Georgetown leads the series, 54-39

A total of 1.4 miles separate Georgetown University and The George Washington University, but it may as well be a thousand miles. The schools played 93 times in a 75 year stretch, including home and home games within the same season from 1940 through 1970. A spirited rivalry, it never took on the enmity of the Cincinnati Shootout (Cincinnati-Xavier) or the bragging rights of UCLA-USC. From 1945 through 1975, the teams combined for one NCAA bid, so the national impact was marginal. Still, for its time, it was a popular activity in local basketball.

What Happened? Following the 1981-82 season, GW coach Gerry Gimelstob told Sports Illustrated that Ralph Sampson "would eat Pat [Ewing] up" in their upcoming meeting that December, and suggested his own center, Mike Brown, was better than Ewing. By the fall, the series was nowhere to be found.

So who really ended it? GW fans look to John Thompson, who replaced the Buff and Blue on the 1982-83 season with a 80-65 win over Southern University. Southern has not returned to a Georgetown schedule since, and neither has GW, the consternation of fans along Foggy Bottom. Yet the GW Hatchet newspaper reported in 2006 that "GW's athletic staff, which formulates the schedule, decided to end the series for unknown reasons."

As fans moved on, any interest in this series was maintained largely in the media. Veteran Washington Post columnist John Feinstein regularly referenced the series in his various attempts to goad Georgetown into participation in the BB&T Classic, without success. As Feinstein exited the BB&T stage, Georgetown joined the BB&T in 2014, but it is no longer a tournament and the teams have not met in the interim. Clay Thomas, a GW alumnus writing at CBS Sportsline, proposed a game in 2007 where all tickets would be equally distributed among GW and Georgetown students. Another voice in the crowd, GW alumnus and Democratic political analyst Mark Plotkin, went so far as to attend Patrick Ewing's introductory press conference at the Thompson Center, where the second question of the event asked Ewing when he would schedule the Colonials. Surprised by the question, Ewing deferred an answer, and that's the last comment to date from Georgetown about the matter.

Did You Know: While Georgetown fans greet a series with GW with a collective yawn, a group of GW students once attempted to force Georgetown's hand. In 2006, a candidate for the GW student government announced a march on Georgetown's campus to call for a resumption of the series. A group of GW students numbering between six and 15 made the trek up M Street, but their timing could not have been worse--they arrived as the Hoyas were at Verizon Center playing Syracuse. As such, the campus was empty and the rally quietly dispersed. Across town, the homestanding Hoyas defeated Syracuse 68-53 before a crowd of 18,879.

GW's Greatest Game: Feb. 27, 1907. The first game between the schools may have been one of the biggest games as far as the Colonials were concerned. Trailing 16-11 at the half, GW shut out the Hoyas for the next 20 minutes for an 18-16 win. As noted at the Georgetown Basketball History project, " While it was Georgetown's first loss of the season, the game carried a far greater local significance at the time. This was the first time any George Washington team was known to have defeated Georgetown in any intercollegiate contest. Not unexpectedly, bedlam erupted in the stands upon the cessation of play, and partisans spilled into the streets. Later that week, a photo of the GW squad was featured [across] the head of the Post's sports page, under the headline "First To Lower Georgetown's Colors".

Georgetown's Greatest Game: March 6, 1976. Well into the mid-1970's, it was not a foregone conclusion whether the rising programs at Georgetown or George Washington would capture the local bragging rights. A pair of meetings in the ECAC Southern region tournament would settle the score--a 66-59 semifinal win in 1975 which sent Georgetown to meet West Virginia for its first NCAA berth since 1943, and a year later, when the two teams met in the final for the ECAC autobid. With its starters shooting just 21 percent from the field, the Georgetown bench combined for 44 points as the Hoyas avenged a overtime loss to GW nine days earlier and won the conference title, 68-63. It was the closest the Colonials would come to an NCAA bid for the next 17 seasons.

Will the Rivalry Resume? Not now. There remains some ill will between the schools, and not just on the basketball court. GW's prior approach to badgering Georgetown into a home and away series that includes the 5,000 seat Smith Center has clearly not worked; yet, for its part, Georgetown has seen fit to schedule American, George Mason, Howard, UDC, Maryland, and even Marymount College in the intervening years but not GW, which looks that Georgetown is holding this up. For two schools who are experts in the study of diplomacy, neither side has been very diplomatic.

It may take the school's two athletic directors coming together someday and working it out. Until then, it's one for the (history) books.


To date, rivalries have been slow to develop in the new Big East. Most Hoyas fans have not built a sustained interest over the likes of Creighton or Xavier. Time, and shared memories, will build such efforts.

There must also be an element of remarkable, too. In 2015, for example, ESPN reported that in the entire series of games between the University of North Carolina and Duke dating back a century, the net difference in scoring between the two teams was six points. For two schools which share a combined 11 national championships and 38 ACC tournament titles, the margin of victory in any year is razor close.

Author Katie Kole once wrote that the UNC-Duke rivalry was "an unparalleled excitement...knowing that after the big game, one program will ecstatically celebrate a momentous win, while the other will experience the crushing letdown of loss that only comes as a result of the highest stakes." Would that Georgetown could find the new names (and a few of the old ones) to enjoy the same.