• Contact Us
  • Events calendar
Entering Swellesley
Pinnacle, Douglas Elliman, Wellesley

The Swellesley Report

More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.

  • Advertise
  • Contribute
  • Subscribe
  • Eat
  • Wellesley Square
  • School news
  • Private schools, sponsored by Riverbend
  • Public Schools, sponsored by Sexton
  • Camp
  • Kid stuff
  • Top 10 things to do
  • Business news
  • Embracing diversity
  • Letters to the editor
  • Guidelines for letters to the editor
  • Fire & police scanner
  • Worship
  • Live gov’t meetings
  • Events
  • About us
  • Wellesley snow plowing services
 
Needham Bank, Wellesley
Write Ahead, Wellesley

Wellesley-Needham high school football rivalry roundup — minus the glory days blather

November 23, 2010 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

WHS Raiders

It’s time for local football writers to start showing off their historical knowledge by noting that the 123th meeting of the Wellesley-Needham football teams this Thanksgiving in Needham will mark another year in the country’s oldest public high school  rivalry. Or the oldest such rivalry on Thanksgiving Day. Or the oldest rivalry between teams whose towns’ names start with the letter W or N, or…

Anyway, we’ll spare you the sentimental remembrances from assorted past players/coaches and just point out a few interesting tidbits from the rivalry and Wellesley football history in general:

* Here’s an article from the Needham Historical Society from 2002 in which the writer points out that this “high school” rivalry wasn’t always strictly about high school teams. In fact, she points to an article from a 1901 edition of the Needham Chronicle that describes the return of the game to being played by actual town residents, not “a lot of professionals hired for the occasion.” One theory is that pros were needed because there just weren’t many boys in high school (33 Needham boys in high school in 1902).

* Wellesley won the first game by a score of 4-0. Needham won the next one 1-0. Sounds like Brett Favre was quarterbacking.

* The game is commemorated at the New England Patriots’ Hall of Fame in Foxborough. Sadly, a football showing the final score of a Needham victory is in the display case.

* Wellesleyites who went on to play football professionally: Boston Patriot linebacker Ray Ilg in the 1960s before the AFL and NFL merged, and Greg Comella, who played as a running back for the New York Giants and a few other teams (and whose name might be familiar to fans of Comella’s restaurant in Wellesley). Comella played for Xaverian, by the way, not Wellesley High.

* The 1991 game was delayed when an “explosive” was discovered on the field before the game. Turned out to be a rocket that the Needham Rockets planned to set off as a prank in the spirit of MIT’s famous Harvard-Yale game balloon. But there’s a reason some people make it to MIT and some don’t…

* A bunch more facts and lore from a 2006/2007 WellesleyWeston Magazine article.

* Rutledge Properties at 572 Washington St. has a spirited window display devoted to the game, so they get a free plug.

rutledge football display

* Wellesley’s team this year has a 7-3 record and Needham is 8-2. It will be hard to top last year’s come-from-behind 28-27 victory by Wellesley. If you plan on trekking to Needham for the game, save yourself $2 per ticket by buying them in advance at the WHS athletics office or at Ace Hardware or the Linden Store on Linden Street.

Your Ad Here

image_print

Filed Under: Sports, Wellesley High School

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisements:

Linden Square, Wellesley
Details, Wellesley
YMCA Needham

Tip us off…

Please send tips, photos, ideas to theswellesleyreport@gmail.com

Advertisements

Wellesley Merchants
Wellesley, Jesamondo
Fay School, Southborough
Sexton test prep, Wellesley
Feldman Law
Wellesley Theatre Project
Volvo
Prepped and Polished Boston Tutoring and Test Prep
Papa Wheelies, Wellesley
Cheesy Street Grill
Admit Fit, Wellesley
charles river chamber
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Subscribe to our email newsletter

Fill out simple subscription form.

Our newsletter is free, though we appreciate any financial support for our independent journalism venture.

Follow Swellesley on Google News Showcase

The Swellesley Report has been selected to be highlighted on Google News Showcase. Please follow us there.

Most Read Posts

  • Get your Wellesley Thanksgiving dinner delivered by Feast & Fettle
  • Wellesley Police mourn passing of Officer Lamars Hughes
  • Wellesley business buzz: Hedi's Furniture heads out of town; Unique salon opens; Lax store plots move
  • Wellesley Veterans Day ceremony honors those who've served
  • Save the date: Wellesley Cotillion to be held on Jan. 20, 2024

Click on Entering Natick sign to read our Natick Report

Entering Natick road sign

Upcoming Events

Nov 17
10:00 am - 11:30 am

Select Board office hours

Nov 18
9:00 am - 1:00 pm

Jewelry, Tools, and Toys Sale at UU Wellesley

Nov 18
9:00 am - 4:00 pm

Wellesley Marketplace annual shopping event

Nov 18
7:30 pm - 8:30 pm

Brandeis-Wellesley Orchestra 20th Anniversary Concert

Nov 19
1:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Babson College, film screening of “The Greatest Showman”

View Calendar

Recent Comments

  • Je'Lesia M. Jones on Wellesley Police mourn passing of Officer Lamars Hughes
  • John Harkavy on Wellesley Police mourn passing of Officer Lamars Hughes
  • Lesli on Wellesley Police mourn passing of Officer Lamars Hughes
  • Pete Leone on Wellesley Police mourn passing of Officer Lamars Hughes
  • Rose on 200 Pond Road senior living proposal on Wellesley/Natick line coming to Planning Board

Links we like

  • Danny's Place
  • Great Runs
  • Jack Sanford: Wellesley's Major League Baseball Star
  • Tech-Tamer
  • The Wellesley Wine Press
  • Universal Hub
  • Wellesley Sports Discussion Facebook Group

© 2023 The Swellesley Report
Site by Tech-Tamer · Login