Rivalry provides
shot at validation

As Macalester embarks on its new experiment in building competitive football, we bring you a weekly look inside the program from one of the 37 student-athletes in uniform.

By Adam Johnson 
(posted Oct. 14, 2002)

I believe one of the main reasons Macalester President Michael McPherson did not eliminate football last year is the tradition and storied history of the program.

When Macalester College fielded its first team in 1887, President Grover Cleveland was in office, Notre Dame didn't have a team, and Yale had the No. 1 team in the country. A lot has changed since then but one thing has remained constant — Macalester has played Hamline.

Rivalries are synonymous with college football and are without a doubt the best part of football at any level. Whether it's the Packers-Vikes, Oklahoma-Texas, or Macalester-Hamline, they are so exciting because the fans cheer louder, players play harder and the victory is a lot sweeter. You can throw out the records, the stats, and all the history, because in a rivalry the winner depends only on who comes to play from the first whistle to the final horn. It's also the proximity of rivalries, whether intra-state, inter-state or in our case the same street (Macalester and Hamline are 2 miles apart on Snelling Avenue) that make bragging rights so important.

On Saturday, at Norton Field, the oldest series in Minnesota football history turned 103 as we battled the Pipers and kept alive one of the oldest small college rivalries in the Midwest. This year, it was not for conference bragging rights however as we are enjoying a new independent schedule and Hamline is struggling through an overpowering MIAC schedule.

We began playing Hamline in 1887, but the rivalry has heated up over the last several decades and has been focused around a bucket. The "Old Paint Bucket," is the traveling trophy of the rivalry that stays in the possession of the victorious team until they relinquish it by defeat. I have no idea how we ever started battling over this "bucket" but it's a tradition and the "crown jewel" of victory in this long, storied rivalry.

We boarded the bus for the five-minute drive to Hamline on Saturday knowing that our 4-1 record wouldn't mean a thing when we stepped on their field. We took no comfort in Hamline's 0-5 record and 5.4 points per game average as we knew they had the misfortune of opening the season against the four best teams in the MIAC.

They had beaten us badly last year 35-7, on our field, but that was when the program was in turmoil and as Coach Czech said in his pregame speech, "our team's very existence was hanging by a thread."

However, this was a new year and we were no longer hanging by a thread. Through spring workouts, summer workouts, a strong recruiting class and four wins in a new Independent schedule we had turned that thread into what Coach Czech now considers a "six-inch thick rope." We knew this year's team was different and better and we hoped the final score on Saturday, would be the too.

Throughout the game, each team had a 12th defender in the form of what felt like 40-mph winds. With the wind at their backs in the first quarter, the Pipers burst out to an 18-0 lead. Having battled back from deficits all year we were not overly concerned but we were anxious to get on the scoreboard. As soon as the quarter ended and we had the wind at our backs we put up a quick 13 points to make it a five-point game at the half. With a few adjustments, we felt this game was definitely within our grasp.

The second half started and we were anxious as we always seem to come alive down the stretch — we had outscored our first five opponents 70-33 in the final two quarters. I think we were a little too excited as plays got rushed, easily catchable balls were dropped and scoring opportunities seemed to pass us by. We gave up 11 points on defense and when the final horn rang we were on the short end for the first time since Week 1.

The four-game winning streak was over, they kept the "Old Paint Bucket," but most importantly we failed to show those who doubted the strength of our schedule that we can play with and defeat teams from the MIAC. This loss hurt, but with four quality teams remaining on our schedule, we can't dwell on it for long.

We'll meet again next year for the 104th time and we'll battle for that darn bucket and the rivalry will continue.

In four years, we as seniors, never got a chance to possess the "Old Paint Bucket," but we've also never felt better about the future of our program either.

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