In sporting circles, Boston University and Providence College are far more well known for hockey than for football (BU has five NCAA titles, PC one, and they're not slouches on the basketball court, either). The Terriers dropped football in 1997; the Friars way back in 1941, and no one on either campus is clamoring for the sport to return. But when I saw this picture below, I had to whip up a couple unis, right?
So many football photos from olden times are either grainy, taken from about eight miles away, or both. But here's something from the '20s as rare as legal booze: A bright, sharp photo with a good close-up of the players and uniforms -- and a stiff-arm, too!
The game is from Nov. 14, 1925 at Fenway Park, when it bore only a mild resemblance to today's Fenway (look closely on the left and you can see Duffy's Cliff in front of the left-field wall) and the Red Sox were about as popular in the U.S. as the League of Nations. According to this article, BU prevailed, 14-6, for its only win of the year again five losses. Providence finished 2-7, its wins coming over powerful Newport Naval Training Station and future Big East hoops rival St. John's.
The Terriers played another game at Fenway in '26, and made it their regular home from 1947-52, after which they moved to the former Braves Field, which eventually morphed into Nickerson Field, which still exists today, even if the football team doesn't.
Both team's uniforms take their cues from Ivy League schools. BU resembles Princeton, only with red and white replacing black and orange. The numbers have a hand-cut quality that's considered quaint today, but would be ripped to shreds online if anyone actually tried that now. Providence is basically a dead ringer for city rival Brown (covered in this post), but with larger numbers on the back.
An outstanding photo from football's Mesozoic era. Time to hunt for more!
