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Football and Thanksgiving, a pairing as common as salt and pepper, peanut butter and jelly, or cheese and crackers. While today’s University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) does not field a football team, there was a time around the turn of the nineteenth century when UMB had a Thanksgiving rivalry with Johns Hopkins University (JHU).

The first UMB football team was established in 1895.  The team included players from the dental, law, and medical schools.  In the years following, the school boasted a winning record and even shared a State Championship with two other Maryland schools.

By 1899, the UMB football team was established enough to commence a Thanksgiving Day rivalry with JHU.  The first game was played on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 30, 1899 at Union Park, the original home stadium of the Baltimore Orioles. It was the first time the two Baltimore schools faced off in football.  The game attracted approximately 1500 spectators including a band from UMB.  It ended with a UMB win 12 to 0.  The team celebrated by marching down Charles Street.

The following Thanksgiving (Nov. 29, 1900), the two Baltimore schools once again met at Union Park this time in front of a crowd of 2000 to 2500 people. UMB could not field its normal team as rules excluded them from playing. The rules were outlined by the Maryland State League and stated only amateurs and students could play. According to newspaper reports, the UMB team showed a lack of teamwork because they were not used to playing together and the result was a 12 to 0 loss to JHU.

By 1902 local newspapers were claiming the Thanksgiving game between UMB and JHU had become a Baltimore tradition. The game had moved to American League Park, the new home of the Baltimore Orioles. The result was a UMB win 5 to 0. Unfortunately, a lack of support from the UMB’s Administration and a lack of interest from students meant the school fielded no football team for 1903. The following year JHU played Randolph-Macon College in the Thanksgiving game.

In 1905,  UMB and JHU once again faced off in a Thanksgiving football game at Oriole Park. The result was a 33 to 5 JHU win. In 1907, the Thanksgiving game ended in a UMB walk off loss 7 to 0 at Homewood Grounds, JHU’s home field.  According to The Sun, the game was especially rough.  The first score came off of a questionable safety call, which lead to a letter to the editor about the rules a week later. When JHU was awarded a touchdown in the second half that UMB contested but lost, the UMB squad walked off the field with three minutes remaining. Following this game, JHU made the decision to stop the Thanksgiving rivalry game with UMB. Additionally, athletics at UMB floundered and the students athletic association disbanded.

It should be noted that, JHU began a new Thanksgiving tradition with the Maryland State College, today’s University of Maryland, College Park in 1915.  The 1915 game drew 13,000 spectators at Homewood Field and resulted in a 3-0 win by JHU—a new Thanksgiving Football tradition began and continued until 1934. 

Sources and Further Reading:

University of Maryland Yearbooks 1897-1908

The Vanguard, 1928-1931

The Baltimore Sun (Historical)

Wink, Tara. (Jan 2019). “Football at UMB: HSHSL Historical Highlight.” HSHSL Updates Blog. Available at: https://www2.hshsl.umaryland.edu/hslupdates/?p=3584