Stadium Size, Football Droppers, and Deemphasizers: St. Mary's

St. Mary's College originated in San Francisco, moved across the Bay to Oakland in 1889, and shifted further east to Moraga in 1928 following a significant fire on the Oakland campus. The Gaels played a handful of football games in the 1800s, stopped for a time, and restarted in 1915, playing football during the war.

St. Mary's lost 127-0 to Cal in 1920. Looking to enhance their football fortunes, they went the standard Catholic college route of hiring a former Notre Dame player, Edward "Slip" Madigan, who was just what the doctors of divinity ordered.

Madigan, a strong recruiter, showman, and creative tactician, coached the Gaels from 1921 through 1939. During his time there, the Gaels became a national power, beating the top teams in California and traveling East to play Fordham annually, substituting Boston College or Villanova some years. Intersectional opponents that played St. Mary's at San Francisco's 60,000-seat Kezar Stadium home included SMU, Alabama, Duquesne, Detroit, and Georgia. They played several games yearly against Pacific Coast Conference foes and filled the rest of the schedule with other California institutions, especially of the Catholic variety.

(1925 St. Mary’s yearbook)

They won six of their nine games most years and went undefeated in 1926 and 1929 before the modern bowl system started. Once postseason play became more common, they played in the 1939 Cotton Bowl, 1946 Cotton Bowl, and 1947 Oil Bowl.

Throughout the 1930s, St. Mary's often packed Kezar Stadium for the intersectional games, the PCC foes, and their rivalry game with Santa Clara, usually called the Little Big Game.

Key players from the 1935 team stand against a sold-out Kezar Stadium background. (1936 St. Mary’s yearbook)

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