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Username Post: 95th Anniversary of Mathewson Memorial Stadium        (Topic#23382)
Bison137 
Professor
Posts: 16147
Bison137
Reg: 01-23-06
10-18-19 02:13 PM - Post#288751    

The inaugural game in what is now named Christy Mathewson Memorial Stadium was played on this date in 1924 vs Lafayette.

Here is an interesting picture of what the stadium and surrounding area looked like in 1924:

https://twitter.com/Bucknell_FB/status/11 852315652...


About the only familiar sight is the water tower. No Route 15 at that point.




 
Bison89 
Professor
Posts: 5370
Bison89
Loc: Philadelphia
Reg: 11-14-07
10-18-19 03:03 PM - Post#288754    
    In response to Bison137

What is the highest recorded attendance?
New season, new team, new dream . . .


 
DoCtoR62 
Masters Student
Posts: 463

Reg: 05-18-08
10-18-19 08:13 PM - Post#288767    
    In response to Bison89

  • Bison89 Said:
What is the highest recorded attendance?



A few Bucknell legends:

-Original capacity of the stadium was 18,000, making it the largest athletic facility in Central Pa., i.e., outside of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

-The first game vs Lafayette was the largest crowd in the stadium's history. Though it fell short of a sell out with 17,000 spectators, it was the most attended athletic event in Pa. outside of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia at the time.

-The only crowd that could have matched that opening day was for a game that never was played. Bucknell was to host Delaware on November 23, 1963 with the Middle Atlantic championship on the line. Delaware was 8-0-0 and the top college division team in the east when that was a big deal. (The Lambert Cup trophy went to the top small school in the east.) Bucknell was 6-3 with 3 close losses to top caliber teams. Many felt Bucknell had the chance to knock off Delaware, and some believe the game would have been a sellout. However, President Kennedy's assassination the day before forced the game's cancellation. Bucknell wanted to reschedule the game, but Delaware did not. The Bucknell admin went public with their desire to play and made it known it was Delaware who didn't want to make up the game. Bucknell won at Delaware in the last game the following year to capture its only Lambert Cup.

-

 
Bison54 
PhD Student
Posts: 1800
Bison54
Reg: 11-18-09
10-18-19 08:35 PM - Post#288768    
    In response to DoCtoR62

  • DoCtoR62 Said:
  • Bison89 Said:
What is the highest recorded attendance?



A few Bucknell legends:

-Original capacity of the stadium was 18,000, making it the largest athletic facility in Central Pa., i.e., outside of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

-The first game vs Lafayette was the largest crowd in the stadium's history. Though it fell short of a sell out with 17,000 spectators, it was the most attended athletic event in Pa. outside of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia at the time.

-The only crowd that could have matched that opening day was for a game that never was played. Bucknell was to host Delaware on November 23, 1963 with the Middle Atlantic championship on the line. Delaware was 8-0-0 and the top college division team in the east when that was a big deal. (The Lambert Cup trophy went to the top small school in the east.) Bucknell was 6-3 with 3 close losses to top caliber teams. Many felt Bucknell had the chance to knock off Delaware, and some believe the game would have been a sellout. However, President Kennedy's assassination the day before forced the game's cancellation. Bucknell wanted to reschedule the game, but Delaware did not. The Bucknell admin went public with their desire to play and made it known it was Delaware who didn't want to make up the game. Bucknell won at Delaware in the last game the following year to capture its only Lambert Cup.

-


Actually Bucknell won the Lambert Cup in 1960 and 1964, both under Bob Odell


 
KenZ 
Postdoc
Posts: 2777
KenZ
Reg: 01-23-06
10-18-19 09:04 PM - Post#288769    
    In response to Bison54

story i heard was there was one sellout, but it was for a drum and bugle corps competition

 
Bison137 
Professor
Posts: 16147
Bison137
Reg: 01-23-06
95th Anniversary of Mathewson Memorial Stadium
10-18-19 09:18 PM - Post#288771    
    In response to KenZ

Following up on Doctor62's post, Bucknell gave Delaware several fair options to reschedule the game: (1) play Thanksgiving Day (five days later) at either Bucknell or a neutral site; Or (2) play the following Saturday at either Bucknell or a neutral site. Delaware refused - and would have refused any other offer - since they wanted to back into a Lambert Cup, which they were successful in doing. One bit of justice occurred, however, when the AP voters discovered Delaware's cowardice. Many of them lowered their ranking of the Blue Hens and they dropped out of the #1 position in the final College Division poll.




 
DoCtoR62 
Masters Student
Posts: 463

Reg: 05-18-08
10-19-19 06:57 AM - Post#288779    
    In response to Bison54

  • Bison54 Said:
  • DoCtoR62 Said:
  • Bison89 Said:
What is the highest recorded attendance?



A few Bucknell legends:

-Original capacity of the stadium was 18,000, making it the largest athletic facility in Central Pa., i.e., outside of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

-The first game vs Lafayette was the largest crowd in the stadium's history. Though it fell short of a sell out with 17,000 spectators, it was the most attended athletic event in Pa. outside of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia at the time.

-The only crowd that could have matched that opening day was for a game that never was played. Bucknell was to host Delaware on November 23, 1963 with the Middle Atlantic championship on the line. Delaware was 8-0-0 and the top college division team in the east when that was a big deal. (The Lambert Cup trophy went to the top small school in the east.) Bucknell was 6-3 with 3 close losses to top caliber teams. Many felt Bucknell had the chance to knock off Delaware, and some believe the game would have been a sellout. However, President Kennedy's assassination the day before forced the game's cancellation. Bucknell wanted to reschedule the game, but Delaware did not. The Bucknell admin went public with their desire to play and made it known it was Delaware who didn't want to make up the game. Bucknell won at Delaware in the last game the following year to capture its only Lambert Cup.

-


Actually Bucknell won the Lambert Cup in 1960 and 1964, both under Bob Odell



Thanks for the correction. Bob Odell has a significant place in Bison history.

 
bison63 
Postdoc
Posts: 3857

Reg: 01-23-06
10-19-19 10:09 AM - Post#288784    
    In response to DoCtoR62

On November 22, 1963 I was a previous June graduate of Bucknell, driving with my brother, a HS senior to L-burg for the next days game, and to give him a look at the school. At about 1:05 pm somewhere on Rte 22 in NJ east of Easton a bulletin came over the radio that shots had been fired into the Presidential motorcade in Dallas. Nothing more than that, and we did not in any way suspect what was to come.

A half hour later the announcement came. When we arrived on campus, it was dominated by the same pall that the rest of the country was, with everybody trying to grasp what happened. This juxtaposed against a campus that had been preparing for a huge game. Blue Hen effigies hanging everywhere, “Stomp the Hens” painted on sidewalks etc.

Needless to say, there was no game, and we spent Saturday driving home with my brother, and future wife, who was still attending BU, to a weekend of an entire nation glued to their TVs as events continued to unfold.

 
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