  Jokerman Member Username: Jokerman Post Number: 37 Registered: 07-2005 Posted From: 67.125.189.14 |
How many old-timers remember the Goodfellow Game? It was the city championship for high school football. The Detroit Public School Champ played the Catholic League Champ at Tiger Stadium. I can't find much information about this on the internet. Does anyone have a link to a list of all the games and scores? What was the last year it was played? The same questions apply to the annual Soupbowl Game that determined the champ of the Catholic League. Here is a link to a great site for Michigan High School football. http://michigan-football.com/ However, this site does not delineate the Goodfellow or Soup Bowl as a unique event. The scores are just included in the results for individual schools. | ||
Paulmcall Member Username: Paulmcall Post Number: 800 Registered: 05-2004 Posted From: 68.40.119.216 |
I remember watching a game on Channel 50 (then strictly a sports station) back in the 60's with St. Ambrose and I forget who else. It was snowing like mad at Tiger Stadium and they had kids with shovels clear off the yard lines between plays so they could see where they were. Try looking in the News or Freep archives. | ||
Jokerman Member Username: Jokerman Post Number: 38 Registered: 07-2005 Posted From: 67.125.189.14 |
I wrote this on another link, but it really belongs on this one. My High School, Notre Dame, played Denby twice in the Goodfellow Game, 1963 and 1965. The game in 63 was on the evening of November 22, 1963, the day that JFK was assassinated. I remember taking the bus to the game at Tiger Stadium with my mom and my brother. It was a strange feeling going to the game under the cloud of sadness that we all felt about JFK. To make matters worse, Notre Dame lost 7-0. In 1965, they played again and tied 14-14. They were declared co-champs. These games were pretty cool since it was often friend against friend. The games were also called the "Kelly Road Championship" or the "Battle for Kelly Road" since Notre Dame and Denby were only about two miles apart on Kelly Rd. | ||
Livedog2 Member Username: Livedog2 Post Number: 684 Registered: 03-2006 Posted From: 24.223.133.177 |
I believe the game you are talking about took place in 1961 between St. Ambrose and Pershing which St. Ambrose won and Tom Beer of St. Ambrose went on to play in the NFL for New England. Livedog2 | ||
Livedog2 Member Username: Livedog2 Post Number: 687 Registered: 03-2006 Posted From: 24.223.133.177 |
I think the score was St. Ambrose 20 - Pershing 0! Livedog2 | ||
Gary Member Username: Gary Post Number: 154 Registered: 02-2004 Posted From: 71.155.193.14 |
Great site Jokerman. I wonder if part of the reason why the Goodfellow game has declined is because so many of the old neighborhood Catholic high schools no longer exist, therefore the old neighborhood rivalries are gone. Just wondering. | ||
Jokerman Member Username: Jokerman Post Number: 39 Registered: 07-2005 Posted From: 67.125.189.14 |
Gary, You might be right, but I think that the Goodfellow Game ended before most of the Catholic Schools closed. Livedog2, you have a good memory. According to Michigan Football .com, the score was 20-0. http://michigan-football.com/f /dambrose.htm | ||
Livedog2 Member Username: Livedog2 Post Number: 689 Registered: 03-2006 Posted From: 24.223.133.177 |
I was there and it is a great memory! It was always amazing to me how schools like St. Ambrose with a total enrollment of 237 students could kick the schitt out of a school with a SENIOR class of almost a 1,000 students. Coming from a catholic school environment I knew it was those Felician nuns and Jesuit priests. +<(:-)~ Better to be bloody and broken by the opponent than face those nuns and priests after losing a game. My knuckles from those pyramid shaped rulers  and my knee joints from duck walking couldn’t take it after a loss!  Livedog2 | ||
Jokerman Member Username: Jokerman Post Number: 44 Registered: 07-2005 Posted From: 67.125.189.14 |
Good points Livedog2, but the Catholic Schools also had the advantage of being able to recruit from all over the city by offering scholarships. My school, Notre Dame, was lilly white until they started offering scholarships to great black athletes. Thankfully, this eventually helped the school to become more fully integrated. | ||
Livedog2 Member Username: Livedog2 Post Number: 690 Registered: 03-2006 Posted From: 24.223.133.177 |
I had forgotten that fact, Jokerman! That's true, the Catholic Schools were able to recruit and offer scolarships while the public school student body came from a specific geographic location. Our coach at Pershing was a sadist by the name of Mike Haddad. No really, he was a very successful football coach but G-d was he tough. It just seems that those were different times all the way around. Does anyone out there remember who the coaches for Denby and St. Ambrose was during the 1959-63 time frame? How about Tom Beer the hero for St. Ambrose of the 1961 Goodfellow Game - does anyone know what's ever happened to him after he retired from the NFL? Livedog2 | ||
Mikem Member Username: Mikem Post Number: 2677 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 68.43.15.105 |
Wasn't Geo Perles coaching St Ambrose at the time? | ||
Gary Member Username: Gary Post Number: 155 Registered: 02-2004 Posted From: 71.155.193.14 |
Don't kid yourselves guys...the public schools recruited too. My best friend was already 6'5" when we finished 9th grade and he was easily handling some of the best high school players in the city in pickup games down at St. Cecelia. Visitation High (now St. Martin De Porres) was after him because the coach at that time knew him from a local rec league. My friend wound up at Denby even though we lived in the 6 Mile/Livernois area, which is clear across town from 7 Mile and Kelly Rd. I'm still not sure what made him pick Denby over our neighborhood school, but he went on to make all city over there, so I guess it worked out all around. I'm not sure what the incentives may have been, since public schools obviously could not offer scholarships like the Catholic schools, but I knew of more than one outstanding athlete from my old neighborhood who never saw the inside of our local high school. Nowadays, Detroit has open enrollment, so kids can pretty much go wherever they choose. | ||
Livedog2 Member Username: Livedog2 Post Number: 691 Registered: 03-2006 Posted From: 24.223.133.177 |
Right you are again, Mikem! I had forgotten that fact but I haven't thought about this stuff in 45 years, now. Livedog2 | ||
Tndetroiter Member Username: Tndetroiter Post Number: 107 Registered: 12-2005 Posted From: 149.149.5.21 |
My dad graduated from Denby in 1966. He'll start talking about Denby's football teams everyonce and awhile when he starts reminiscing about his childhood. He always seems to talk about how good of a coach Denby had and how they won a tightly contested Goodfellow Game during one of his years in high school. He also mentioned an incident where Denby was forced to forefit a few games because they used an ineligible player or some other technicality and the students marched out of the school and started turning over buses or something. I always found that one a little hard to believe. I'll ask him if he remembers who the coach was while he was there. | ||
Livedog2 Member Username: Livedog2 Post Number: 697 Registered: 03-2006 Posted From: 24.223.133.177 |
Although when St. Ambrose beat us, Pershing HS, in 1961 was a big disappointment with a score of 20-0 the game the weekend before was as exciting as could be. If the Goodfellow Game was on Nov. 17, 1961 then the Detroit Public School City Championship game was on Nov. 10, 1961. Again, we, Pershing HS the Eastside Champions played against Detroit Redford HS the Westside Champions. The game was played at the "old" University of Detroit or U of D Stadium on McNichols or 6 Mile Rd. The stadium was packed and it was a night game under the lights. It was a cold late fall night with steam coming out of our mouths from the cold. It was a very close game throughout the contest. The score was Detroit Redford 19 vs. Pershing HS 17 going into the last minute of play. We, Pershing, were moving down the field for a touchdown but we were running out of time. But, we did something in the last few seconds of the game that high schools very rarely did back in those days which were to kick a field goal. By the time we set-up and got the kick off which was in time the ball sailed towards the goal posts and time had run out. Since the ball was already in motion in the air the play was still in action and the ball hit the crossbar and fell over the goal post for a three (3) point field goal. A roar went up over the Pershing side and a sigh went up over the Detroit Redford stands. The score ended up being Pershing HS 20 and Detroit Redford 19. We, Pershing HS, were on our way to the Goodfellow Game the following weekend of Nov. 17th.  Livedog2 | ||
Jokerman Member Username: Jokerman Post Number: 48 Registered: 07-2005 Posted From: 67.125.189.14 |
Thanks for the great updates. You can find the exact dates and scores for all games on this website. http://michigan-football.com/ Here’s the Pershing Link: http://michigan-football.com/f /pershing.htm I remember that Spencer Heywood was a great basketball player for Pershing. | ||
Paulmcall Member Username: Paulmcall Post Number: 802 Registered: 05-2004 Posted From: 68.40.119.216 |
Spencer also played at St. Mary Of Redford and also U of D. | ||
Maxcarey Member Username: Maxcarey Post Number: 1 Registered: 07-2006 Posted From: 68.43.105.109 |
A complete list, courtesy of http://www.shmsonline.org/CHSL /Boys+Sports+10650/Football+10 718/Football+-+Champions.htm 1938 -- Goodfellows - Detroit Catholic Central 19, Hamtramck 13 1939 -- Goodfellows - U-D High Detroit 20, Catholic Central 0 1940 -- Goodfellows - Detroit St. Theresa of Avila 6, Detroit Cooley 6 1941 -- Goodfellows - Detroit Cooley 47, Detroit St. Theresa of Avila 6 1942 -- Goodfellows - Detroit Catholic Central 46, Hamtramck 0 1943 -- Goodfellows - Detroit Catholic Central 8, Detroit Cooley 0 1944 -- Goodfellows - Detriot Mackenzie 3, Detroit Holy Redeemer 0 1945 -- Goodfellow - Detroit Catholic Central 19, Detroit Denby 19 1946 -- Goodfellows - Detroit Cooley 21, Detroit St. Anthony 13 1947 -- Goodfellows - Detroit Denby 14, St. Mary of Redford 0 1948 -- Goodfellows - Detroit Denby 28, St. Mary of Redford 0 1949 -- Goodfellows - Detroit St. Anthony 19, U-D High 13 1950 -- Goodfellows - Detroit Redford 7, Detroit St. Gregory 6 1951 -- Goodfellows - St. Mary of Redford 23, Detroit Western 6 1952 -- Goodfellows - St. Mary of Redford 13, U-D High 6 1953 -- Goodfellows - Detroit Pershing 21, River Rouge Lady of Lourdes 7 1954 -- Goodfellows - U-D High 23, St. Mary of Redford 20 1955 -- Goodfellows - Detroit Pershing 13, St. Mary of Redford 7 1956 -- Goodfellows - Detroit De La Salle 26, Detroit Denby 20 1957 -- Goodfellows - St. Mary of Redford 25, Detroit Southeastern 6 1958 -- Goodfellows - Detroit Redford 27, St. Mary of Redford 7 1959 -- Goodfellows - Grosse Pointe St. Ambrose 13, Detroit Cooley 7 1960 -- Goodfellows - Detroit Denby 21, Detroit Catholic Central 18 1961 -- Goodfellows - Grosse Pointe St. Ambrose 20, Detroit Pershing 0 1962 -- Goodfellows - Grosse Pointe St. Ambrose 19, Detroit Cooley 0 1963 -- Goodfellows - Detroit Denby 7, Harper Woods Notre Dame 0 1964 -- Goodfellows - Grosse Pointe St. Ambrose 20, Detroit Southeastern 0 1965 -- Goodfellows - Harper Woods Notre Dame 14, Detroit Denby 14 1966 -- Goodfellows - Grosse Pointe St. Ambrose 33, Detroit Denby 19 1967 --Goodfellows - Dearborn Divine Child 14, Detroit Denby 7 | ||
Jokerman Member Username: Jokerman Post Number: 51 Registered: 07-2005 Posted From: 67.125.189.14 |
Maxcarey, Thank you! That is exactly what I was looking for. | ||
Jokerman Member Username: Jokerman Post Number: 52 Registered: 07-2005 Posted From: 67.125.189.14 |
Maxcarey, Your list reminded me that UofD High played in the Public School League, for some reason, until sometime during the 60's, even though it was a Catholic School. | ||
Jiminnm Member Username: Jiminnm Post Number: 892 Registered: 02-2005 Posted From: 68.35.85.184 |
As I recall, there was a huge fight after the 1967 game - which followed fights after the previous few games. As a result, DPS and the Archdiocese decided to stop the games. I think that decision was made prior to the 1968 riot. | ||
Jokerman Member Username: Jokerman Post Number: 53 Registered: 07-2005 Posted From: 67.125.189.14 |
It must have been during the late fifties that UofD moved to the Catholic League, beacuse on the website Maxcarey attached, they played in the 58 Soupbowl Game. | ||
Gary Member Username: Gary Post Number: 156 Registered: 02-2004 Posted From: 69.221.33.27 |
The reason why schools like Hamtramck and U of D High represented the public school champs is because there was no Detroit PSL at that time. Back then, Detroit schools played in the City League, which also included Highland Park (I think). | ||
Maxcarey Member Username: Maxcarey Post Number: 9 Registered: 07-2006 Posted From: 68.43.105.109 |
That is a very interesting story about a fight after the 67 game, I never knew about that or heard any details, I always assumed the game stopped because the Diocese closed 7 high schools between 1966-67 and another 8 at the end of the 1968 school year. | ||
Taj920 Member Username: Taj920 Post Number: 121 Registered: 01-2004 Posted From: 68.42.252.205 |
Was Gary Danielson on the Divine Child team in '67? St. Ambrose is an amazing story, because there were tons of nearby Catholic high schools that also attracted great athletes (Austin, DeLaSalle, Servite, St. Paul, St. Martin, St. Philip, etc.) | ||
Royce Member Username: Royce Post Number: 1700 Registered: 07-2004 Posted From: 69.209.131.201 |
The basketball game between the PSL and the Catholic League is called the Operation: Friendship Game. The question I have is was the basketball game ever called the "Goodfellow Game" but for basketball? Also, is or was there an Operation: Friendship game for baseball that was played at Tiger Stadium? I know the Catholic League and the PSL league had their individual championships at TS, but did the champs of each league play each other? | ||
Royce Member Username: Royce Post Number: 1715 Registered: 07-2004 Posted From: 69.209.147.45 |
Where did everybody go? | ||
Livedog2 Member Username: Livedog2 Post Number: 716 Registered: 03-2006 Posted From: 24.223.133.177 |
Pershing High School "Doughboy" Livedog2 |
