News Detail
Tradition – 40 Years
"Bring Home the Bell" is a tradition dating back to the 1980's when the Walsh Jesuit football program began playing St. Vincent - St. Mary on a yearly basis.
Up until the 80's, WJ had been playing STVM in football sporadically. Right around the time St. Vincent - St. Mary stopped playing Archbishop Hoban, WJ and STVM began a rivalry that quickly became tradition to play each other, the 10th week of the season, every year. To enhance this rivalry, both school's Athletic Booster Clubs mutually agreed to purchase "the bell" together in the 80’s. The winner of the annual matchup gets to take "the bell" home and paint it in its respective school colors. "The bell" then remains at the winning school until the next year when both teams face each other again.
Why the 10th game of the season? According to legendary former head football coach, Gerry Rardin '72, the 10th game of the season would decide which of the two teams would make it to the playoffs that year. “This rivalry has been one of the most evenly contested series”, says Rardin. Under Rardin's leadership, he led the Warriors to 22 wins (17 losses) against the Fighting Irish. Upon Rardin’s retirement from coaching, Scott Beigie ‘05 took the reins, but unfortunately never pulled out a win against the Irish. In 2019, current head football coach, Nick Alexander, lost to the Irish his first season at WJ. COVID restrictions in the fall of 2020 made for a shortened season; the teams did not meet that year. In 2021, Alexander and the Warriors were victorious.
Why the 10th game of the season? According to legendary former head football coach, Gerry Rardin '72, the 10th game of the season would decide which of the two teams would make it to the playoffs that year. “This rivalry has been one of the most evenly contested series”, says Rardin. Under Rardin's leadership, he led the Warriors to 22 wins (17 losses) against the Fighting Irish. Upon Rardin’s retirement from coaching, Scott Beigie ‘05 took the reins, but unfortunately never pulled out a win against the Irish. In 2019, current head football coach, Nick Alexander, lost to the Irish his first season at WJ. COVID restrictions in the fall of 2020 made for a shortened season; the teams did not meet that year. In 2021, Alexander and the Warriors were victorious.
Which brings us to Coach Rardin’s assessment about how even this series is - tonight’s game will tip the scale. Let’s keep “the bell” home Warriors.
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