Holy Cross football
| Holy Cross Crusaders football | |||
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| First season | 1891 | ||
| Athletic director | Nathan Pine | ||
| Head coach |
Tom Gilmore 13th year, 69–73 (.486) |
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| Stadium | Fitton Field | ||
| Seating capacity | 23,000 | ||
| Field surface | Grass | ||
| Location | Worcester, Massachusetts | ||
| Conference | Patriot League | ||
| All-time record | 621–512–55 (.546) | ||
| Bowl record | 0–1–0 (.000) | ||
| Playoff appearances | 2 | ||
| Playoff record | 0–2 | ||
| Unclaimed nat'l titles | 1 (1987) | ||
| Conference titles | 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 2009 (Patriot League) | ||
| Colors | Royal Purple |
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| Fight song | Chu! Chu! Rah! Rah! | ||
| Mascot | The Crusader | ||
| Marching band | Holy Cross Goodtime Marching Band | ||
| Rivals | Boston College Eagles | ||
| Website | goholycross.com | ||
The Holy Cross Crusaders football team is the collegiate American football program of the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Patriot League, an NCAA Division I conference that participates in Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). The team plays their home games at Fitton Field.
Football began at Holy Cross in 1884 with games against teams from other schools beginning in 1891. Starting in 1896 the Holy Cross Football team played at the Worcester Oval. The first home game played at Holy Cross was a 6–0 defeat of Massachusetts Agricultural College on September 26, 1903. In 1908, the football field was moved to next to the baseball field which bears the same name (Fitton Field). Since 1910, the Holy Cross Crusader "Goodtime" Marching Band has performed half time shows at home football games. The original field was built with wooden and concrete stands. These were replaced with steel stands in 1924 and aluminum seating in 1986. The largest crowd ever to pack Fitton Field was the 27,000 who showed up to see Holy Cross's All-American back Bill Osmanski in his last home game in 1938.
In 1896, Holy Cross and Boston College played the first football game between the two schools, starting the Boston College–Holy Cross football rivalry. For much of the early to mid 20th century, BC and The Cross drew some of New England's largest sports crowds. To accommodate larger crowds, the Holy Cross game was routinely held at larger venues off campus, with the 1916 matchup taking place at the newly constructed Fenway Park. A record 54,000 attended the 1922 game at Braves Field, home of the Boston Braves baseball team. On November 28, 1942, Holy Cross beat BC in a huge upset 55–12. The game is still the most famous between the two foes, not only for its result (which spoiled BC's undefeated season) but also its aftermath. The Eagles had booked their victory party that night at the popular Cocoanut Grove nightclub in Boston, but canceled after the loss. As a result, the BC team was absent when the club caught fire, killing nearly 500.
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