What Makes Wellesley/Needham So Special?

Even though high school football is still over a month and half away it is never to early to start talking about the most important game of the season to most people, the Wellesley Needham thanksgiving day showdown. This rivalry dates back to 1882, and will be playing for the 128th time this coming November. Currently Wellesley leads the series 60-58-9, although Needham has  been victorious 4 out of the last 5 years including winning the latest installment 27-13 at home this past November. The question that always gets asked when people talk about this rivalry is what makes it so special? First off you have to look at the history, Wellesley was once a part of Needham called West Needham but then succeeded back in 1880 to form Wellesley. As a peace offering of sorts two years later Arthur Oldham of Wellesley challenged his Needham counterparts to a football game, the final score of which was 4-0 Wellesley, and the rest is history. Not many other rivalries can share the distinction of playing 127 years pretty much on a continual basis, which is why Wellesley/Needham is commonly referred to as one of the oldest rivalries in the country. Another reason this rivalry is special is the fact that these towns are right next door to each other, especially since the town’s high school hockey teams share a rink over at Babson College, making it the place to be when the two square off on the ice each year. Furthermore, every year when these two teams square off on the gridiron the fans in attendance are always treated to exciting football, regardless of record, and the games are always close usually coming down to the final minutes or beyond. Another factor you have to look at is the respect factor between the two towns and the two teams. While these two teams battle like crazy to try to best the other on the field, they always do it with class and dignity as evidenced by the constant clean play during the games. This is evidenced by the week leading up to the game where the seniors on both teams get together for a dinner hosted by the hosting town’s rotary club. No matter what the result on a given year, the teams always shake hands after the game and many of the players build and maintain lifelong friendships with their opponents once the clock hits 0. The last and maybe most important factor is that it is always the last game of the season for both teams (barring a playoff/state championship berth) and for the seniors the last time they will dawn their respective schools uniform. For the seniors especially but for the teams as a whole it is one last legacy to leave for a season or for a career, because 10 years down the road not many people will ask what your record was your senior year but what they will ask is “Did you beat Needham?” or “Did you beat Wellesley?” and that’s something special. Oh and for the record the 128th installment of the rivalry will take place Thursday November 26th at 10 am at Wellesley High School.