Baltimore City College football

The Baltimore City College football team, known as the "Black Knights", or formerly "Castlemen", and "Alamedans", has represented Baltimore City College, popularly referred to as "City", the flagship public college preparatory school in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, for nearly 150 years in the sport of gridiron football. Until 1953, the school's athletic teams were primarily referred to as the "Collegians", a moniker that is still used alternatively today. The team is the oldest high school football program in Maryland and is among the oldest high school football programs in the United States. The program was among the nation's best in the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, finishing ranked in national high school football polls on multiple occasions.

In the late-1890s, City College competed as a member of the Maryland Intercollegiate Football Association (MIFA) against colleges in Maryland and Washington, D.C. The school joined the Maryland Scholastic Association (MSA) in 1919 as a founding member and remained a member until 1992 when it withdrew to join the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (MPSSAA) in 1993. The school left the MSA to compete for state championships with Maryland's other public high schools.

The program has a history of producing NFL talent, with 14 alumni reaching the professional ranks of the National Football League. City College also has a legacy of successful head football coaches. This list includes George Young, former General Manager of the New York Jets and George Petrides, whose 257 career wins ranks eighth all-time among Maryland high school football coaches.

Baltimore Polytechnic Institute (Poly) has been the team's primary rival since the two schools first met in 1889. The rivalry is believed to be the second-oldest high school football rivalry in the United States between public high schools, predated only by the English High School of Boston-Boston Latin School football rivalry. The rivalry began in 1889 and the teams have met 134 times in history. City College leads the series 66–62–6.

Early History (1870s-1918)
In the mid-1870s, as American football gained popularity, City College emerged as one of the first high schools in the Baltimore area to sponsor the sport. In the program's early years, the team played intersquad games with students also serving as coaches. This early adoption led to a unique situation where, due to a lack of comparable high school teams in the region, the team routinely traveled by train to face out-of-state high school opponents like the Central High School Lancers from nearby Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a matchup featuring the second- and third-oldest public high schools in the country. During this period, City College football also played against current NCAA Division I, II, and III college teams like the Maryland Terrapins, the Navy Midshipmen, the Frostburg State Bobcats, and the Johns Hopkins Blue Jays.

In the late-1890s, City College joined the Maryland Intercollegiate Football Association (MIFA) with colleges in Maryland and Washington, D.C. MIFA members included colleges that ultimately became the University of Maryland, College Park; Johns Hopkins University; Loyola University Maryland; Mount St. Mary's University; Washington College; St. John's College; Gallaudet University; and McDaniel College. As the league's only preparatory school, the Collegians often struggled against older competition. The trend was not exclusive to games against MIFA competition. The program finished a challenging 1895 season with a 3–13 win-loss record, including a significant defeat by Navy, enthusiasm for the team remained high. This passion was evident in 1896 when City College faced Gettysburg College, suffering a 50–0 loss but receiving robust support as they traveled to Hampton, Virginia for a game against the Hampton Athletic Club. By the end of the 1890s, City College became more competitive against collegiate teams, including a 6–5 loss at William & Mary Tribe football in 1899.

The first football game against the Baltimore Polytechnic Institute Engineers (often referred to as Poly) was played during the programs early years. The first recorded City-Poly football game was played at Baltimore's Clifton Park in 1889. This game marked the beginning of what is believed to be the second-longest continual public high school football rivalry in the United States, after the Boston Latin School-The English High School rivalry, which started two years earlier in 1887. From 1889 to 1900, City College dominated this rivalry, winning all 12 games during this period. However, by 1918, Poly and other local schools began to surpass City College football in their training and game preparations. This shift was partly due to City College's downtown Baltimore location, which limited the program's access to bonafide practice fields. The City College football continued scheduling a mix of high schools and colleges until the school became a founding member of the Maryland Scholastic Association in 1919.

Maryland Scholastic Association (MSA) era (1919-1993)
Under the guidance of Head Coach Harry Lawrence, City College consistently defeated local rivals, including Polytechnic, whom they beat each year from 1934 to 1942. The team also began facing out-of-state opponents, notably defeating Petersburg High School (VA) in 1936. The 1936 squad finished its season with an undefeated record, but later lost the MSA championship due to eligibility issues with a player. Despite beating McDonough High School during the season, the title was awarded to them. By 1940, Lawrence's coaching prowess had led City College to an impressive 38-game undefeated streak and three MSA championships. In 1941, the undefeated Knights traveled to Florida to play Miami High School in the sweltering heat of the Orange Bowl stadium, a drastic change from their usual colder playing conditions, and suffered a loss. During World War II, Lawrence and assistant coach Otts Helms joined the military. Lawrence returned to coaching in 1947 at Bucknell University, where he mentored future City College head coach George Young). In 1950, Andy Defassio took over as head coach, with Robert Lumsden as his assistant. However, Lumsden soon moved to Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, where he became a legendary coach.

George Young, who became head football coach in 1959, brought significant changes. Originally a history teacher at City and an assistant coach at Calvert Hall College High School, Young emphasized discipline and academic performance. Young's summer training camps focused heavily on running and conditioning, contributing to his teams winning six out of eight games against Poly during the 1960s and securing six MSA championships. One of the most notable City-Poly games under Young's coaching occurred on Thanksgiving Day in 1965 at Baltimore Memorial Stadium, drawing roughly 25,000 spectators. City triumphed over Poly with a score of 52–6, completing an undefeated 9–0 season and finished ranked No. 8 nationally by National Sports News Service (NSNS). Many coaches argued that the team should have finished the season ranked as high as No. 2 in the country, but the team was penalized in the poll for not playing at least 10 games and not playing in a state championship tournament. This game set a record for the highest points scored in the rivalry, and notable players like Sykes and Person advanced to the NFL. Kurt Schmoke, who later served as Mayor of Baltimore, was the quarterback. Following Young's departure from the program in 1967, three head coaches led the program until 1974. George Young was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021.

George Petrides served as head football coach from 1975 until he retired in 2015. Petrides, a 1967 City College graduate, coached the team through MSA football seasons from his hire in 1975 until the school left the MSA for the MPSSAA in 1992. Under his leadership, the Black Knights achieved remarkable success, including a record 29-game winning streak and multiple MSA conference championships.

Maryland Public Secondary School Athletic Association (MPSSAA) era (1993-present)
City College joined the Maryland Public Secondary School Athletic Association (MPSSAA) in 1993 and was expected to compete for football championships immediately after having won a MSA football championship in 1992. City College football has won four MPSSAA regional championships in 1996, 2001, 2005, and 2023 and two MPSSAA district championships in 2005 and 2006. George Petrides, the longest-serving head football coach in school history, announced his retirement in 2015. His 275 career wins ranks eight all-time among Maryland high school football coaches. His contributions to the program is commemorated by the naming of the team's stadium George Petrides Stadium at Alumni Field. The current head coach is Rodney Joyner, who led the program to an appearance in the 2023 MPSSAA Class 3A state semifinals, the program's first state semifinals appearance since 2005.

City-Poly rivalry


The City–Poly football rivalry, also referred to as the "City-Poly game" is an American football rivalry between the Baltimore City College Black Knights (City) and the Baltimore Polytechnic Institute Engineers (Poly). This matchup is the oldest football rivalry in Maryland. The rivalry is believed to be the second-oldest high school football rivalry in the United States between public high schools, predated only by the English High School of Boston-Boston Latin School football rivalry, which started two years earlier in 1887. The rivalry began in 1889 and the teams have met 134 times in history. In 2023, City won its 12th consecutive game in the rivalry, and now leads the series 66–62–6.

"The Game", as this rivalry is commonly referred to, has featured legendary high school football coaches like Harry Lawrence, Bob Lumsden, George Petrides, and George Young. In all, 25 former players in the City-Poly game ultimately played in the National Football League (NFL), which includes the 14 NFL players City has produced.

The first game in the rivalry was played on a field in northeast Baltimore's Clifton Park without spectators. Beginning in 1922, the game has been played at in large stadiums with seating capacities of 65,000 or more. From 1922 to 1996, the game was played at Baltimore Memorial Stadium, a multi-purpose stadium that was home to the Baltimore Colts and the Baltimore Ravens of the NFL and Major League Baseball's Baltimore Orioles. When the Ravens moved to M&T Bank Stadium in downtown Baltimore, the game moved to that location. The last City-Poly game at M&T Bank was played in 2017. The game is now played at Hughes Stadium on the campus of Morgan State University.

Head coaching history


Baltimore City College has had 28 head coaches since organized football began in the early-1900s. The program has been led by several successful head coaches over the years. This list of notable head football coaches includes:

The 28 individuals who have served as Baltimore City College head football coach during the years are listed below.
 * Harry Lawrence, who was head football coach from 1934 to 1941 and again in 1946, leading the team to a win-loss-tie record of 69–10–6 (.870). Lawrence left City College following the 1946 season to become head football coach at Bucknell University.
 * George Young was head football coach from 1959 to 1967. In his nine seasons as head coach, Young led the program to a win-loss-tie record of 60-11-2 (.927) and six MSA conference championships. After a coaching stint with the Baltimore Colts, Young became the General Manager of the New York Giants. Under Young's leadership, the Giants won fifty-three percent of their games, four NFC titles and two Super Bowls and the senior vice president of football operations for the National Football League.
 * George Petrides served as head football coach from 1975 until his retirement in 2015. In his 40 years at the helm, Petrides led the program to a win-loss-tie record of 257-144-1 (.670) and retired as the second-winningest high school football coach (by career wins) in Maryland behind only Good Counsel High School's Bob Malloy. Petrides won five MSA conference championships in 1986, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1992, two MPSSAA division championships in 2005 and 2006, and three MPSSAA regional championships in 1996, 2001, 2005.

City College players in the National Football League
The program has a history of producing talented players who ultimately play professional football at the highest level. 14 City College football alumni have played in the National Football League (NFL). This list includes current NFL player Malik Hamm (Baltimore Ravens), as well as former NFL players like Charles Tapper, Bryant Johnson, and others, showcasing the program's ability to develop athletes capable of competing at the highest levels of the football.