The original Fitton 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.
Boston College rivalry
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 a large venue in Boston, 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.
But fortune did not always favor the Crusaders, and the series was suspended in 1986 after BC had won 17 games over a 20-year span. After an over three-decade hiatus, the series resumed in 2018 as Holy Cross traveled to Chestnut Hill to take on Boston College. A rematch was held in 2023, which BC won 31–28.
1946 Orange Bowl
In 1945, Holy Cross brought its best team in school history to the Orange Bowl only to feel the heartbreak it had given BC three years earlier. On January 1, 1946, Holy Cross lost a heartbreaker to the University of Miami in its only bowl appearance. With the score tied 6–6 and only seconds remaining in regulation, Holy Cross was intercepted by Miami's Al Hudson, who ran the ball 89 yards for a touchdown. The final score was 13–6.
A glorious decade
In 1969, Holy Cross had to cancel the final eight games of the season when a contaminated faucet on a practice field led to an outbreak of hepatitis. Through the 1970s Holy Cross continued to play major East Coast football powers, but the Crusaders struggled to compete with the bigger schools.
In 1981, the NCAA dropped Holy Cross from the upper tier of football competition to Division I-AA. Holy Cross enjoyed a football renaissance over the next decade under coaches Rick E. Carter (35–19–2) and especially Mark Duffner (60–5–1). In 1983, the team was No. 3 in the nation in I-AA under Carter. Under Duffner, Holy Cross became the nation's most successful I-AA program. There were 11–0 seasons in both 1987 and 1991. Holy Cross won five Colonial League and Patriot League championships, four Lambert Cups, and four ECAC Team of the Year Awards. It also earned the No. 1 ranking in the final 1987 NCAA Division I-AA poll. In 1987 running back/defensive back Gordie Lockbaum finished third in the Heisman Trophy balloting after finishing fifth in 1986.
In the midst of these winning seasons, Holy Cross changed the direction of its football program. In 1986 it joined the Colonial League, a football-only conference that adopted the Ivy League model of need-based financial aid and grants rather than formal athletic scholarships. In 1990, the Colonial League became an all-sports conference and changed its name to the Patriot League; over time, it began allowing scholarships in non-football sports (with the recipients ineligible to play football), but continued to prohibit football scholarships through the 2012 season. In 2013, the Patriot League transitioned back to traditional scholarship football following Fordham’s decision to offer football scholarships in 2010.
2009 season
In 2009, Holy Cross had one of its best teams since the founding of the Patriot League, led by star quarterback Dominic Randolph. The Crusaders won the league title and earned an automatic berth to the FCS playoffs, where they lost in the first round to eventual national championVillanova.
Holy Cross (left) lines up on offense before a snap against Georgetown at Fitton Field in 2023
Bob Chesney took over as Holy Cross head coach in 2018. In his first season, the Crusaders won their last 4 games to finish second in the Patriot League, notching a 4-2 Patriot League record and 5-6 overall standing.[3]
The Crusaders' 2019 campaign produced a Patriot League title and a 5-1 conference standing, paired with a 7-6 record overall.[4] Holy Cross earned an automatic berth to the FCS playoffs, where they lost in the first round to Monmouth.
In a shortened 2021 spring season, the Crusaders went undefeated in Patriot League play (3-0) and won the league title for the second year in a row.[5]
In the fall 2021 season, the Crusaders won their third Patriot League Championship in a row, going 6-0 in conference play and 10-3 overall.[6] The season also marked the first FCS playoff victory for Holy Cross, a 13-10 win over Sacred Heart in the first round. The Crusaders saw their season end once again at the hands of Villanova, however.
The 2022 season saw the team post an undefeated 11–0 regular season record, highlighted by a win at FBS opponent Buffalo and a sweep of Harvard and Yale.[7] Their success saw them receive the #8 seed in the FCS playoffs, which carried with it a first-round bye and a home game in the round of 16. In poor weather conditions, the Crusaders took out New Hampshire 35-19 in Worcester to advance to play #1 overall seed South Dakota State, eventually losing 42-21.[8]
Chesney left the program following the 2023 season after being hired as head coach of James Madison.[9] He was succeeded by Merrimack's Dan Curran.[10]
Holy Cross has made 39 appearances in the AP Poll since it was introduced for the 1936 season, peaking at No. 9 in 1938.[11] Holy Cross has finished the year ranked in the final Associated Press poll of the season 5 times:
Fitton Field is a football stadium in Worcester, Massachusetts, primarily used for College of the Holy Cross sporting events. The stadium opened in 1908 as the official home for the Holy Cross Crusaders football team. Before that, most games were played on the adjoining baseball field. The stadium has a capacity of 23,500.
Worcester, Massachusetts, is home to minor league sports teams and NCAA Division 1 college and university sports, most notably The College of the Holy Cross. Other professional teams that have moved on from the city include the New England Blazers, a Major League Lacrosse team that played at the Worcester Centrum during the 1980s, the Bay State Bombardiers of the Continental Basketball Association, who played in the Worcester Memorial Auditorium from 1984 to 1986, the Worcester Ice Cats, an American Hockey League franchise and developmental team for the National Hockey League's St. Louis Blues who played in the DCU Center from 1994 to 2005, and the Worcester Sharks, an American Hockey League franchise and developmental team for the NHL's San Jose Sharks. Many historic and local sporting events have occurred in Worcester such as the first official Ryder Cup golf tournament at Worcester Country Club in 1927.
The Holy Cross Crusaders are the athletic teams representing the College of the Holy Cross. They compete in NCAA Division I, primarily as members of the Patriot League. In ice hockey, a sport not sponsored by the Patriot League for either sex, the Crusaders are members of two other leagues, with men competing in the Atlantic Hockey Association and women in Hockey East. The men's rowing team is part of the Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges. Of its 27 varsity teams, Holy Cross supports 13 men's and 14 women's sports, giving Holy Cross the largest ratio of teams-per-enrollment in the country. Holy Cross's athletic teams for both men and women are known as the Crusaders.
The Boston College–Holy Cross football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Boston College Eagles and Holy Cross Crusaders.
The 2016 Holy Cross Crusaders football team represented the College of the Holy Cross as a member of the Patriot League during the 2016 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by 13th-year head coach Tom Gilmore, Holy Cross compiled an overall record of 4–7 with a mark of 2–4 in conference play, placing fifth in the Patriot League. The Crusaders played their home games at Fitton Field. They finished the season 4–7, 2–4 in Worcester, Massachusetts.
The 2009 Holy Cross Crusaders football team represented the College of the Holy Cross in the 2009 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by sixth-year head coach Tom Gilmore and played their home games at Fitton Field. They were a member of the Patriot League. They finished the season 9–3, 5–1 in Patriot League play to finish in first place and won the conference title. They went to the FCS Playoffs where they lost to Villanova, 38–28.
The 2018 Holy Cross Crusaders football team represented the College of the Holy Cross as a member of the Patriot League during the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by first-year head coach Bob Chesney, Holy Cross compiled an overall record of 5–6 with a mark of 4–2 in conference play, tying for second place in the Patriot League. The Crusaders played their home games at Fitton Field in Worcester, Massachusetts.
The 2019 Holy Cross Crusaders football team represented the College of the Holy Cross as a member of the Patriot League during the 2019 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by second-year head coach Bob Chesney, Holy Cross compiled an overall record of 7–6 with a mark of 5–1 in conference play, winning the Patriot League title. The Crusaders advanced to the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs, where they lost in the first round to Monmouth. They played their home games at Fitton Field in Worcester, Massachusetts.
The 2020 Holy Cross Crusaders football team represented the College of the Holy Cross in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Crusaders, led by third-year head coach Bob Chesney, played their home games at Fitton Field as a member of the Patriot League.
The 1986 Holy Cross Crusaders football team was an American football team that represented the College of the Holy Cross as a member of the Colonial League during the 1986 NCAA Division I-AA football season. In its first year under head coach Mark Duffner, the team compiled a 10–1 record and won the Colonial League championship. The team played its home games at Fitton Field in Worcester, Massachusetts.
The 1991 Holy Cross Crusaders football team was an American football team that represented the College of the Holy Cross as a member of the Patriot League during the 1991 NCAA Division I-AA football season. In its sixth year under head coach Mark Duffner, the team compiled an 11–0 record, won the Patriot League championship, and was ranked No. 3 in the NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll. The team played its home games at Fitton Field in Worcester, Massachusetts.
The 1983 Holy Cross Crusaders football team was an American football team that represented the College of the Holy Cross as an independent during the 1983 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Crusaders ranked No. 3 nationally but lost in the quarterfinals of the Division I-AA playoff.
The 1988 Holy Cross Crusaders football team was an American football team that represented the College of the Holy Cross during the 1988 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Holy Cross finished third in the Colonial League, its first non-championship year since league play began in 1986.
The 1989 Holy Cross Crusaders football team was an American football team that represented the College of the Holy Cross during the 1989 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Holy Cross swept its conference and won its third Colonial League championship in four years.
The 1990 Holy Cross Crusaders football team was an American football team that represented the College of the Holy Cross during the 1990 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Holy Cross finished first in the newly renamed Patriot League, for its fourth championship in five years of league play.
The 2007 Holy Cross Crusaders football team was an American football team that represented the College of the Holy Cross during the 2007 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Holy Cross tied for second in the Patriot League.
The 2008 Holy Cross Crusaders football team was an American football team that represented the College of the Holy Cross during the 2008 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Holy Cross finished second in the Patriot League.
The 2010 Holy Cross Crusaders football team was an American football team that represented the College of the Holy Cross during the 2010 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Holy Cross tied for second in the Patriot League.
The 2021 Holy Cross Crusaders football team represented the College of the Holy Cross as a member of the Patriot League during the 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by fourth-year head coach Bob Chesney, Holy Cross compiled an overall record of 10–3 with a mark of 6–0 in conference play, winning the Patriot League title. The Crusaders advanced to the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs, where they beat Sacred Heart in the first round before losing to Villanova in the second round. They played their home games at Fitton Field in Worcester, Massachusetts.
The 2023 Holy Cross Crusaders football team represented the College of the Holy Cross as a member of the Patriot League during the 2023 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Crusaders were led by sixth-year head coach Bob Chesney and played their home games at Fitton Field in Worcester, Massachusetts.
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