After fifteen years, All-Ohio Offensive Guard Brian Laux ’94 vividly remembers the Ed’s-Ignatius rivalry like it was yesterday. “The game was like play- ing against your brother,” Laux recounted. “After growing up with Ignatius guys and playing them in youth football, there was a level of respect and admiration. But at the same time you wanted to beat them.”

Some of the most intense foot- ball rivalries in the nation, Ohio State- Michigan, Oklahoma-Nebraska, and Massillon-McKinley, cannot compare to the St. Edward-St. Ignatius rivalry. The rivalry, which St. Ignatius leads 24-20-1, pits neighbor against neighbor, something these other rivalries don’t do.

Laux passionately recalled the rivalry as one that “nothing comes close to matching even in college.” He also de- scribed the focus and intensity of “Ignatius Week” as a week in which “guys didn’t get detentions and the first thing you’d think about every morning was Ignatius.”

The Early Years (1952-1957)

The first “Ignatius Week” oc- curred in 1952, three years after the opening of St. Ed’s. Unfortunately, it ended in an Ignatius victory. As St. Edward grew, so did the strength of its football team, and, in 1955, the team notched a decisive 34-12 victory over the Wildcats.

Yet after 1957, the competitive games were discontinued by both the St. Ed’s and St. Ignatius administrations. According to author Timothy Hudak, the hiatus resulted from fighting off the field between students from the two schools. Alumni such as sports television personality Dan Coughlin ’56 believed there was a “falling out between the two athletic direc- tors or principals that canceled the football series.” At any rate, endless debate would ensue between St. Ed’s and St. Ignatius for the next fourteen years as to which team was better.

The Golden Era (1971-1987)

In 1971, these debates came to a close as the rivalry resumed on the field. The Eagles scored on their first drive in four plays and shut-out the Wildcats, 24- 0. This showdown established the “Big Green Machine” as the team to beat in Northeast Ohio high school football in the 1970s.

From 1971 to 1987, the Eagles dominated Ignatius, posting a record of 14-2-1. The “Big Green Machine” Eagle defense held Ignatius to 14 or fewer points in all but one of these games and recorded five shutouts.

St. Ed’s even won the 1976 game 2-0 on a third quarter safety. These teams, led by High School All-Americans Tom Cousineau, Steve Schmitz, and Frank Kolencik, not only controlled the Ignatius rivalry but also dominated Ohio football and reached the state championship game twice in the era.

“The Game” (1993)

St. Ignatius made the rivalry more competitive when respected Coach Chuck Kyle took control of the Wildcats’ program in 1983 and turned the team into a state power. In the 1990s and 2000s, he has led the Wildcats to a 15-5 record against the Eagles.

To this day, one game stands out to represent the competitive and evenly- matched nature of the rivalry. It was a game on a warm October 1993 night at Lakewood Stadium between the Wild- cats, who were ranked number one in the nation, and the Eagles, who stood at 6-1, which Dan Coughlin would call “the game that defines the series.”

In the fourth quarter, the Eagles, down 21-7, scored two late touchdowns on All-Ohio Quarterback Bobby Adams’ passes to send the game into overtime. After the teams went scoreless in the first overtime and both scored in the second overtime, the Eagles scored on their first possession of the third overtime. However, the extra point sailed wide left, and the Wildcats scored on their possession and added the PAT to win 35-34. At the con- clusion of the game, good sportsmanship and respect for both teams was demon- strated when all Ed’s and Ignatius fans gave both teams a standing ovation.

Even on the losing St. Ed’s side, the game would be held in fond remem- brance. Laux remembered he was so upset and disappointed at the loss that he just stood in silence at the Brothers’ home grotto. Despite his grief, he was never more proud of his teammates for leaving it all on the field in a grueling triple overtime game.

Coughlin recalled, “It was one of the only games which I still had a good feeling about even though we lost.” He also ranked it as one of the greatest games he’s ever attended, a list that includes numerous college and pro games such as the 1971 Oklahoma-Nebraska “Game of the Century.”

Laux pointed out, “Whether it’s 1973, 1993, or 2009, the players change and graduate, but the rivalry remains the same. Once you really get into the games, it becomes like pick-up football between two neighborhood rivals.”