HAPPY THANKSGIVING…..
Thanksgiving means football and one might ask what does football have to do with Fenway Park. Well, quite a lot actually! No less than five different professional football teams called Fenway Park their home; not to mention both Boston College and Boston University as well. In fact the Washington Redskins used Fenway Park as their home field from 1933-1937. Originally known as the Boston Braves, they played their first year at Braves Field before moving to Fenway to become the Boston Redskins. They departed for the nations capital in 1938 where they have thrived.
Fenway Park’s first Thanskgiving in 1912 saw her play host to the 25th anniversary Thanksgiving game between Boston Latin and Boston English High Schools. It was the first sporting event, other than Red Sox baseball to be played at Fenway Park. This Thanksgiving rivalry has been played since 1887 and when they take the field today they do so as the oldest High School football rivalry in the country. An interesting Fenway fact is that High School football is the second most played sport in the 100 year history of Fenway Park, behind only Red Sox baseball.
Boston Patriots quarterback Babe Parilli fires a pass downfield in a game against the San Diego Chargers played at Fenway Park in 1968, the last year football was played at Fenway Park.
About fenwaypark100
Hello and welcome, my name is Raymond Sinibaldi. A retired history teacher, after 26 years in the classroom, a baseball fan for three score and five, I have authored 13 books. Eight about baseball and her glorious history; most recently Yankees in the Hall of Fame and Dodgers in the Hall of Fame. An aficionado of the Kennedy Administration, I have written four books in that realm and also co-authored a book of motivational stories for coaches. The first, The Babe in Red Stockings which was co-authored with Kerry Keene and David Hickey and released in 1997. It is a chronicle of Babe's days with the Red Sox. We also penned a screenplay about Babe's Red Sox days so if any of you are Hollywood inclined or would like to represent us in forwarding that effort feel free to contact me. In 2012 we three amigos published Images of Fenway Park in honor of the 100th birthday of Fenway Park. That led to the creation of this blog. The following year, 2013 came my first solo venture, Spring Training in Bradenton and Sarasota. This is a pictorial history of spring training in those two Florida cities. The spring of 2014 brought forth the 1967 Red Sox, The Impossible Dream Season. The title speaks for itself, and it also is a pictorial history. Many of the photos in this book were never published before. The spring of 2015 brought 1975 Red Sox, American League Champions. Another pictorial effort, this will be about the Red Sox championship season of 1975 and the World Series that restored baseball in America. The spring of 2016 brought 61 Motivational Stories for Every Coach of Every Sport. My first JFK effort was in 2017 with John F Kennedy in New England, which was followed by JFK From Florida to the Moon (2019) and JFK At Rest in Arlington (2020). Jackie's Newport came about in 2019 and in 2023 came both Yankees in the Hall of Fame and Dodgers in the Hall of Fame. I was fortunate enough to consult with sculptor Franc Talarico on the “Jimmy Fund” statue of Ted Williams which stands outside both Fenway Park and Jet Blue Park Fenway South, in Fort Myers Florida. That story is contained in the near 300 posts which are contained herein. Throughout the years this blog has morphed from an exclusive Red Sox focus, to a broader baseball perspective to a blog about life, with baseball a large portion of it. This year, 2024, I have reactivated this blog which lay dormant for quite some time. Welcome aboard, pass the word and feel free to contact me about anything you read or ideas you may have for a topic. Email me at fenwaypark100@gmail.com.
Boston Patriots quarterback Babe Parilli fires a pass downfield in a game against the San Diego Chargers played at Fenway Park in 1968, the last year football was played at Fenway Park.
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