From its inception (see Rutgers vs. Princeton, November 6, 1869 [1]), College Football has developed an incredible fan base comprised of alumni, students (and children of former students who were swept up by their parent’s enthusiasm), locals, and more. Diehard fans have been known to withstand fierce weather conditions, hours upon hours of traffic, mortgage-level ticket prices, and have even been known to travel from one side of the country to the other just to see their favorite team and players battle it out on the gridiron. It seems as if nothing will stop a passionate football devotee from attending a game.
This dedication was demonstrated in spades on November 24, 1929, only one month after Black Thursday’s Stock Market Crash of 1869, when a California or Stanford fan (we’re not sure which) boarded a train at Palo Alto Station on University Ave., San Francisco, and headed off to the mid-afternoon game. Later that evening the exhausted, sore-throated fan headed home with both train and game ticket stubs in hand, and the itinerary in their back pocket. We know who won the game; we just don’t know if our devotee departed with a smile or a tear.
We (RareNewspapers.com) discovered the evidence of the fan’s attendance among a recent acquisition of historical newspapers, and partnered the treasures with a 1929 newspaper [2] containing a brief mention of the game. Now, nearly 100 years later, new fans can enjoy a small piece of history from their favorite team – and one can actually own the very artifacts of this century-removed but favorite-team-connected fan.
While not earth-shattering, such “finds” are one of the many delights our staff experiences almost daily. What fun!