COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF
100 Days of St. X History
DAYS | 100-91 | 90-81 | 80-71 | 70-61 | 60-51 | 50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21 | 20-11 | 10-1
It will be a historic season for Saint Xavier Football in the fall of 2018 as the program will field its 100th squad on the gridiron. May 9th marks 100 days until the 2018 season kickoff for the 100th season of Saint Xavier Football, and St. X Athletics will take Tiger Nation down memory lane leading up to the season opener against DeSales on August 17.
DAY 80 (May 29)
The Tigers are no strangers to playing on national holidays. Beginning in 1920, St. X would play on a game on Thanksgiving Day. The Tigers played 8 different opponents during the 30-year turkey day tradition. The Tigers last played on Armistice Day in a 2011 postseason game against Male, St. X won 56-10. #TNG
DAY 79 (May 30)
September 15, 1951 marked Louisville’s first football meeting between segregated schools; the game ended in a 7-7 tie. Brother John Joseph and Central’s AD W.L. Kean were well received for taking a big step in breaking down the racial barriers that existed during that time.
The two teams have met 38 times since with the Tigers leading the series 35-1-2. #TNG
DAY 78 (May 31)
The Johnny Meihaus era began in 1952. Meihaus led the Tigers for 17 seasons, the second longest tenure for a football head coach in school history, compiling a 118-47-8 overall record. He is a member of the Kentucky, Manual and St. X Hall of Fames.
Several firsts happened during the Meihaus era, but more on that later…#TNG
DAY 77 (June 1)
The Tigers take the air making them the first Kentucky team to fly to play an in-state opponent in 1955. St. X beat the Mayfield 26-14 and finished the '55 season 8-1-1. #TNG
DAY 76 (June 2)
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On September 9, 2006, former St. X and University of Tennessee football player, Rudy Klarer ’40 had his No. 49 retired along with three other Volunteers who were killed in action during World War II. Rudy was a key member of the 1943 Sugar Bowl win over Tulsa.
He received the Silver Star Medal, posthumously, which is the third-highest personal decoration for valor in combat. #TNG
DAY 75 (June 3)
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Meihaus’ squad tallied nine straight victories before dropping a 12-7 decision to Male in 1953. The nine consecutive wins and 10-1 season finish both marked school records in the program’s 35-year history. #TNG
DAY 74 (June 4)
For the first time in school history, following a 10-1 season, St. Xavier was named City Co-Champs in 1953. Meihaus’ Tigers would go on to win the city title four more times during his 17-year tenure. #TNG
DAY 73 (June 5)
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The No. 1 ranked Tigers rolled over Newport 52-7 to win the inaugural Expo Bowl in 1956, clinching the first state football championship in program history.
Thus St. X completed its first unbeaten season finishing 10-0-1. Only a 0-0 tie with Roger Bacon kept the Tigers from a perfect record. Meihaus earned Coach of the Year honors. #TNG
DAY 72 (June 6)
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The ’57 squad, despite not being picked as a top team, proved doubters wrong by clinching the City and State titles for the second consecutive season. The Tigers swept through the season with a 10-0-1 slate, the 30 games without a defeat set a state record.
Led by kicking specialist Jim Rice, ace defenseman Bill Schoen and the ravaging running of Bob Bearden, the ’57 edition of the St. X Tigers broke four records this year including: unbeaten string of 30 games, most points scored by an X team (303), Jim Rice’s three-year state record of 102 points on field goals and extra points and city scoring record of 140 points set by junior Bob Reeves.
Meihaus earned Coach of the Year honors for second consecutive year. #TNG
DAY 71 (June 7)
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The St. X-Trinity rivalry began in 1956. The two schools, a mere six miles apart, have met annually for the “biggest high school football game in the country.” “The Game” averages more than 30,000 fans in attendance. #TNG
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