Andover–Exeter rivalry

The Andover–Exeter rivalry, also known as the Exeter–Andover rivalry, is an athletic rivalry between Phillips Exeter Academy (Exeter) and Phillips Academy (Andover), two New England boarding schools founded by members of the Phillips family during the Revolutionary era. The academies have competed athletically since 1861, and contest the nation's second-oldest high school football rivalry. The two teams have produced nineteen members of the College Football Hall of Fame.

Andover–Exeter rivalry

1903 poster announcing football game.
Teams	Andover Big Blue Exeter Big Red
First meeting	1878 Andover 22, Exeter 0
Latest meeting	2024 Exeter 42, Andover 21
Statistics
All-time record	Andover leads, 75–58–10 (.559)
Largest victory	Exeter, 78–7 (1914)
Longest win streak	Andover 8 (1905–1912)
Current win streak	Exeter 4 (2021–present)

History

Background

Institutionally, the Andover-Exeter rivalry bears certain similarities to the Harvard–Yale rivalry. Due to religious differences between the two schools (Andover was Calvinist,^[1] Exeter Unitarian^[2]), they traditionally focused on sending students to Calvinist Yale and Unitarian Harvard, respectively.^[3] Since then, the religious distinctions have faded but the academies continue to compete for prestige and prospective students.^{[4][better source needed]} In 2022, Andover reportedly used Niche's high school rankings (Andover was #1 at the time) to taunt Exeter students during a game.^[5] The two academies have both held the #1 ranking at various points during the 21st century.^[6][7]

According to Andover, the academies have played each other in sports since 1861,^[8] although another source asserts that students did not organize Andover-Exeter games until 1865 and the academies did not formally sponsor competition until 1873.^[9] The baseball rivalry began when Exeter defeated Andover 11–1 on May 22, 1878; Andover returned the favor 10 days later, beating Exeter 10–8.^[10] The following school year, the football series began when Andover beat Exeter 22–0 on November 2, 1878; it is the nation's second-oldest high school football rivalry and oldest private school rivalry.^{[10][11][better source needed]} In addition, Andover, Exeter, and Lawrenceville were the first secondary schools to sponsor lacrosse teams, starting in 1882.^[12][13]

Football

Due to their age and early adoption of organized football, the academies have made extensive contributions to American college football.

Exeter has educated ten members of the College Football Hall of Fame, more than any other high school in the nation.^[14] Amos Alonzo Stagg (1885) was one of the first football pioneers at the University of Chicago, back when Chicago played top-level college sports.^[15] Six-time national championship-winning coach Howard Jones (1905)^[16] attended Exeter for a year after transferring from Ohio's Middletown High School.^[17] The other Exonians in the Hall of Fame are four-time All-American Marshall Newell (1890),^[18] 1927 national championship-winning coach Tad Jones (1905; Howard's brother),^[17] three-time All-American James Hogan (1901),^[19] Ed Hart (1907),^[20] Eddie Casey (1915),^[21] Lee McClung (1888),^[22] Jim McCormick (1904),^[23] and Donold Lourie (1918).^[24]

Andover has also produced several notable football figures, including at least nine College Football Hall of Famers, such as four-time All-American Frank Hinkey,^[25] three-time All-American Eddie Mahan,^[26][27] 1903 national championship-winning coach Art Hillebrand,^[28] John Kilpatrick^[29] (also a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame), Murray Shelton,^[30] Ted Coy,^[31] Bob Fisher,^[32] Dick Duden,^[33] and Belford West.^[34] In addition, Andover alumnus William G. Little founded the Alabama Crimson Tide football team,^[35][a] and longtime New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick attended Andover for a year.^[39]

In addition, an early flashpoint in amateurism rules took place in 1889, when Andover paid a player $200 (roughly $6,800 in 2024 dollars) to play football, and Exeter convinced him to change teams by offering him $300; the resulting controversy prompted the cancellation of the 1889 game.^[40] Most notably, in 1893, Exeter beat Andover after hiring 27-year-old professional athlete Pooch Donovan to play football; the following week, Donovan played college football for Georgetown.^[40] In retaliation, Andover stopped playing football with Exeter (even though Andover's quarterback was allegedly a professional himself). After a short-lived attempt to make New Jersey's Lawrenceville School its rival, Andover agreed to play Exeter again in 1896.^[10]

Football matches

Year[41][42] Andover Exeter Winner 1878 22 0 Andover 1879 0 18 Exeter 1880 8 8 Tie 1881 6 0 Andover 1882 12 0 Andover 1883 17 6 Andover 1884 11 8 Andover 1885 11 33 Exeter 1886 0 26 Exeter 1887 4 44 Exeter 1888 10 0 Andover 1889 No Game[b] 1890 16 0 Andover 1891 26 10 Andover 1892 18 28 Exeter 1893 10 26 Exeter 1894 No Game[c] 1895 No Game[c] 1896 28 9 Andover 1897 14 18 Exeter 1898 0 0 Tie 1899 17 0 Andover 1900 0 10 Exeter 1901 0 5 Exeter 1902 29 1 Andover 1903 11 14 Exeter 1904 10 35 Exeter 1905 28 0 Andover 1906 6 0 Andover 1907 9 6 Andover 1908 12 0 Andover 1909 3 0 Andover 1910 21 0 Andover 1911 23 5 Andover 1912 7 0 Andover 1913 0 59 Exeter 1914 7 78 Exeter 1915 7 37 Exeter 1916 0 6 Exeter 1917 0 3 Exeter 1918 7 26 Exeter 1919 19 0 Andover 1920 6 3 Andover 1921 3 34 Exeter 1922 3 12 Exeter 1923 7 7 Tie 1924 0 10 Exeter

Year Andover Exeter Winner 1925 0 0 Tie 1926 20 3 Andover 1927 0 0 Tie 1928 18 0 Andover 1929 7 14 Exeter 1930 20 16 Andover 1931 12 15 Exeter 1932 0 6 Exeter 1933 6 7 Exeter 1934 7 6 Andover 1935 0 7 Exeter 1936 12 7 Andover 1937 20 15 Andover 1938 14 6 Andover 1939 6 12 Exeter 1940 2 20 Exeter 1941 14 13 Andover 1942 12 0 Andover 1943 6 12 Exeter 1944 20 0 Andover 1945 18 7 Andover 1946 7 6 Andover 1947 6 12 Exeter 1948 28 7 Andover 1949 34 21 Andover 1950 6 27 Exeter 1951 7 7 Tie 1952 59 0 Andover 1953 14 7 Andover 1954 31 6 Andover 1955 14 12 Andover 1956 6 45 Exeter 1957 45 6 Andover 1958 40 6 Andover 1959 16 6 Andover 1960 18 18 Tie 1961 18 8 Andover 1962 6 6 Tie 1963 8 9 Exeter 1964 7 31 Exeter 1965 0 8 Exeter 1966 6 26 Exeter 1967 20 6 Andover 1968 12 22 Exeter 1969 27 0 Andover 1970 34 8 Andover 1971 20 30 Exeter

Year Andover Exeter Winner 1972 19 6 Andover 1973 32 0 Andover 1974 7 28 Exeter 1975 33 20 Andover 1976 0 15 Exeter 1977 28 6 Andover 1978 8 14 Exeter 1979 24 7 Andover 1980 14 6 Andover 1981 7 12 Exeter 1982 17 6 Andover 1983 28 6 Andover 1984 12 26 Exeter 1985 7 21 Exeter 1986 0 15 Exeter 1987 14 13 Andover 1988 21 12 Andover 1989 14 12 Andover 1990 16 0 Andover 1991 33 14 Andover 1992 6 0 Andover 1993 21 28 Exeter 1994 20 20 Tie 1995 6 3 Andover 1996 3 0 Andover 1997 35 0 Andover 1998 7 12 Exeter 1999 19 7 Andover 2000 6 13 Exeter 2001 48 15 Andover 2002 14 14 Tie 2003 0 44 Exeter 2004 12 28 Exeter 2005 24 8 Andover 2006 43 14 Andover 2007 24 14 Andover 2008 13 21 Exeter 2009 14 31 Exeter 2010 33 56 Exeter 2011 6 39 Exeter 2012 9 35 Exeter 2013 13 12 Andover 2014 13 12 Andover 2015 29 14 Andover 2016 16 7 Andover 2017 17 14 Andover 2018 14 0 Andover

Year Andover Exeter Winner 2019 14 13 Andover 2020 No Game[d] 2021 6 37 Exeter 2022 7 42 Exeter 2023 20 47 Exeter 2024 21 42 Exeter

1. Although some sources have said that Little attended Exeter,^[36][35] the University of Alabama^[37][38] and Andover itself^[35] both say that Little attended Andover.
2. The 1889 game was canceled as a result of a brawl following a baseball game between the two schools earlier in the year.^[40]
3. In late 1893, Andover cut athletic ties with Exeter in a dispute over the eligibility of certain Exeter athletes, in particular star football player Pooch Donovan. Relations were not restored until 1896.^[43]
4. Canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.