St. Xavier, Trinity battle in heated Louisville rivalry

Before going to Louisville, quarterback Brian Brohm starred for Trinity in the St. Xavier-Trinity rivalry. Lynn Johnson/SI

As the crow flies, St. Xavier and Trinity Catholic are separated by just five miles within the Louisville city limits. On days when St. Xavier coach Mike Glaser drives along Shelbyville Road, though, Trinity is even closer to his mind.

"I pass Trinity quite frequently," says Glaser, who has been involved with the rivalry for 41 years now as player and coach. "I taught my daughter at a young age to boo the school as we go by."

Heated rivals since the inaugural grudge match between the Catholic schools in 1956, the Tigers and the Shamrocks have battled 62 times in regular season and playoff games, with St. Xavier holding a 31-29-2 advantage in the Bluegrass State's red-hot rivalry.

"I think it really got heated in 1967 when they beat us and tore up our mascot," says Glaser, who coached against current Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm during his days at Trinity. "I wouldn't say there is much love lost. There's respect, but on the field we both want to win badly."

Last season, with Trinity having jumped out to a 10-0 lead just 10:44 into the game, intense rain and lightning storms forced referees and officials to call the game. No makeup date was ever scheduled. "It was a great scene as usual with the colors and all, but then safety was a concern with the lightning and nobody was able to go home with the bragging rights," Glaser says.

On Friday at 8 p.m., just as the two teams have done since 1998, when they played in the first-ever night game at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium on the University of Louisville campus, the rivalry will be renewed at "The Oven". For the Shamrocks (5-0), who are ranked No. 2 in Kentucky by Louisville's Courier-Journal, stopping the Tigers' run attack (304.4 yards per game) will be the key. At stake is a shillelagh, an Irish walking stick, which will have a gold medallion affixed to it in the case of a St. Xavier victory and a silver medallion if Trinity wins.

"I know the Kentucky-Louisville rivalry has grown at the college level this year, but this game has meant a lot for a long time," Glaser says. The rivalry is not just about the football game, either. Whether it is the alumni golf competition set up in a Ryder Cup format or the schedule of soccer matches and fall sport games, the two schools exercise their rights to battle for pride via athletic competition.

"We know the state is known for basketball but the football is just as good. The locals come out for it, and we'll get more than 30,000 for the tenth straight year in attendance at the game."

What those fans will see is a rivalry renewed. That is, of course, unless lightning strikes twice.