Bruce-Mahoney Trophy
Saint Ignatius Wildcats
Sacred Heart Cathedral Fightin' Irish
SportFootball, Volleyball, Men's and Women's Basketball, Baseball
First meetingOctober 1945
Saint Ignatius, 20–6 (Football)
Latest meetingOctober 20, 2023
Saint Ignatius, 38–14 (Football)
Next meetingJanuary 9, 2024 at War Memorial Gym, USF (Boys Basketball)
StadiumsKezar Stadium, War Memorial Gym, Sobrato Center, Oracle Park
TrophyBruce-Mahoney Trophy
Statistics
All-time seriesSaint Ignatius Leads, 54–20–3 (.721)
Longest win streakSaint Ignatius, 12 (1974–1985)
Current win streakSaint Ignatius, 3 (2021–present)
The Bruce–Mahoney Trophy

The Bruce–Mahoney Trophy is a trophy awarded annually to the winner of an annual sports competition series between Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory and St. Ignatius College Preparatory in San Francisco, California. The two Catholic high schools are longtime cross-town rivals. Although the athletic rivalry between the schools first began with a St. Patrick's Day football game in 1893, and is the oldest high school rivalry west of the Rocky Mountains and the oldest Catholic School rivalry in the nation.[1] The Trophy, in its 78th year, was named in honor of an alumnus of each school—Bill Bruce and Jerry Mahoney—both of whom were killed in World War II, and was inaugurated in 1947, with its first "awarding" retroactive to the end of WWII and the 1945-46 season.[2]

The two schools play against each other in football, boys basketball, baseball, and as of 2021, girls volleyball and basketball. In basketball and baseball, where the teams play more than one game per season, only the first game counts towards winning the Trophy. The Trophy is awarded to the school that wins three out of the five games.

St. Ignatius has won the Trophy a total of 54 times and Sacred Heart Cathedral has won the Trophy 20 times through 2022–2023.[3][4] There have been three years (1967–68, 1968–69 and 2019–20) when the Trophy was not contested and the result was recorded as a "Tie," with the Trophy retained by its then-current holder (St. Ignatius in all three cases).[5] The longest period of time either school has held the trophy is 12 years, by St. Ignatius (1974–1985).

Although the schools had been rivals since the late 1800s, the Bruce–Mahoney Trophy was not inaugurated until 1947, and at the time only consisted of boys sports (both schools were all-boys institutions until the late 20th century). In 2021, SI and SH announced that starting with the 2021–2022 athletic season the Trophy would be determined by both boys and girls sports, in a best-of-five format with the inclusion of girls volleyball and girls basketball.[6][7]

St. Ignatius College Preparatory is the current holder of the trophy, winning it in the 2022–23 season.

Bill Bruce

Lieutenant Bill Bruce (class of 1935) was an alumnus of St. Ignatius. He excelled in both academics and athletics, especially football. He participated in many extracurricular activities, including serving as president of the student body.

He enlisted in the United States Navy at the outbreak of World War II. After flying more than 50 combat missions in Europe, he was killed on April 14, 1943, in an airplane crash while training new pilots at the Naval Air Station in Pasco, Washington.[8]

Jerry Mahoney

Seaman First Class Jerry Mahoney (class of 1944) was an alumnus of Sacred Heart. He excelled in football and basketball, earning All-City honors in both sports during his senior year.

He enlisted in the United States Navy after graduation. He was killed on February 5, 1945, when the merchant ship on which he was serving, the SS Henry B. Plant, was sunk by a German U-boat off the coast of Ramsgate, Kent.[9][10][11]

Football winners

Through 2023–24, St. Ignatius has won a total of 53 games while Sacred Heart has won 17. On eight occasions, the two schools either tied or no football game was played.

Basketball winners

In boys basketball St. Ignatius has won 42 games while Sacred Heart has won 26, with their next meeting scheduled for January 9, 2024 at USF's War Memorial Gym.

In girls basketball each team has won one game, with their next meeting scheduled for January 30, 2024 at USF's War Memorial Gym.

Baseball winners

Records are not available for years where the other two games had already been won by the same school in that academic year. In years for which records are available, St. Ignatius has won 18 games while Sacred Heart has won 14.

Volleyball winners

St. Ignatius has won 3 matches while Sacred Heart has won 0. In the most recent match on September 12, 2023 St. Ignatius beat Sacred Heart 3 sets to 2.

References

  1. ↑ "The First Game: St. Ignatius vs. Sacred Heart" (PDF). siprep.org. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  2. ↑ "The First Game: St. Ignatius vs. Sacred Heart" (PDF). siprep.org. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  3. ↑ "The Bruce-Mahoney Trophy." St. Ignatius College Preparatory, San Francisco, CA. Web. December 19, 2011. <http://www.siprep.org/page.cfm?p=4880>.
  4. ↑ "Bruce-Mahoney Trophy." Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory, San Francisco, CA. Web. December 12, 2013. <http://www.shcp.edu/athletics/traditions-champions/bruce-mahoney-trophy Archived 2013-12-17 at the Wayback Machine>.
  5. ↑ "The First Game: St. Ignatius vs. Sacred Heart" (PDF). siprep.org. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  6. ↑ "An Important Update to the Bruce-Mahoney Tradition". September 1, 2021. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  7. ↑ Stephens, Mitch (September 1, 2022). "Sacred Heart Cathedral, St. Ignatius girls will have a say in Bruce-Mahoney competition". The San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  8. ↑ "Genesis IV Spring 2005 Edition" (PDF). siprep.org. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  9. ↑ Crewslinode.com Archived September 20, 2021, at the Wayback Machine
  10. ↑ "Henry B. Plant (American Steam merchant) - Ships hit by German U-boats during WWII - uboat.net".
  11. ↑ "Henry B. Plant Cargo Ship 1944-1945". wrecksite.eu. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
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