When the Blue Jays take the field against Holy Cross on Friday, October 2, 2026, one of the rivalry’s more recent traditions will celebrate a milestone of its own. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Golden Football, the traveling trophy awarded annually to the winner of the Jesuit-Holy Cross Rivalry Game.

The Golden Football was introduced in 2006, during the 84th year of a rivalry that dates back to 1922. The idea came from Steve Donnes, a 1976 Holy Cross alumnus with strong family ties to Carrollton & Banks. His father, Bert Donnes ’45, and three brothers, Bert ’74, Alan ’79, and Richie ’83, all attended Jesuit.

Donnes proposed creating a traveling trophy that would remain with the winning school until the teams met again the following season. The Golden Football soon became part of a larger game-day tradition that included pregame festivities, recognition of former players, and the presentation of the trophy following the game.

Twenty years later, the Golden Football remains a symbol of a rivalry shared by generations of Blue Jays and Tigers.