Nothing says football in Baltimore more than Johnny Unitas or the Turkey Bowl. Now, at least for one year, the two will be linked.
The Turkey Bowl, the cherished high school football game between Towson’s Loyola Blakefield and Calvert Hall College High School, will stage its 92nd edition Nov. 24 at Towson University’s Johnny Unitas Stadium.
The game has been held at M&T Bank Stadium since the late 1990s, but had to be moved this year because the stadium’s chief occupant, the Baltimore Ravens, are hosting the San Francisco 49ers on Thanksgiving in a nationally televised game.
Johnny Unitas Stadium, with its capacity of more than 11,000 seats, is the third largest stadium in the Baltimore market and is just miles from both Loyola Blakefield and Calvert Hall.
Morgan State University’s Hughes Stadium seats 10,000 fans. Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium is the second largest stadium in the Baltimore market with 34,000 seats, but it would be nearly an hour drive for both teams.
The game, which begins each year at 10 a.m., has attracted more than 13,000 fans in some years. Since it’s an NFL venue, M&T Bank Stadium has more than enough seats for the game each year.
“While we are disappointed that M&T Bank Stadium is not available for this year’s game, we look forward to returning in 2012,” said Christian Brother Thomas Zoppo, Calvert Hall’s president. “In the meantime, we are grateful Towson University was able to make their stadium available to us. Johnny Unitas Stadium will be a great venue and fans should plan to get their tickets early for what is certain to be another exciting Turkey Bowl.”
Calvert Hall has won the last two Turkey Bowl matchups in definitive fashion. Loyola Blakefield still holds a 45-38-8 advantage over Calvert Hall.