By Keith Sargeant | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
On Sept. 5, 2020, Rutgers will face a New Jersey-based college football team for the first time in 40 years.
The last time Rutgers faced a team from the Garden State, it was six weeks before Ronald Reagan was elected President.
RU media guide, 1979
It was Sept. 27, 1980, and Rutgers routed Princeton, 44-13, before 26,219 fans at Rutgers Stadium in the final game of their historic 111-year old rivalry.
“I enjoyed the series; it was a very competitive series,’’ then-Rutgers coach Frank Burns told reporters afterward. “I’m not happy that it has ended.’’
Rutgers will host Monmouth to open the 2020 campaign, welcoming the West Long Branch-based Football Championship Subdivision program to Piscataway for the first time.
“This game represents a tremendous opportunity … for football in the entire state of New Jersey,’’ Monmouth coach Kevin Callahan said. “Agreeing to play this game demonstrates Rutgers' commitment to football in New Jersey, and assists the development of our sport on all levels throughout the state.’’
Rutgers has a lengthy history of playing New Jersey-based foes, although a lot of those games occurred in the late 1800s against club-football teams comprised of former collegians.
Here is a recap of how Rutgers has fared against New Jersey-based teams in its 149-year history:
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Rutgers media guide, 1969
Army Specialized Training Program (1-0)
In 1942, the federal government began the A.S.T.P. at several universities, including Rutgers, in response to World War II.
The club team lost to the Scarlet, 18-12, at Rutgers Stadium (pictured above) in their lone meeting during the 1944 season.
Elizabeth Athletic Club (0-2)
If you’re wondering just how far superior Princeton was over Rutgers in the late 1890s, consider this: Not only did the Tigers shutout the Scarlet 22-0, they also defeated the Elizabeth Athletic Club to open the season, 40-0.
Rutgers lost to the Elizabeth Athletic Club in both 1895 (16-6) and in 1896 (28-0).
Fort Monmouth (1-0-1)
The Rutgers-Fort Monmouth series was resumed in 1941 as a way to forge the army-college football relationship.
Fort Monmouth was loaded with former college talent.
Steve Capestro, a senior from Toms River, scored two touchdowns and passed for a third as the Scarlet prevailed 26-0 before 8,000 fans at Rutgers Stadium on Oct. 18, 1941.
In 1942, Bela Rieger scored a touchdown for Rutgers that was wiped off the board due to an offsides penalty and the teams ended up finishing in a 0-0 tie.
Hoboken Naval Transport Station (1-0)
In a 40-0 triumph over the Hoboken-based Naval Transport Station on Nov. 5, 1918, William “Turk” Gardner scored three times and Frank Kull, John Summerhill and Walter French each had a touchdown.
Vintage Rutgers uniforms: See the Scarlet throw-back jerseys
RU archives
New Jersey Athletic Club (1-0)
The New Jersey Athletic Club was formed in 1890, merging with the Bergen Point Athletic Club. While the club also had baseball, yachting, rowing and shooting teams, it was mostly known for its track team. Its football team, however, was no match for Rutgers, which prevailed 8-0 in Bayonne in 1894.
Newark Athletic Club (2-0)
Newark had several club-football teams in the 19th century. Rutgers closed the 1896 season with a 4-0 triumph, then opened the 1897 campaign 11 months later with a 12-6 win.
Orange Athletic Club (1-3)
The Orange Athletic Club, nicknamed the Tornadoes, began play as an amateur football team in 1887. Three years later, the team faced Rutgers for the first time and lost, 6-4, on Oct. 25, 1890.
Prior to an 1892 game, the Tornadoes practiced at night under electric lights to prepare for their matchup with the Scarlet. The training apparently worked — Rutgers traveled north and lost 22-10.
The Orange Athletic Club also won both the 1891 (10-6) and 1893 (34-0) meetings at home.
"The First Intercollegiate Game" painting by Keith Gilman which commemorates the Rutgers/Princeton 1869 football game
Princeton (17-53-1)
Everyone knows Rutgers and Princeton were credited with playing in the first intercollegiate game, but did you know that Rutgers didn’t beat Princeton for another 34 games (and 69 years) after the 6-4 triumph in 1869?
In the 12 games between 1884 and 1911, Princeton outscored Rutgers 510-0.
Of course, it was a different story toward the end of the rivalry, which saw Rutgers win nine of the final 13 games before Princeton opted out of the series just as the Scarlet Knights were entering their big-time era of football.
In the final meeting on Sept. 27, 1980, quarterback Ed McMichael threw for four touchdowns in a 44-13 Scarlet Knights triumph at Rutgers Stadium. The points total and margin of victory were both the largest for Rutgers in the series.
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Roseville Athletic Club (1-0)
Eleven years after the founding of the Roseville Athletic Club, the Newark-based squad of semi-pro football players traveled south to Rutgers and dropped a 38-4 decision on Oct. 19, 1895.
John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Seton Hall (0-1)
Once upon a time, Seton Hall had a football team.
And, yes, the South Orange-based Pirates defeated the Scarlet, 22-10, in the first and only meeting between the schools in 1905.
The Daily Home News described the action in a game story headlined "Hot Football on Neilson Field" two days later:
The two schools never played again on the gridiron.
For a complete history of the Seton Hall football program, click HERE:
Stevens (29-12-5)
While Rutgers and Princeton started it all, another New Jersey-based team helped pioneer college football in the late 1800s.
Stevens was one of the first five college football teams, joining Rutgers, Princeton, Columbia and Yale in 1873 to establish the American intercollegiate rules for football.
Based in Hoboken and nicknamed the Ducks, Stevens dropped its football program following the 1924 season.
The Star-Ledger file photo, 2006
Vineland Athletic Club (1-0)
The Vineland Porcilians were a club-football squad that played for most of the late 1800s. In 1886, the South Jersey team buggy’d up to Rutgers and dropped a 58-0 decision at College Field in New Brunswick.
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John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
All-time record vs. N.J. teams
In all, Rutgers has played in 133 games against teams from New Jersey.
The Scarlet record in those games is 54-72-7.
NOTE: An earlier version of this story reported Rutgers played 134 games against New Jersey foes. The number is actually 133. The error stemmed from the Rutgers football media guide listing the Irvington Athletic Club as having defeated Rutgers, 20-0, on Nov. 7, 1896. NJ Advance Media research Friday showed the Irvington club of 1896 was actually the Irving Club of Brooklyn, N.Y. Rutgers lost that game at Eastern Park — the Brooklyn baseball home to the Trolley Dodgers (now the L.A. Dodgers).
Did you know?
Rutgers has played fotoball games in 10 New Jersey cities/towns, including the first game in New Brunswick and the most recent in East Rutherford during the 2010 campaign.
The other eight include: Princeton, Hoboken, East Orange, Bayonne, Elizabeth, Newark, Harrison and Piscataway.
Video by Andre Malok | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Ranking Rutgers' postion groups in 2018
NJ Advance Media
Keith Sargeant may be reached at ksargeant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @KSargeantNJ. Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook.
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