The Johns Hopkins–Maryland lacrosse rivalry, is an intercollegiate rivalry between the Johns Hopkins Blue Jays, which represent Johns Hopkins University, and the Maryland Terrapins, which represent the University of Maryland. The most prominent event has been the men's lacrosse series, which is widely regarded as one of the greatest rivalries in the sport.Johns Hopkins vs. Maryland lacrosse among best rivalries in college sports, Johns Hopkins Gazette, Johns Hopkins University, retrieved May 4, 2018.Johns Hopkins, Maryland men's lacrosse unveil "The Rivalry Trophy" for series , Baltimore Sun, Tribune Media, retrieved May 4, 2018. More than 122 contests in the series have been played since the schools first met in 1895. The competition is intensified by each program's status as a traditional lacrosse powerhouse. As such, the game has often held national championship implications, and twice the teams played to represent the United States in the Olympics.
The schools currently meet only in lacrosse, as all other Johns Hopkins athletics fall under NCAA Division III and all Maryland athletics are Division I. From the late 19th into the 20th century, however, their football teams also competed regularly.Maryland vs Johns Hopkins Series History | College Football Database, College Football Database, retrieved June 6, 2018. More recently, the schools have played in women's lacrosse.
NCAA alignment In 1973, the National Collegiate Athletic Association instituted a three-tier classification system, which created Division I, Division II, and Division III. The third tier, Division III, is the one in which no athletic scholarships are awarded to student-athletes. Johns Hopkins, as a perennial lacrosse power, chose to continue competition in Division I in that sport, while all of its other athletic teams were relegated to Division III. In 2004, the NCAA upheld the decision to allow Division III schools to "play up", and grant scholarships, in a sport at the Division I level (usually ice hockey).Scholarships Will Continue For D-III 'Play Up' Schools , United States College Hockey Online, January 12, 2004. Since Maryland competes strictly at the Division I level, the two schools currently meet only in men's and women's lacrosse.
Men's lacrosse
Background Both schools call the rivalry the greatest and most historic in men's lacrosse.The Rivalry, Johns Hopkins Magazine, Johns Hopkins University, retrieved March 25, 2009.College Lacrosse's Biggest Rivalry: No. 7 Terps at No. 15 Johns Hopkins , University of Maryland, April 10, 2008.David Ungrady, Tales from the Maryland Terrapins, p. 30, Champaign, Ill.: Sports Publishing LLC, 2003, . Sports Illustrated ranked it among the best all-time college rivalries,, The Johns Hopkins News-Letter, March 5, 2004. and before the teams' 100th meeting, called it "the equivalent of Michigan–Ohio State in football."Bill Syken, Road Trip: Maryland-Hopkins Lacrosse; When it comes to most sports, Johns Hopkins is about the last place that comes to mind. When it comes to lacrosse, though, it should be the first, Sports Illustrated, April 14, 2004. A 2003 Harris Interactive poll found that Marylanders considered it the state's fourth biggest rivalry after the Cowboys–Redskins, Ravens–Redskins, and Duke–Maryland., Sports Illustrated, 2003. The Hopkins–Maryland all-time record differs based upon whether games played before Maryland had a varsity team are counted.Rivalry Day: Johns Hopkins and Maryland is the granddaddy of them all in lacrosse , Inside Lacrosse, April 9, 2008. Johns Hopkins recognizes those games and records the series as 71–43–1 in its own favor. Maryland, however, recognizes only games played since the formation of their varsity team in 1924, which puts the all-time record at 64–43–1, also in favor of Hopkins.
The rivalry, which is the oldest in the sport, is fueled by history, competitiveness, and cultural implication. Both schools are located in the state of Maryland, a historical hotbed for lacrosse, and have traditionally been two of the sport's powerhouses. Many of the opposing players have had past associations in grade school, high school, or youth club sports. Hopkins' former coach and former player Dave Pietramala said, "Everybody knew each other; we had all played together at some point or another. It was a fierce, intense game and there was no love lost on the field." Additionally, Johns Hopkins is a private university, while Maryland is a public institution. Former Terrapins coach Dick Edell said:"To get the juices flowing before the game, [we'd tell the Maryland] kids that it was the blue-collar guys against the future executives—that this was their only chance to get them before they got into the real world. Plus, you have all the kids who came from the same high school, or worked the camps together, so there was that closeness that you have to live with for the other 364 days, no matter who wins."
Early years The two teams first played in 1895 and met six more times through 1923. In those early matches, Johns Hopkins scored a combined sixty points to Maryland's three. In 1924, Maryland fielded its first varsity-level lacrosse team, which defeated Hopkins, 4–2, but the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) awarded the Blue Jays the co-national championship (along with Syracuse).Syracuse National Champions, Syracuse University, retrieved June 7, 2009. Since that season, the teams have met annually with the exception of a two-year hiatus due to World War II. Johns Hopkins won three straight national titles from 1926 to 1928, where each season culminated with a victory over Maryland.A Look Back At The Maryland/Hopkins Series History , Atlantic Coast Conference, April 14, 2004. In 1928, Maryland had a perfect 9–0 record until Johns Hopkins defeated the Terps in the season finale, 6–3.The Terrapin, University of Maryland yearbook, Class of 1928, p. 245. At season's end, a single-elimination tournament was held to determine which team would represent the United States in a trial lacrosse competition during the Summer Olympics. Maryland defeated Navy and Rutgers to advance to the final game, where they were again bested by Johns Hopkins.The Terrapin, University of Maryland yearbook, Class of 1929, p. 199.Lacrosse on the Olympic Stage, US Lacrosse, September/October 2004.
The following season, the Terrapins embarked upon a three-year run in which they lost only four games, and they defeated the Blue Jays each season including a shutout, 6–0, in 1930. In 1932, however, Hopkins defeated Maryland twice during the regular season and once more in a postseason game to decide participation in the Olympics. Between 1930 and 1934, the Blue Jays won three national championships and lost only two games, both of which were to the Terrapins. Maryland captured national titles in 1936, 1937, and 1939. That year, however, Hopkins managed to break a four-game losing streak against them. The Terrapins won the 1940 title by beating the undefeated Blue Jays, 7–6, in the series' first game decided by one goal. Maryland finished the season with a perfect 10–0 record. The following year, Hopkins finished 12–0 and captured the national championship after a convincing victory over Maryland, 10–3. Johns Hopkins secured four more national titles from 1947 to 1950, and defeated Maryland each year, three times by a margin of at least six goals.
Several days before the game in 1947, Hopkins supporters stole "Testudo", a 300-pound bronze statue of a diamondback terrapin, from the Maryland campus. Approximately 200 Terrapins fans drove to Baltimore to retrieve it, and a riot erupted before the city police intervened., The Baltimore Sun, April 11, 2009. The Hopkins dean ordered the students to return the statue, which they did after painting a blue 'H' on its back.The Lore of Victory: JHU Lacrosse Quiz , Johns Hopkins Magazine, Johns Hopkins University, retrieved May 20, 2009.
Maryland dominance In the 1950s, the two teams won a combined six national championships, with Maryland dominating the first part of the decade and Johns Hopkins the latter. Between 1951 and 1956, Maryland posted a 5–0–1 record against Hopkins, with three games won by at least six points. The Terps won consecutive national titles in 1955 and 1956, while posting a combined record of 21–0. In 1957, the Blue Jays snapped the Terrapins' 31-game winning streak with an upset win, 15–10. Two years later, both teams shared the national title with Army. Between 1955 and 1959, Maryland compiled a 48–3 record, with all three losses at the hands of Johns Hopkins.
In 1960, Navy became the first team other than Hopkins to defeat Maryland since 1954. That same year marked the start of Navy's eight-year national championship streak that lasted through 1967. That season, Navy beat Maryland 10–8, before traveling to Homewood Field. There, Johns Hopkins upset Navy, 9–6, for the first time in their last ten meetings. The Blue Jays and Terrapins met for the season finale where Hopkins needed a victory to win the national title outright. Maryland acted as a spoiler, however, and beat Johns Hopkins, 9–5, to take a share of the championship. Hopkins went on to win or share the next four national titles.
Advent of the NCAA tournament In 1971, the NCAA replaced the USILA as the awarding authority for the men's lacrosse championship with the introduction of a tournament. Since then, the Blue Jays and Terrapins have appeared in the finals a combined 27 times and have met each other in the finals three times.Division I Men's Lacrosse History, National Collegiate Athletic Association, retrieved June 6, 2009. In 1972, Maryland beat Johns Hopkins in the regular season, 13–12, to earn the number-one seed. The two teams met again in the semifinals, where Hopkins eliminated Maryland, 9–6, and advanced to the finals before losing to Virginia by one goal. The following two years, Hopkins and Maryland met in the finals.
In 1973, Maryland routed Hopkins during the regular season, 17–4. That year's Terrapins, led by future Hall of Fame inductee and four-time All-American Frank Urso, are considered one of the all-time best college lacrosse teams and averaged almost 18 goals a game.Not Quite A Terrapin Stew, Sports Illustrated, June 11, 1973. When the teams met in the championship game, however, the Blue Jays employed a possession game to offset Maryland's offensive firepower, and the first shot on goal did not take place until 8:38. At halftime, Johns Hopkins had taken a 5–2 lead. Time expired with the score tied, 9–9, which forced the game into overtime. Urso scored for the Terrapins to take a 10–9 lead and Maryland goalie Bill O'Donnell made several impressive saves to secure the win.Sudden death overtime had not yet been implemented in NCAA play.