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The best of the best in Alabama High
School Football over the past 100 seasons.
Rivalries
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It is one of the oldest rivalries in the state and matches the McGill-Toolen Yellow Jackets against the Murphy Panthers. It has been traditionally played the Friday before Halloween when the schedule allowed. This rivalry involves more than just bragging rights and school pride. There is a long-standing tradition in which the students of the winning school paint the cannon near the Loop in Mobile with the colors of the victorious team. McGill gives the cannon a coat of orange paint while the Panthers repaint it blue. It is one of the most heated rivalries in Southwest Alabama and has been dubbed the Cannon Bowl by residents of Mobile. The cannon was placed at the intersection of Government Street, Old Government Street and Houston Street on May 12, 1953 and almost immediately became a site for residents to voice their opinion about many things other than just the McGill-Murphy winner. Murphy opened in 1926 with the closing of Barton Academy. McGill opened in 1897 as a private all-boys Catholic school on Government Street. The school moved to its present location on Old Shell Road in 1928 and became co-education with the consolidation of Bishop Toolen in 1973. Murphy won the first game between the two schools 20-0 in 1935. They have played every year since and is Mobile County's longest continuous rivalry. While the Panthers have always been considered one of the best football programs in the state, the Jackets until recent years were just another team in Mobile. Murphy dominated the series but in the past fifteen season the Jackets have begun to close the gap. Some of the best games in the series came at the turn of the new millennium. In 1999, Michael Machen blocked an extra-point attempt in the third overtime to give the Jackets a 35-34 win, their first victory over Murphy since 1991. In 2000, McGill-Toolen scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to erase a 17-14 Murphy lead and claim a 28-25 victory. The next year, Clay Normand booted a 24-yard field goal to give the Panthers a 24-21 win in overtime. In 2002, Chris Barnett scored on a 7-yard touchdown run with 1:36 remaining that gave the Yellow Jackets a 24-21 victory. In 2003, Bradley Veillon kicked a 24-yard field goal with 17 seconds remaining to give McGill-Toolen a 24-23 win. In 2004, Murphy pulled out a 38-35 victory behind the play of quarterback Kelvin Todd who passed for 201 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 129 yards. McGill defeated Murphy 2014 in 192 to capture the lone victory for either team that entire season. In 1967 the Panthers (5-5) handed the Yellow Jackets their only loss of the season. UMS-Wright head football coach Terry Curtis played quarterback for the Panthers when they trounced McGill 23-0 in 1969. Total Meetings: 84 Series Record: Murphy leads 48-35-1 First Meeting: 11/22/1935, Murphy 20, McGill-Toolen, 0 Last Meeting: 10/16/2015, McGill-Toolen 35, Murphy, 28 Longest Winning Streak: Murphy 9 (1973-1981), McGill-Toolen 4 (1946-1949) Biggest Wins: Murphy 48-0 (1950), McGill-Toolen 52-18 (2013) Biggest Upsets: 2011 - Murphy (5-4) defeated McGill-Toolen (8-1) 52-35 1967 - Murphy (5-5) upset McGill (7-1-2) 28-14
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David Parker
AHSFHS.org
dparker@ahsfhs.org
Great Moments in Alabama High School Football History
Woody Clements was the head coach at Holt for a record 41 straight seasons.
Woody Clements was the head coach at Holt for a record 41 straight seasons.
