New Book Chronicles ODU Football History

Just in time for the return of Old Dominion football, a university history professor and alumnus have teamed up to publish a book about the school’s humble beginnings in the sport, and about the venerable stadium that has been revitalized as the venue for games decades after the leather helmets were retired in 1940.

“The Legacy Renewed – Football and Foreman Field: Norfolk Division – Old Dominion University” represents the collaborative efforts of Peter C. Stewart, associate professor emeritus of history, and Thomas R. Garrett ’72 (M.S.Ed. ’81). Stewart, who still teaches a History of Sports course at the university, wrote the text, while Garrett acquired the historical photos and conducted some of the research. The book, published by Outer Banks Press, includes a foreword by another graduate, ESPN SportsCenter anchor Jay Harris ’87.

Accounts of the early years of football come from former players and local newspapers, which reflect the unique sports writing style of the era. A passage from the book about a game during the first season, which included Norfolk Ledger-Dispatch reportage, notes: “The game remained tied until Terry Maxey intercepted the ‘oval from the ozone, shook off a couple of opponents and dashed like a scared rabbit’ for the only score.”

“Several former players provided their time and recollections to help with the project – Rhea Walker, the oldest, played on teams between 1932 and 1934,” Stewart writes in the Acknowledgments. “John Brown, Bill Brichter, and Bill Baker participated in the late 1930s. All of them related wonderful stories about their experiences.”

Stewart, himself a follower of local sports for many years, writes in the Preface: “With Old Dominion University about to restart its football program after an absence of almost 70 years, it seems like a good time to peruse the history of football in the Norfolk area. This labor of love, however, turned out to be more complicated than we originally thought.” The program’s won-lost record, he notes, for example, remains a matter of dispute – one source gives it as 68-27-5, while the newspaper accounts indicate a 47-36-5 tally.

The first chapter of the book talks about the beginnings of football in the region in the early 1890s. Subsequent chapters examine the start of “Depression-era football” at the Norfolk Division, as Old Dominion was known then, up through the time when the program ended after the 1940 season.

Later chapters take a nostalgic look at football games Foreman Field hosted over the years, including those at the high school, collegiate and semi-pro levels, and chronicle earlier attempts at ODU to revive the sport. There are accounts of the Shriners’ popular Oyster Bowl, an annual tradition at the stadium from 1948 to 1995.