The Stanford-California “Big Game” in 1895 was played to a 6-6 tie and was played in San Francisco’s Central Park. on Thanksgiving Day. The hand-tied program features a colorful and interesting cover.

As described in The Games of California and Stanford published in 1900 the weather was “Rainy and Misty.” The father of American football, Walter Camp served as Stanford’s head coach.

With ninety second left to play, the California Captain Sherman, who played half-back. California had posession on the twenty-yard line. In two attempts of ten yards each Sherman, “had flung his 145 pounds of muscle, backed by grit, over the line for a touchdown, directly under the goal bar.” At that time, a touchdown was worth four points. Two more points were added when the field goal was kicked, a last minute come from behind for California.

We have a nice selection of Big Game programs on our website