Prep Fathers Club ~

On the eve of this year’s Varsity Homecoming game, we paid a visit with the school’s own Glen Beattie to uncover some lesser known, but nonetheless important nostalgia that’s woven into the rich tradition of Prep football.

The oldest rivalry is said to be the annual Harvard-Yale game, which has been inviting alumni to return home for The Game since the 1870s, but the origins of the first homecoming celebration remain largely contested. Baylor, Illinois and Missouri are three of the frontrunners, all having planned and held their first “coming home” celebrations around 1910. Within our Prep League however, Flintridge Prep and Chadwick have the oldest football rivalry dating back to 1949. Under the tutelage of Coach Jim Wood over the next 25 seasons, “the father of six-man football in Southern California” lead his team to 15 championships. Over those decades, Flintridge won 161 games and lost only 38. Prep moved from 6-man football in 1974, which was also our last undefeated season.

Rebel football success includes three visits to the CIF finals, defeating Poly for two championships, including a CIF 8-Man 60-35 victory played at Prep’s campus.

As for Coach Beattie’s own record, he was head coach for 15 years, amassing a total of 96 victories! In what will most likely be an unmatched resume, he’s coached 6-man, 8-man, and 11-man football!

Go Rebels!