Coming off spirit week and a massive win for the Tigers over the Shamrocks, it’s a good time to remember that before the St. X- Trinity rivalry, there was a bigger one: St. X and Flaget.
Flaget was a Catholic high school in Louisville from 1942-1974. It was an all boys school in the West End run by the Xaverian Brothers who also taught at St. X. The first graduating class was composed of thirty boys in the year of 1945. Also established in 1945 were Flaget’s first varsity sports teams. I was fortunate enough to sit down with my grandpa (William Joseph Mattingly ’62) to get a deeper understanding of this rivalry.
Describe your experience at Flaget?
My experience was very educational. Everyone at Flaget was very disciplined and wanted to learn. Students pushed one another in the classroom and on the field. I am proud and honored to be a Flaget alumnus, it means the world to me.
How does the Flaget – St. X rivalry compare to the St. X – Trinity rivalry now?
The rivalry was very different. There was more of a respect for the other school than there is now. Granted we still had pep rallies, but there weren’t any pranks or gimmicks towards the other school. Our interactions with one another was mostly small trash talk or just jokes but there wasn’t any harm to the other school.
We normally would go outside and have a pep rally, similar to St. X today. The main thing we did at the pep rally was sing our fight song and motivate our classmates to get out to the game.
What was the atmosphere at Flaget vs St. X sporting events like?
Very fun and action packed! I remember a time specifically when the Flaget running back had the whole field to himself. An easy touchdown. No one was on site to catch him when a player from the St. X sideline ran in the field and tackled him. I joke with my brother-in-law, a St. X grad saying it was their only way of beating Flaget.
How does the St. X Flaget rivalry affect your view on St. X today?
I have the utmost respect for St. X. It is good to know that Flaget is still remembered and respected by St. X. I love going to my grandson’s games and supporting the Tigers. I will always respect St. X and be grateful for their dedication to Flaget.
Flaget Fight Song:
“Oh the Flaget Braves are hard to beat! They are one hundred per from head to feet. They’ve got that smile, that style, that winning way. No matter where you go you’ll recognize that style and say. Now there’s a team I’d like to know; They’ve got that good old Flaget pep and go, why just to look at them is quite a treat, hard to beat, the Flaget Braves!”
Although I wasn’t around for the St. X vs Flaget rivalry, I researched the scores of the rivalry. Below are the stats from the rivalry football games from 1946 to 1973.
Overall head to head: Flaget 17 – St. X 10 (one tie)
1946: Flaget 13 – St. X 12
1947: Flaget 0 – St. X 14
1948: Flaget 7 – St. X 7
1949: Flaget 33 – St. X 13
1950: Flaget 12 – St. X 0
1951: Flaget 48 – St. X 19
1952: Flaget 39 – St. X 12
1953: Flaget 6 – St. X 7
1954: Flaget 34 – St. X 6
1955: Flaget 6 – St. X 13
1956: Flaget 6 – St. X 13
1957: Flaget 13 – St. X 14
1958: Flaget 14 – St. X 0
1959: Flaget 28 – St. X 6
1960: Flaget 14 – St. X 13
1961: Flaget 27 – St. X 6
1962: Flaget 0 – St. X 29
1963: Flaget 7 – St. X 0
1964: Flaget 13 – St. X 7
1965: Flaget 25 – St. X 13
1966: Flaget 19 – St. X 7
1967: Flaget 7 – St. X 19
1968: Flaget 27 – St. X 21
1969: Flaget 0 – St. X 17
1970: Flaget 14 – St. X 3
1971: Flaget 26 – St. X 14
1972: Flaget 0 – St. X 34
1973: Flaget 13 – St. X 35
