Lawrenceville Kicks Off 131st House Football Season

By William Huang ‘24

House spirit is high with the Circle Houses getting ready for the House Football games that start this week.

Lucas Civantos ‘24 from the Cleve team commented, “I love House Football, and the Cleve team is a lot of fun.” His enthusiasm is shared by others in the Circle. Henry Metz ‘24 from the Dickinson House agrees with Civantos, remarking that “although [he] didn’t grow up playing football and was never a big fan, [he] still loves playing it because of the house dynamic, and Mr. [Steve] Larochelle is a great coach.” House Football, the boys agree, is a great opportunity for House bonding.

The House Football tradition builds off the already existing inter-House rivalries. The competitions are fueled by the motivation to win as a House, compelling teams to work together to win the title of champion. Throughout House Football’s history, trophies such as the Muffler, the Crutch, and the Pride of the Circle have also been objects of House pride.

According to records in the Bunn Library’s Stephan Archives, football has been a Lawrenceville tradition since its invention in the 1860s. House football has brought together the Circle Houses in a competition of intramural football ever since its inception in the 1880s. The original teams consisted of all the Circle Houses, as well as Dawes, Raymond, and the now-vanished Davis Houses. The first known match between Houses was between the Davis House and the Woodhull House in 1884, with the Woodhull House pulling a 6-0 victory. Even though the Dawes and Raymond Houses moved to the bowl in 1972, the tradition has continued on. Now, the annual House Football competition is played between the Circle Houses every fall.

For additional information, contact Lisa M. Gillard H'17, director of public relations, at lgillard@lawrenceville.org.