William AllenHigh School

Allen-Dieruff Thanksgiving Day Football

The favorite Thanksgiving bird of "west-side" Allentown is not turkey - it's Canary! - Canary Football, that is.
Each year, eager fans gather at J. Birney Crum Stadium to behold the thrilling spectacle as the William Allen Canaries battle their cross-town rivals, the Louis E. Dieruff Huskies.

For years, the Allentown Canaries - Bethlehem Red Hurricanes Thanksgiving Day game was the highlight of the season, but after Allentown opened its second high school in 1959, interest shifted to the Allen-Dieruff game.

From 1929, Canaries hosted games at Jack Coffield Stadium, but for the Hurricanes game of 1946, capacity limitations forced thousands of spectators to stay home and listen on the radio.

Foreseeing the need for a larger stadium, the Allentown school board decided to build the largest high school-owned stadium in the state. That stadium is J. Birney Crum Stadium.

1950s Allen 1-0

Perry Scott

1960s Allen 7-3

George "Fritz" Halfcre

Frank Rocco

1970s Dieruff 7-3

Les Kish

Pat Wilson

Dick Sniscak

1980s Tied, 5-5

Dick Sniscak

Larry Lewis

George Whary

Bednarik/Scott Cooperman

1990s Allen 7-4

Rich Sniscak

Dave Wildonger

Kevin Ronalds

2000s Allen 6-5

Kevin Ronalds

Chris Kinane

2010s Allen 1-0

Cedric Lloyd