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
|