Carey's Corner

FROM THE MALVERN ARCHIVES

A LOOK BACK

"MALVERN FOOTBALL FIRSTS ON WARREN AVENUE

2026 EDITION

June, 2026

Malvern joined the Inter-Ac in 1950 and snagged their first Inter-Ac win in that same year by shutting out Penn Charter 13-0. They won their first 3 games of the 1950 season by also beating Bryn Athyn 33-14 and Haverford School 13-6. It should come as no shock to those who know me that I got to wondering….. when did Malvern start playing football at the Warren Avenue location? For the Malvern faithful out there, did you know that Malvern Prep was not always on Warren Avenue?

If I am going to write a story about Malvern football in the "way back years of the 1920’s", there must be a bit of background and context to it. Football history mixed in with some school history. The date that you often see at Malvern is 1842 but there is more to the story than that.

One of my mom’s favorite sayings was "Everything happens for a reason". So here you go….

It all happened one day in June of 1922 at Villanova College. After a long and serious discussion, the Provincial of the Augustinian Order and the trustees decided to discontinue their preparatory school department. Both the college and the Preparatory School were outgrowing the facilities on campus. I say this with a bit of humor, but Villanova basically kicked Malvern off their campus and told them to go find a new home. This change and the increasing demand for boarding schools for Catholic boys of high school age induced the Augustinians to found a new prep school at a short distance from Villanova. During a crazy, jam packed, period of 6 weeks, the search committee made a diligent effort to find a suitable property. In late August they came upon a beautiful estate of the late Adolf Rosengarten, which was available for immediate sale. This gem of the valley comprised of 143 acres. Beautiful rolling hills and pastures covered the property. A brook which ran down through the property, fed into a small lake. The Augustinians acted quickly and the title was obtained in late August. The Rev. John McErlain O.S.A. was appointed the 1st Headmaster of the new Preparatory School. He immediately set into motion plans to remodel the old Rosengarten homestead, to meet the needs of school life. A two-story dwelling on the property was likewise remodeled and converted into a temporary recitation hall. The Rev. Daniel Herron, a member of the committee, personally supervised the building of the athletic field and the cinder track that surrounded it. The first football field was a potato patch before it was a football field. Of note, when I enrolled in 1969, Malvern still had a cinder track.

All things were ready in an incredibly short period of time of less than one month. September 21, 1922, marked the dedication and establishment of new, all-boys preparatory school. On that day the first students, all nineteen of them, were formally received on campus. The Rev. Thomas Kiley O.S.A was appointed the first Prefect of Studies. One of his responsibilities was to oversee and establish athletic activities that the student body would participate in. Father Kiley went out and hired Mr. John "Jiggs" Donahue as Malvern’s first Athletic and Physical Director. Ground had been broken in early November for a larger lake on the property in order that the students might enjoy the advantages of skating and swimming. This project was completed in May of 2023 and the lake was blessed and christened- BLACK FRIAR… Now you know!

The second year opened October 1, 2023, with an enrollment of 13 young men. The enrollment was restricted pending the completion of the new buildings. Owing to the small enrollment, it was impossible to engage in football. Mr. Donahue did form two soccer teams and in December formed Malvern’s first basketball team. Games were engaged with St. Agnes School West Chester, the Friends School of Delaware, St. Catherine’s of Wayne and Berwyn Public School. Malvern ended their inaugural hoops season with a record of 2-4.

On February 6th of 1924, the school was incorporated under the Laws of the State of Pennsylvania with the title "MALVERN PREPARATORY SCHOOL".

October 1, 1924 marked the opening of the 3rd year. Twenty-six boys were enrolled during the first week. On a personal side note, one of them happened to be my Uncle Frank (on my mom’s side)- Francis Horstmann. There was no football team for the seasons that would have been 1922 and 1923. The school was only in its infancy and the number of students was too small to furnish a football squad. Nevertheless, the foundation was laid for a future team by Mr. Donahue. He set about to teach the fundamentals of football. For any related alumni, among the Malvern football firsts were Dan Finn, Bill Mischler, John Obert, Frank Ortiz, Ed Quinn, Danny Walsh and Frank Wilson.

In the fall of 1924, a squad of sixteen reported to Mr. Donahue to start football practice and start what I would call Malvern’s first football team on Warren Avenue. The schedule consisted of only three games, but you must start somewhere. If this were a Hollywood story, I would have scripted dramatic victories and Coach Donahue being carried off on the shoulders of his victorious players. Unfortunately, reality got in the way. After two weeks of practice the first game was played against Jenkintown High School of Philadelphia. It resulted in a 39-0 win for Jenkintown. The second contest resulted in a like manner. This time Malvern was defeated by St. Patrick’s High School of Norristown 39-0. The short season ended in November with a 65-0 loss to the Newman School at Lakewood New Jersey. Not the best of starts, but the Malvern players played hard. The yearbook stated "Mr. Donahue was the head coach from 1922-1925 where his work, we might say, was missionary, because the fundamentals of game meant little or nothing to many members of his squad."

MALVERNS 1ST WIN- OCTOBER 16, 1925

The 1925 season began with the boys having learned some lessons from 1924 season. Timothy Spillane took over for "Jiggs" Donahue. Malvern’s schedule was expanded. It was a lopsided year for Malvern as they won 2 games by shutout and lost 3 games by shutout. They finished with a 2-4 record, having added teams like LaSalle, Swarthmore, and their 1st contest with Chestnut Hill Academy.

The language used to cover high school football games in the early years of the press coverage is entertaining. I copied the article, word for word, from the newspaper. It was short and to the point.

From The News Journal October 17, 1925

Friends Drops Game to Malvern 30 to 3

Unable to withstand the repeated thrusts at the center of their line by their heavy backs of the Malvern Prep School, the Blue and White squad of Wilmington Friends was forced under to the tune of 30-3 yesterday. Booker, who received the kickoff for Friends at the start of the game fumbled, Malvern recovering. With an assortment of line bucks, they went over for the first touchdown of the game. Starting Line-up for the 1st win as reported by the newspaper. You will see names who were also on the 1st roster.

Left End- John O’Bert Left Tackle- Steve Gaydic Left Guard- Francis Langston

Center- John McGrath

Right Guard- Anthony Diaz Right Tackle- Charles Conlon Right End- Anthony Sabbatino

Quarterback- Joe MaGuire

Left Halfback- O’Brien (could not find this player in the yearbook)

Right Halfback- Ed Quinn

Fullback- Tom O’Reilly

1st WIN ON MALVERN’S HOME FIELD, WARREN AVENUE, NOVEMBER 6, 1925

Malvern 13 St. Matthews 0

(no additional information on the game was located other than the yearbook stating it was a game played at Malvern)

Malvern Prep Football 1925

Malvern might have a start date of 1842 but life as you know it today on Warren Avenue did not start until September 22, 1922. It would be 28 more years before Malvern entered the Inter-Ac. Who knew? So now you know and are completely informed!

On the MP history tab I have been able to create a Team Page from the years 1940 to 1949. The goal is to create a Team Page from 1925 to present. If you click on the tab you will find quite a few Team Pages already loaded.

More to come....