On Christmas night 1939, the Garfield High School football team from New Jersey squared-off with Miami High in the Orange Bowl for high school football’s “mythical” national championship. Thanks to a Benny Babula 22-yard field goal, the Boilermakers of Garfield claimed the title with a 16-13 win.
That game became an obsession for award-winning football writer Hank Gola. The veteran sports writer’s book City of Champions unveils the long-forgotten game through research spanning newspaper accounts, over 75 personal interviews, letters, oral histories, game films, recordings and photos.
Gola joins High School Football America co-founder Jeff Fisher on the HSFA Podcast to talk about his book and his passion for the ’39 game and the City of Garfield, itself. Listen below.
Hank Gola on High School Football America Podcast
Believe it or not, there’s footage from the game that you can watch below.
