Historic Rivalry Between 2 Schools Split By Ravine
By: Josh Berry
Updated: November 10, 2012
The oldest Division II rivalry in the nation is the Southern Bancorp Battle of the Ravine.
One of the teams has a tangible mascot, Ouachita Baptist University's Tiger, while the other is Henderson State University's Reddie. The school says is a spirit that resides in the hearts of the fans in the stands.
Those stands though couldn't hold them all Saturday (11/10) as according to the school's least 12,000 people filed in for the historic game.
"Because everyone wants to see this rivalry," said one fan.
It seems everyone DID make it out, with the attendance rivaling the previous attendance record set back in the 90's.
It's clear, the meeting between these two teams is special.
Amid the cheers for their team lays the historic rivalry.
Two school campuses, Ouachita Baptist and Henderson State University are split by a ravine.
The match-up goes back over a century to 1895.
George Baker has been split on both sides of the ravine for quite some time.
"I played in the first three games after they resumed the series in 1963," Baker said. He played the game in purple for the Tigers but coached wearing both colors.
He sat in the stands for this game as a fan though but wore red for the Reddies.
"I've been fired on both sides of the street. My loyalty remains to the last school that fired me -- HSU," Baker laughed.
Baker's done a lot of walking.
"No buses, no airplanes," another fan explained. "Just walk across the street and tee it up."
The visiting team actually walks to the ball game.
"They say its a stones throw and a lot of stones get thrown," Baker said.
A rivalry rich in tradition is nothing without the pranks.
"We dropped marshmallows on them about '74 and they came over and dropped hot chocolate on us the next day."
One man who's always sat on the side with the tiger, Bob White, has seen them all.
"My wife is a Ouachita graduate," White explained. "My in-laws were Ouachita graduates and my daughter is a junior cheerleader for OBU."
Saturday's game was complete with a carnival-like atmosphere before the game. Henderson's Athletic Director, Kale Gober credits the sponsor, Southern Bancorp for making the whole even possible.
Even without the bells and whistles though, it's this game every year, every fan looks forward to.
"It's always a great day when Henderson and Ouachita meet," White added.
Baker still recruits for both schools, "People ought to come here just for this rivalry with to great universities that make it that much more important."
The record going into Saturday's game stood at 30-29-6 with Henderson up just one game. The meeting wasn't much of a battle though as Henderson ran away with it from the start beating the tigers 42-7.
One of the teams has a tangible mascot, Ouachita Baptist University's Tiger, while the other is Henderson State University's Reddie. The school says is a spirit that resides in the hearts of the fans in the stands.
Those stands though couldn't hold them all Saturday (11/10) as according to the school's least 12,000 people filed in for the historic game.
"Because everyone wants to see this rivalry," said one fan.
It seems everyone DID make it out, with the attendance rivaling the previous attendance record set back in the 90's.
It's clear, the meeting between these two teams is special.
Amid the cheers for their team lays the historic rivalry.
Two school campuses, Ouachita Baptist and Henderson State University are split by a ravine.
The match-up goes back over a century to 1895.
George Baker has been split on both sides of the ravine for quite some time.
"I played in the first three games after they resumed the series in 1963," Baker said. He played the game in purple for the Tigers but coached wearing both colors.
He sat in the stands for this game as a fan though but wore red for the Reddies.
"I've been fired on both sides of the street. My loyalty remains to the last school that fired me -- HSU," Baker laughed.
Baker's done a lot of walking.
"No buses, no airplanes," another fan explained. "Just walk across the street and tee it up."
The visiting team actually walks to the ball game.
"They say its a stones throw and a lot of stones get thrown," Baker said.
A rivalry rich in tradition is nothing without the pranks.
"We dropped marshmallows on them about '74 and they came over and dropped hot chocolate on us the next day."
One man who's always sat on the side with the tiger, Bob White, has seen them all.
"My wife is a Ouachita graduate," White explained. "My in-laws were Ouachita graduates and my daughter is a junior cheerleader for OBU."
Saturday's game was complete with a carnival-like atmosphere before the game. Henderson's Athletic Director, Kale Gober credits the sponsor, Southern Bancorp for making the whole even possible.
Even without the bells and whistles though, it's this game every year, every fan looks forward to.
"It's always a great day when Henderson and Ouachita meet," White added.
Baker still recruits for both schools, "People ought to come here just for this rivalry with to great universities that make it that much more important."
The record going into Saturday's game stood at 30-29-6 with Henderson up just one game. The meeting wasn't much of a battle though as Henderson ran away with it from the start beating the tigers 42-7.
