Pomona football goes back more than 100 years, which is
plenty of time to develop some serious rivalries.
Dating to 1895, the longest-standing rivalry is with
Occidental College. It’s the oldest college football rivalry
in Southern California and one of the 10 oldest in the
entire country. The winner gets possession of The Drum,
which has the scores of each annual game written on it.
While the Oxy rivalry has the most history, Pomona’s rivalry
with Claremont-Mudd-Scripps hits closest to home. This
annual game pits Pomona-Pitzer against three other members
of the Claremont Colleges.
These rivals once played on the same team. Pomona and
Claremont Men’s College (which later became Claremont
McKenna) competed as a single Claremont Colleges team from
1947 to 1958.
The
cross-campus rivalry began in 1959 after separate athletic
departments and intercollegiate programs were started. Pitzer College opened in 1964 and eventually joined Pomona
students to form Pomona-Pitzer teams.
For the annual game, the stadium is always packed and
students crowd around the field as the two teams battle for
possession of the Peace Pipe. “It’s as noisy as it gets for
these types of games,” says former Pomona-Pitzer coach Roger Caron.
And victory has special meaning for the players because
members of the opposing teams are bound to cross paths on
the campuses of the Claremont Colleges. “It’s important for
the kids because it’s … bragging rights,” says Caron. “They
see each other in class.”
Learn About Other Pomona Traditions.
Then and now: Pomona's first football team is
depicted in this 1890s photo. To the right, see the
Sagehens in action today.
While the Oxy rivalry has the most history, Pomona’s rivalry
with Claremont-Mudd-Scripps hits closest to home. This
annual game pits Pomona-Pitzer against three other members
of the Claremont Colleges. 
