Holy Cross Crusaders
PatriotWorcester, MAFitton Field
2026: 2–5 (2–2 Patriot). Last: lost at Harvard 30–7. Next: Bucknell, Saturday, Oct 24, 1 p.m. ET.
- L 10–35Lehigh
- L 10–35at Colgate
- L 7–45at Miami (OH)
- L 28–38Yale
- W 38–30at Lafayette
- W 41–14at William & Mary
- L 7–30at Harvard
- Oct 24Bucknell
- Oct 31Richmond
- Nov 7at Georgetown
- Nov 14Villanova
- Nov 21Fordham
Holy Cross has played football since 1891 and is officially 680–559–55; 877 of its 1,294 games are in our file. Their best finish in the final AP poll is No. 9, in 1938. They have won nine Patriot League titles (the last in 2024) and three Colonial Conference titles, counting shared titles. Since 1939, the NFL Draft has taken 12 players from here in its first seven rounds, 1 of them in the first round. The AAFC and AFL drafts also took two players from here. The College Football Hall of Fame holds 5 players and 2 coaches from Holy Cross. Edward Anderson (1933–1964) won more games here than any other coach: 112. The most-played rival is Colgate: 67 meetings, Colgate leads 32–30–5. This season, they’re 2–5.
Résumé
- All-time record
- 680–559–55 official; 413–431–33 on file; how we count
- Postseason
- 0–1 matches the official bowl record
- AP No. 1 finishes
- 0
- Weeks at No. 1
- 0 of 34 ranked
- Elo now
- 1298
- Computer rankings
- Massey No. 65 · Composite No. 61 in FCS, Oct 17; down 16 since Oct 11. From Massey Ratings
- Conference titles
- 12 last in 2024
- Seasons
- 121 since 1891, 877 games
Identity
- Fight song
- Chu! Chu! Rah! Rah!
2026 season 2–5
RosterFull 2026 season| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 29 | vs Lehigh | L 10–35 | 39% |
| Sep 5 | at Colgate | L 10–35 | 44% |
| Sep 12 | at Miami (OH) | L 7–45 | 17% |
| Sep 19 | vs Yale | L 28–38 | 33% |
| Sep 26 | at Lafayette | W 38–30 | 31% |
| Oct 3 | at William & Mary | W 41–14 | 41% |
| Oct 17 | at Harvard | L 7–30 | 21% |
| Oct 24 | vs Bucknell | Preview | 76% |
| Oct 31 | vs Richmond | Preview | 48% |
| Nov 7 | at Georgetown | Preview | 51% |
| Nov 14 | vs Villanova | Preview | 44% |
| Nov 21 | vs Fordham | Preview | 73% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
This season, game by game
Players
The 2026 rosterOn the 2026 team
- David Lynch1,398 passing yards, 10 TD (leads Holy Cross in passing yards)
- Joseph Williams500 rushing yards, 3 TD (leads Holy Cross in rushing yards)
- Adam Due57 tackles, 3 sacks, 1 INT (leads Holy Cross in tackles)
- Ty Curran29 catches, 314 yards, 4 TD (leads Holy Cross in receiving yards)
- Lincoln Fisher18 catches, 304 yards, 4 TD (leads Holy Cross in receiving touchdowns)
- Garrett Baldwin33 tackles, 1 sack
Program greats See all
Heisman finalists, College Football Hall of Famers, consensus All-Americans, national award winners and first-round picks, for what they did at Holy Cross.
- Bill OsmanskiHall of Fame, 1973
- Gordie LockbaumHall of Fame, 2001
Bill SwiackiHall of Fame, 1976
George ConnorHall of Fame, 1963- Ed HealeyHall of Fame, 1974
- John ProvostConsensus All-American, 1974
Photos: Wikimedia Commons, free licenses; credits on each player’s page.
Program strength since 1891
Best seasons everHead coaches
| Coach | Years | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Tom Gilmore | 2017 | 2–5 |
| Brian Rock | 2017 | 2–2 |
| Rick E. Carter | 1981 | 6–5 |
| Neil Wheelwright | 1976–1980 | 20–35 |
| Edward Doherty | 1971–1975 | 20–31–2 |
| Bill Whitton | 1969–1970 | 0–12–1 |
| Tom Boisture | 1967–1968 | 8–11–1 |
| Mel Massucco | 1965–1966 | 8–10–2 |
 Edward Anderson | 1933–1964 | 112–66–7 |
| Bill Osmanski | 1948–1949 | 6–14 |
| Ox DaGrosa | 1945–1947 | 17–10–2 |
| Ank Scanlan | 1942–1944 | 16–8–3 |
| Joseph Sheeketski | 1939–1941 | 15–11–3 |
 John McEwan | 1930–1931 | 2–4–1 |
| Cleo A. O’Donnell | 1919–1929 | 6–15–2 |
| Luke Kelly | 1914–1917 | 0–8–2 |
| Harry von Kersburg | 1913 | 0–4 |
| Timothy F. Larkin | 1907–1912 | 0–11 |
| George W. King | 1906 | 4–3–1 |
 Frank Cavanaugh | 1903–1905 | 16–10–2 |
| Maurice Connor | 1899–1902 | 23–12–3 |
| Alfred C.N. Petersen | 1897 | 0–0–1 |
Most-played series
All rivalries- Colgate
30–32–5 in 67
- 2016 L 8–26
- 2017 L 7–45
- 2018 L 17–24
- 2019 W 31–10
- 2021 W 42–10
- 2022 W 35–10
- 2023 W 47–7
- 2024 W 38–7
- 2025 L 28–29
- 2026 L 10–35
Lost the last two.
- Dartmouth
25–31–4 in 60
- 2008 W 44–26
- 2009 W 34–14
- 2010 L 19–27
- 2011 W 25–17
- 2012 L 10–13
- 2013 W 31–28
- 2014 L 21–24
- 2016 L 10–35
- 2017 L 26–27
- 2018 L 14–34
Lost the last four.
- Harvard
16–40–1 in 57
- 2014 L 18–41
- 2016 W 27–17
- 2018 L 31–33
- 2019 L 21–31
- 2021 L 13–38
- 2022 W 30–21
- 2023 L 28–38
- 2024 L 34–35
- 2025 L 24–59
- 2026 L 7–30
Lost the last four.
| Opponent | Games | HC record |
|---|---|---|
| Colgate | 67 | 30–32–5 |
| Dartmouth | 60 | 25–31–4 |
| Harvard | 57 | 16–40–1 |
| Boston College | 55 | 19–36 |
| Brown | 49 | 24–23–2 |
| Fordham | 38 | 23–14–1 |
| Massachusetts | 30 | 12–16–2 |
| Syracuse | 30 | 5–25 |
Every opponent (89)
Every program Holy Cross has played, A to Z, with Holy Cross’s record against it. Each links to the series, game by game.
- Air Force 1–0
- Amherst 2–2–1
- Andover 1–0–1
- Army 6–18–1
- Bates 1–0–1
- Boston College 19–36
- Boston University 15–8–3
- Brown 24–23–2
- Bryant 3–1
- Bucknell 18–6
- Buffalo 6–3–1
- Carlisle 0–1–1
- Carnegie Mellon 4–1–1
- Central Connecticut 2–0
- Coast Guard 3–0
- Colby 1–0
- Colgate 30–32–5
- Columbia 4–1
- Cornell 0–3
- Dartmouth 25–31–4
- Dayton 7–1
- Delaware 0–1
- Detroit Mercy 2–1
- Duquesne 1–3
- Fitchburg YMCA 1–0
- Florida International 0–0 †
- Fordham 23–14–1
- Fort Totten 1–0
- Furman 0–1
- Georgetown 19–8
- Georgia 3–0
- Harvard 16–40–1
- Howard 1–0
- Lafayette 13–10
- Lehigh 11–13
- LSU 1–2
- Maine 1–0–1
- Manhattan 5–0–1
- Marist 2–0
- Marquette 7–6–1
- Massachusetts 12–16–2
- McDaniel 1–0
- Melville PT Boats 0–1
- Merrimack 2–1
- Miami 0–2
- Miami (OH) 0–1
- MIT 2–0
- Monmouth 2–3
- Morgan State 2–0
- Navy 0–1
- NC State 1–0
- New Hampshire 5–9
- New London Submarine Base 1–1
- New York University 4–0
- Northeastern 3–1
- Northern Illinois 0–1
- Ole Miss 0–2
- Penn State 0–9
- Pittsburgh 0–1
- Pittsfield A.C. 2–0
- Princeton 0–4
- Providence 6–0
- Quantico Marines 5–3
- Rhode Island 4–3
- Richmond 2–0
- Rutgers 3–8
- Sacred Heart 3–0
- Saint Anselm 1–0–1
- San Diego 0–2
- South Dakota State 0–2
- Springfield 3–0
- Syracuse 5–25
- Temple 12–9–2
- Towson 0–3
- Trinity (CT) 1–0
- Tufts 8–3
- Tulane 0–1
- UAlbany 1–2
- UConn 15–8–1
- Vermont 2–0
- Villanova 6–14
- VMI 2–0–1
- Wagner 0–1
- Wesleyan (CT) 1–3
- William & Mary 1–0
- Williams 0–2
- Worcester Academy 1–0
- WPI 8–0
- Yale 7–22
Official records. † Without wins the NCAA vacated, or with forfeits counted. ‡ The rivalry’s own count, where it differs from the games on file.
Conference titles
12, counting shared titlesAs the program counts them in its Wikipedia article, shared titles included, and listed under each conference’s current name (a Western Conference title of the 1900s counts as a Big Ten title); season pages use the name the conference had that year. A title the article files under a conference the team wasn’t in that season is listed under the one it was. Division titles include years the team tied for its division.
Conferences
- Independent 1891 and 1896–1985
- Colonial Conference 1986–1989
- Patriot Conference since 1990
Holy Cross’s football conferences by season, from CollegeFootballData.com’s memberships (renamed conferences keep the name of the time).
Consensus All-Americans 1
| 1974 | John Provost DB |
Led the nation 5
| 1975 | Dave Quehl receptions (63 catches) |
| 1974 | John Provost punt return average (18.3) |
| 1960 | Tom Hennessey kickoff return average (33.4) |
| 1951 | Tom Murphy punt return yards (533 yds) |
| 1950 | Johnny Turco kickoff return average (27.4) |
The NCAA’s official national leaders since 1937, from Wikipedia’s yearly leader lists.
Heisman runners-up and finalists
The votes| 1987 | Gordie Lockbaum RB | 3rd |
| 1986 | Gordie Lockbaum RB | 5th |
Second to fifth in the vote, from each season’s Wikipedia article.
In the Hall of Fame
Every inductee- Players
- 5
- Coaches
- 2
| 2001 | Gordie Lockbaum RB/DB |
| 1976 | Bill Swiacki E |
| 1974 | Ed Healey OT |
| 1973 | Bill Osmanski FB |
| 1971 | Eddie Anderson coach, career 1922–1964 |
| 1963 | George Connor RB |
| 1954 | Frank Cavanaugh coach here, 1903–1905 |
In the draft
By college- NFL picks, rounds 1–7
- 12 since 1939
- First-round picks
- 1
- AAFC and AFL picks
- 2 1949, 1964
| 1939 | Bill Osmanski B | No. 6, Chicago Bears |
On the newsreel
- ORANGE BOWL THRILLER
Universal Newsreel, National Archives (catalog record). Story titles and words as Universal’s release sheet gives them; the films themselves may still be under copyright, so we link to the record rather than show them.
Films
Films: Wikidata (CC0) and Wikipedia’s lists and categories (CC BY-SA), about the program, its seasons, games and rivalries.
Season by season
National champions| Season | Record | Conf. | AP pre | AP final | Coach | Elo | SP+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2–5 | 2–2 | 1298 | ||||
| 2025 | 3–9 | 3–4 | 1326 | ||||
| 2024 | 6–6 | 5–1 | 1414 | ||||
| 2023 | 7–4 | 5–1 | 1461 | ||||
| 2022 | 12–1 | 6–0 | 1520 | ||||
| 2021 | 10–3 | 6–0 | 1443 | ||||
| 2020 | 3–1 | 1362 | |||||
| 2019 | 7–6 | 5–1 | 1326 | ||||
| 2018 | 5–6 | 4–2 | 1277 | ||||
| 2017 | 4–7 | 3–3 | Tom Gilmore, Brian Rock | 1258 | |||
| 2016 | 4–7 | 2–4 | 1252 | ||||
| 2015 | 6–5 | 3–3 | 1316 | ||||
| 2014 | 4–8 | 2–4 | 1215 | ||||
| 2013 | 3–9 | 1–5 | 1177 | ||||
| 2012 | 2–9 | 2–4 | 1256 | ||||
| 2011 | 6–5 | 4–2 | 1342 | ||||
| 2010 | 6–5 | 4–2 | 1344 | ||||
| 2009 | 9–3 | 5–1 | 1436 | ||||
| 2008 | 7–4 | 5–1 | 1426 | ||||
| 2007 | 6–4 | 3–2 | 1377 | ||||
| 2006 | 7–4 | 4–2 | 1344 | ||||
| 2005 | 6–5 | 3–3 | 1275 | ||||
| 2004 | 3–8 | 1–5 | 1173 | ||||
| 2003 | 1–11 | 1–6 | 1121 | ||||
| 2002 | 1–0 | 1316 |
Every season back to 1891 (96 more)
| Season | Record | Conf. | AP pre | AP final | Coach | Elo | SP+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 0–1 | 1272 | |||||
| 1992 | 0–1 | 1282 | |||||
| 1990 | 0–1 | 1292 | |||||
| 1989 | 0–1 | 1304 | |||||
| 1988 | 0–1 | 1323 | |||||
| 1987 | 1–0 | 1355 | |||||
| 1986 | 1–1 | 1317 | |||||
| 1985 | 0–2 | 1307 | |||||
| 1984 | 0–1 | 1343 | |||||
| 1983 | 0–1 | 1380 | |||||
| 1982 | 0–1 | 1439 | |||||
| 1981 | 6–5 | Rick E. Carter | 1429 | 6.5 | |||
| 1980 | 3–8 | Neil Wheelwright | 1342 | -11.1 | |||
| 1979 | 5–6 | Neil Wheelwright | 1399 | -2.9 | |||
| 1978 | 7–4 | Neil Wheelwright | 1404 | 8.5 | |||
| 1977 | 2–9 | Neil Wheelwright | 1270 | -15.5 | |||
| 1976 | 3–8 | Neil Wheelwright | 1255 | -16.9 | |||
| 1975 | 1–10 | Edward Doherty | 1250 | -16.4 | |||
| 1974 | 5–5–1 | Edward Doherty | 1430 | -4.5 | |||
| 1973 | 5–6 | Edward Doherty | 1378 | -14.4 | |||
| 1972 | 5–4–1 | Edward Doherty | 1395 | -7.4 | |||
| 1971 | 4–6 | Edward Doherty | 1303 | -1.6 | |||
| 1970 | 0–10–1 | Bill Whitton | 1211 | -34.4 | |||
| 1969 | 0–2 | Bill Whitton | 1401 | ||||
| 1968 | 3–6–1 | Tom Boisture | 1396 | ||||
| 1967 | 5–5 | Tom Boisture | 1438 | ||||
| 1966 | 6–3–1 | Mel Massucco | 1446 | ||||
| 1965 | 2–7–1 | Mel Massucco | 1358 | ||||
| 1964 | 5–5 | Edward Anderson | 1428 | ||||
| 1963 | 2–6–1 | Edward Anderson | 1450 | ||||
| 1962 | 6–4 | Edward Anderson | 1527 | ||||
| 1961 | 7–3 | Edward Anderson | 1544 | ||||
| 1960 | 6–4 | Edward Anderson | 1516 | ||||
| 1959 | 6–4 | Edward Anderson | 1483 | ||||
| 1958 | 6–3 | Edward Anderson | 1523 | ||||
| 1957 | 5–3–1 | Edward Anderson | 1510 | ||||
| 1956 | 5–3–1 | Edward Anderson | 1495 | ||||
| 1955 | 6–4 | Edward Anderson | 1410 | ||||
| 1954 | 3–7 | Edward Anderson | 1417 | ||||
| 1953 | 5–5 | Edward Anderson | 1492 | ||||
| 1952 | 8–2 | Edward Anderson | 1602 | ||||
| 1951 | 8–2 | 19 | Edward Anderson | 1569 | |||
| 1950 | 4–5–1 | Edward Anderson | 1403 | ||||
| 1949 | 1–9 | Bill Osmanski | 1295 | ||||
| 1948 | 5–5 | Bill Osmanski | 1487 | ||||
| 1947 | 4–4–2 | Ox DaGrosa | 1528 | ||||
| 1946 | 5–4 | Ox DaGrosa | 1538 | ||||
| 1945 | 8–2 | 12 | 16 | Ox DaGrosa | 1585 | ||
| 1944 | 5–2–2 | Ank Scanlan | 1562 | ||||
| 1943 | 6–2 | Ank Scanlan | 1561 | ||||
| 1942 | 5–4–1 | 19 | Ank Scanlan | 1551 | |||
| 1941 | 4–4–2 | Joseph Sheeketski | 1496 | ||||
| 1940 | 4–5–1 | Joseph Sheeketski | 1518 | ||||
| 1939 | 7–2 | Joseph Sheeketski | 1638 | ||||
| 1938 | 8–1 | 9 | Edward Anderson | 1667 | |||
| 1937 | 8–0–2 | 20 | 14 | Edward Anderson | 1622 | ||
| 1936 | 7–2–1 | 17 | Edward Anderson | 1593 | |||
| 1935 | 3–0 | Edward Anderson | 1568 | ||||
| 1934 | 2–2 | Edward Anderson | 1523 | ||||
| 1933 | 2–1 | Edward Anderson | 1505 | ||||
| 1932 | 1–2 | 1479 | |||||
| 1931 | 1–2–1 | John McEwan | 1492 | ||||
| 1930 | 1–2 | John McEwan | 1470 | ||||
| 1929 | 1–3 | Cleo A. O’Donnell | 1439 | ||||
| 1928 | 0–2–2 | Cleo A. O’Donnell | 1432 | ||||
| 1927 | 0–2 | Cleo A. O’Donnell | 1458 | ||||
| 1926 | 1–0 | Cleo A. O’Donnell | 1510 | ||||
| 1925 | 1–0 | Cleo A. O’Donnell | 1490 | ||||
| 1924 | 1–1 | Cleo A. O’Donnell | 1472 | ||||
| 1923 | 1–1 | Cleo A. O’Donnell | 1466 | ||||
| 1922 | 0–1 | Cleo A. O’Donnell | 1455 | ||||
| 1921 | 0–1 | Cleo A. O’Donnell | 1454 | ||||
| 1920 | 1–2 | Cleo A. O’Donnell | 1440 | ||||
| 1919few games on file | 0–2 | Cleo A. O’Donnell | 1415 | ||||
| 1917few games on file | 0–2 | Luke Kelly | 1401 | ||||
| 1916few games on file | 0–3 | Luke Kelly | 1402 | ||||
| 1915few games on file | 0–1–1 | Luke Kelly | 1430 | ||||
| 1914few games on file | 0–2–1 | Luke Kelly | 1411 | ||||
| 1913few games on file | 0–4 | Harry von Kersburg | 1407 | ||||
| 1912few games on file | 0–2 | Timothy F. Larkin | 1436 | ||||
| 1911few games on file | 0–3 | Timothy F. Larkin | 1437 | ||||
| 1910few games on file | 0–2 | Timothy F. Larkin | 1460 | ||||
| 1909few games on file | 0–2 | Timothy F. Larkin | 1470 | ||||
| 1908few games on file | 0–1 | Timothy F. Larkin | 1485 | ||||
| 1907few games on file | 0–1 | Timothy F. Larkin | 1493 | ||||
| 1906 | 4–3–1 | George W. King | 1510 | ||||
| 1905 | 6–3 | Frank Cavanaugh | 1523 | ||||
| 1904 | 2–5–2 | Frank Cavanaugh | 1460 | ||||
| 1903 | 8–2 | Frank Cavanaugh | 1565 | ||||
| 1902 | 6–2–1 | Maurice Connor | 1485 | ||||
| 1901 | 7–1–1 | Maurice Connor | 1474 | ||||
| 1900 | 5–4–1 | Maurice Connor | 1370 | ||||
| 1899 | 5–5 | Maurice Connor | 1379 | ||||
| 1898few games on file | 1–2 | 1431 | |||||
| 1897few games on file | 0–0–1 | Alfred C.N. Petersen | 1458 | ||||
| 1891few games on file | 0–1 | 1446 |
Officially 680–559–55 since 1891 (per Wikipedia, rechecked weekly); game by game here, 413–431–33 (877 of its 1,294 games are on file). Some games are missing from our source.
No season on file for 1892–96, 1918, 1991, 1993, 1995–2001: the program may not have played, or our source may be missing them.
Records are computed from every game on file at CollegeFootballData.com, whose coverage of the earliest seasons can be incomplete. Elo is this site’s own rating; see how it works on the records page.