By: Johan Satorre
Every November, the Mineral King bowl fills with 10,000 spectators to watch the annual Mt. Whitney vs Redwood game. The game that decides who keeps the Cowhide. In the 64 years that the rivalry has existed, it has grown into something very unique to Visalia. It has permanently ingrained itself in the schools’ and community’s culture.
The history of Cowhide is nearly as old as the schools themselves. The Visalian classic traces its origins back to 1954 when Visalia Union High School (Redwood’s name when it was the only high school in town) split into two different schools. The new campus inherited the mascot, colors, traditions, and upperclassmen of VUHS; was called Mt. Whitney. The lower class men were left at the old campus, which became Redwood.
Since Redwood had no upperclassmen for it’s first year (And thus no varsity football team), the first Cowhide was not played until 1955. The first game was relatively uneventful game-wise; with Redwood playing without any seniors and them being thoroughly demolished by Mt. Whitney 34-0. Despite this, the tradition started strong; having lots of support from the community.
The Cowhide trophy itself was supposedly an idea by two Visalia Times Delta employees to cement the game as an enjoyable rivalry for the community. For those who are freshmen, or are just for some reason unaware, the Cowhide, as its name implies, is a large cow’s skin nailed to a board. On the hide, the years that each school won is written, Redwood’s on the left, Mt. Whitney’s on the right. The winner of the game gets to hang the trophy up in their gym for all to see.
The hide that is currently hanging it Mt. Whitney’s gym is not the original skin from 1955. There has been a total of 63 Cowhide games played and the original hide was not intended to fit that many game years on it. It also had started to become old and relatively fragile. So, in 2004 after the 50th Cowhide game, a new hide was presented to the winner.
The current record for the game, is 36 wins for Redwood and 26 wins for Mt. Whitney. Interestingly enough, there is also 1 tie game; In 1960, neither team was able to score at all. The game ran through over time, ending with a 0 – 0 on the scoreboard.
The Cowhide is more than just a special football game or the trophy; it is a time of unity for the town. This year’s Cowhide is continuing the tradition and the spirit of competition that has made this competition so special to the community.
Johan Satorre
Johan ('20), is the Opinion Editor for the Gigantea. He is a two year member of Redwood Journalism. He enjoys history and politics and is a contributor to the Government and Politics section.
Tags: cowhide, history, legacy, redwood rangers
