Rubama: ‘There’s only one first.’ Former Granby player remembers inaugural Oyster Bowl 73 years ago.

VIRGINIA BEACH — Dick Harrison was recently asked what he remembered about the Oyster Bowl.

In 1946, Harrison played in the inaugural Oyster Bowl at Foreman Field in Norfolk when his Granby High football team played against the Clifton Mustangs of New Jersey.

It would be the first — and only — time high school teams would participate in the Oyster Bowl.

As he thought about that game, Harrison, now 94, sat back in his chair and got comfortable.

“It was just something happened,” he said. “We had a good team at Granby and the Shriners selected us. And they picked a team from Clifton, New Jersey, for that game. The Shriners made a big deal out of it. They had a big parade and the whole business.”

While Harrison downplayed the significance of what he did, his son, Michael, had a different take.

“He played in the first Oyster Bowl. Not many people can say that,” he said. “There’s only one first.”

On Saturday, the 73rd Oyster Bowl will be played when Old Dominion plays host to Appalachian State at S.B. Ballard Stadium at 7 p.m. The game will also be Family Weekend and Port Day at ODU.

Back when Harrison played in the game, it was sponsored by the Khedive Temple of Shriners International.

The game was played at Foreman Field from 1946-1995, except for 1947, when it wasn’t held. It featured college teams, and Syracuse’s Ernie Davis, Navy’s Roger Staubach, Georgia’s Fran Tarkenton and Virginia Tech’s Bruce Smith all played.

Games weren’t played from 1996-98.

In 1999, the game was revived and relocated in Newport News and Hampton, and it featured Division III-level schools.

In 2011, the Oyster Bowl returned to Foreman Field and featured Division I schools.

Harrison remembers the excitement surrounding that first Oyster Bowl. A downtown parade started at 11 a.m., and tickets to the game were $2. A sellout crowd of more than 21,000 fans showed up to see if Granby could add to its 31-game winning streak.

“But to us, it was just another football game, and we were glad to have another game,” said Harrison, who was a blocking back. “It was a defensive game. We were fortunate, I think, to score early. And we were more fortunate to hold them back because they had three runs at us. And each time we held them defensively and won the game 6-0. My guess is there was probably 25,000 at Foreman Field.”

Granby was a football power that tied for the state title in 1944 with George Washington of Danville and Petersburg. The next two seasons, the Comets won the state title outright.

“Never before in the history of the state has anything like yesterday’s gala affair been staged,” The Virginian-Pilot gushed the day after Granby’s 6-0 victory in the Oyster Bowl.

The same year Granby played in the Oyster Bowl, the Comets also were invited to play in the Orange Bowl in Miami. The Comets lost 21-14 to Lynn Classical High, from near Boston, Massachusetts, in front of 18,139 fans. The game decided the mythical national championship of high school football and was sponsored by the Mahi Shrine Temple of Miami. It was the only time two high school teams from outside Florida played at the Orange Bowl.

“The trip to Florida was nice. I remember we went down there by train,” Harrison said. “We were undefeated until we went to Florida. I remember the field being very sandy. And their players weren’t just rough, but they also were a little dirty. But it was good to be in a bowl game.”

Granby’s 1946 team included Hank Foiles and Chuck Stobbs, who were both inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. Lefty Driesell, a star athlete for Granby High before going on to become a hall of fame coach, was a water boy on the team.

Foiles, now 94, played Major League Baseball from 1953-64.

Stobbs, who died in 2008, led Granby to three consecutive state football titles and was named an all-state quarterback three times. He also was an All-American in baseball and a two-time all-state basketball player. He played Major League Baseball from 1947-1958.

Harrison also had success after leaving Granby.

After graduation, he received a football scholarship to Duke after the brother of Portsmouth legend Ace Parker recommended the Blue Devils take a look at him. He played two seasons, but quit. He instead focused on wrestling and won a Southern Conference championship. He picked up wrestling at Granby in intramurals from legendary coach Billy Martin Sr.

Harrison returned to Hampton Roads to teach and coach. He spent time at Maury, Oscar Smith and Princess Anne. In wrestling, he helped several athletes win state titles, including his younger brother, Jim.

He taught 10 years in high school and five years at Old Dominion. He also was a referee for 19 years.

After leaving teaching and coaching, he joined the family business at Harrison’s Charter Boats and Fishing Pier. He did that for 31 years.

He and his wife, Mary Catherine, had three children, six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. They were married 72 years until she died in 2019.

Harrison had a health scare in 1989 when he suffered a heart attack. He was without a heartbeat for 22 minutes.

“We’re lucky he’s still here,” said his son, Michael. “Doctors said he probably wouldn’t have made it if he wasn’t in such good condition.”

Harrison still works out and spends his time in woodturning.

Harrison said he won’t be at the game Saturday. But his son says knowing what his father has accomplished brings him joy.

“Growing up and hearing the stories about the people he’s been around, coached with and played with, like Lefty, he’s been an inspiration to me,” he said.

Larry Rubama, 757-575-6449, larry.rubama@pilotonline.com