The ghosts of 33rd Street hark back in time, further than one might imagine. Once, in a stadium since demolished, the Orioles won three world championships; the Baltimore Colts did the same.
Dig deeper still. A century ago, on a cold, gray autumn day, Army and Navy played football at Municipal Stadium before a shivering crowd of 80,000 — the largest ever to watch a sporting event in Baltimore. Standing on the game site, 100 years later, one can almost hear the full-throated whoops and cheers of rabid fans echoing through time. It was, after all, the Roaring Twenties.
On Nov. 29, 1924, Army and Navy — scheduled to face off Saturday in Landover — met for the 27th time, but it was their first game in a major city other than New York or Philadelphia. Baltimore had lobbied hard for the game, and “putting on the ritz” was a given. Out-of-towners streamed in by train and Model-Ts, packing hotels draped with bunting and pennants of the two storied rivals. When hotels filled, city residents offered rooms in private homes, sometimes free of charge…