Early History (1870s-1918)

In the mid-1870s, as American football gained popularity, City College emerged as one of the first high schools in the Baltimore area to sponsor the sport. In the program's early years, the team played intersquad games with students also serving as coaches. This early adoption led to a unique situation where, due to a lack of comparable high school teams in the region, the team routinely traveled by train to face out-of-state high school opponents like the Central High School Lancers from nearby Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a matchup featuring the second- and third-oldest public high schools in the country. During this period, City College football also played against current NCAA Division I, II, and III college teams like the Maryland Terrapins, the Navy Midshipmen, the Frostburg State Bobcats, and the Johns Hopkins Blue Jays.

In the late-1890s, City College joined the Maryland Intercollegiate Football Association (MIFA) with colleges in Maryland and Washington, D.C. MIFA members included colleges that ultimately became the University of Maryland, College Park; Johns Hopkins University; Loyola University Maryland; Mount St. Mary's University; Washington College; St. John's College; Gallaudet University; and McDaniel College. As the league's only preparatory school, the Collegians often struggled against older competition. The trend was not exclusive to games against MIFA competition. The program finished a challenging 1895 season with a 3–13 win-loss record, including a significant defeat by Navy, enthusiasm for the team remained high. This passion was evident in 1896 when City College faced Gettysburg College, suffering a 50–0 loss but receiving robust support as they traveled to Hampton, Virginia for a game against the Hampton Athletic Club. By the end of the 1890s, City College became more competitive against collegiate teams, including a 6–5 loss at William & Mary Tribe football in 1899.^[9]

The first football game against the Baltimore Polytechnic Institute Engineers (often referred to as Poly) was played during the programs early years. The first recorded City-Poly football game was played at Baltimore's Clifton Park in 1889. This game marked the beginning of what is believed to be the second-longest continual public high school football rivalry in the United States, after the Boston Latin School-The English High School rivalry, which started two years earlier in 1887.^[10] From 1889 to 1900, City College dominated this rivalry, winning all 12 games during this period. However, by 1918, Poly and other local schools began to surpass City College football in their training and game preparations. This shift was partly due to City College's downtown Baltimore location, which limited the program's access to bonafide practice fields.^[10] The City College football continued scheduling a mix of high schools and colleges until the school became a founding member of the Maryland Scholastic Association in 1919.

Maryland Scholastic Association (MSA) era (1919-1993)

Under the guidance of Head Coach Harry Lawrence, City College consistently defeated local rivals, including Polytechnic, whom they beat each year from 1934 to 1942. The team also began facing out-of-state opponents, notably defeating Petersburg High School (VA) in 1936. The 1936 squad finished its season with an undefeated record, but later lost the MSA championship due to eligibility issues with a player. Despite beating McDonough High School during the season, the title was awarded to them. By 1940, Lawrence's coaching prowess had led City College to an impressive 38-game undefeated streak and three MSA championships. In 1941, the undefeated Knights traveled to Florida to play Miami High School in the sweltering heat of the Orange Bowl stadium, a drastic change from their usual colder playing conditions, and suffered a loss. During World War II, Lawrence and assistant coach Otts Helms joined the military. Lawrence returned to coaching in 1947 at Bucknell University, where he mentored future City College head coach George Young). In 1950, Andy Defassio took over as head coach, with Robert Lumsden as his assistant. However, Lumsden soon moved to Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, where he became a legendary coach.

George Young, who became head football coach in 1959, brought significant changes. Originally a history teacher at City and an assistant coach at Calvert Hall College High School, Young emphasized discipline and academic performance. Young's summer training camps focused heavily on running and conditioning, contributing to his teams winning six out of eight games against Poly during the 1960s and securing six MSA championships. One of the most notable City-Poly games under Young's coaching occurred on Thanksgiving Day in 1965 at Baltimore Memorial Stadium, drawing roughly 25,000 spectators. City triumphed over Poly with a score of 52–6, completing an undefeated 9–0 season and finished ranked No. 8 nationally by National Sports News Service (NSNS). Many coaches argued that the team should have finished the season ranked as high as No. 2 in the country, but the team was penalized in the poll for not playing at least 10 games and not playing in a state championship tournament.^[11] This game set a record for the highest points scored in the rivalry, and notable players like Sykes and Person advanced to the NFL. Kurt Schmoke, who later served as Mayor of Baltimore, was the quarterback. Following Young's departure from the program in 1967, three head coaches led the program until 1974. George Young was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021.^[12]

George Petrides served as head football coach from 1975 until he retired in 2015.^[13] Petrides, a 1967 City College graduate, coached the team through MSA football seasons from his hire in 1975 until the school left the MSA for the MPSSAA in 1992. Under his leadership, the Black Knights achieved remarkable success, including a record 29-game winning streak and multiple MSA conference championships.

Maryland Public Secondary School Athletic Association (MPSSAA) era (1993-prsent)

City College joined the Maryland Public Secondary School Athletic Association (MPSSAA) in 1993 and was expected to compete for football championships immediately after having won a MSA football championship in 1992. City College football has won four MPSSAA regional championships in 1996, 2001, 2005, and 2023 and two MPSSAA district championships in 2005 and 2006. George Petrides, the longest-serving head football coach in school history, announced his retirement in 2015. His 275 career wins ranks eight all-time among Maryland high school football coaches. His contributions to the program is commemorated by the naming of the team's stadium George Petrides Stadium at Alumni Field. The current head coach is Rodney Joyner, who led the program to an appearance in the 2023 MPSSAA Class 3A state semifinals, the program's first state semifinals appearance since 2005.