Inside the 'Battle for Ye Olde Wash Boiler,' Pensacola's Oldest Football Rivalry

Pensacola once won 11 straight against Escambia. Now the Gators have won 13 in a row as the rivals prepare to play for an unusual trophy with more than six decades of history.

NFL Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith during his days at Escambia High School | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There are prettier rivalry trophies in high school football. Few have a story quite like the one Pensacola and Escambia play for.

Since 1960, the Pensacola rivals have battled for “Ye Olde Wash Boiler,” an old metal wash tub that represents more than six decades of football history between two of Florida's Panhandle programs.

The rivalry has swung dramatically over the years. Pensacola once won 11 consecutive meetings. Now Escambia owns a 13-game winning streak entering Friday night's latest meeting at Jim Scoggins Stadium.

And long before either streak, one of the greatest running backs in football history found out how difficult this rivalry could be.

A Pensacola Staple

When the two schools first met over six decades ago, Elvis Presley had just returned from the Army, Dwight D. Eisenhower was President, and Super Bowl I was still six years away.

The trophy isn't a golden football or silver cup. It's an old metal wash tub, reportedly chosen because the losing team was once required to wash the winner's uniforms — a tradition that has long since disappeared.

The boiler, however, remains.

Pensacola controlled the rivalry for much of the 2000s, winning 11 consecutive meetings from 2002 through 2012. Escambia ended that run with a 35-14 victory in 2013.

The roles have since reversed. Escambia has won 13 consecutive meetings and can extend that streak Friday. Pensacola, meanwhile, has an opportunity to do exactly what Escambia did 13 years ago — end its rival's long run and bring the boiler back home.

The Tigers will get that opportunity on homecoming night, adding extra stakes to an already heated matchup.

Neither team enters the rivalry game with much early-season momentum. Escambia is 1-1 after an 8-3 loss to Pine Forest and a 6-3 victory over Tate, while Pensacola enters 1-3.

Pensacola Handed Emmitt Smith Three of His Four High School Losses

Some of the rivalry's most memorable moments came long before either school's current winning streak.

During Emmitt Smith's four seasons at Escambia, the future Pro Football Hall of Famer lost only four games. Three of those losses came against Pensacola.

NFL Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith during his days at Escambia High School | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Perhaps the most memorable came in 1986. Escambia entered its game against Pensacola unbeaten and nationally ranked No. 1 after going two seasons without a loss.

Pensacola led 17-10 late in the fourth quarter when Smith broke loose on a punt return. As he approached the 25-yard line, Pensacola punter Ed Ilano stood between Smith and the end zone.

Ilano made the tackle. Pensacola held on for the 17-10 victory, ending Escambia's unbeaten run and dealing a major blow to the Gators' hopes of finishing No. 1 nationally. The play resurfaced years later when Smith became one of the NFL's biggest stars after being named MVP of Super Bowl XXVIII.

A Chance to Bring the Boiler Home

For Pensacola and Escambia, the objective Friday is simple: bring the boiler home.

For the Tigers, that would mean ending a 13-game losing streak against their crosstown rival on homecoming night. Escambia can extend its control of the series before beginning district play Sept. 25 against Booker T. Washington.

Records have changed, streaks have changed hands and generations of players have come through both programs since the rivalry began in 1960. The old wash boiler has remained the prize.

On Friday night, another Pensacola or Escambia team gets to carry it home.