ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA -- Wide receiver Vinny Pallini carries the ball at Allianz Field on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2019. The Johnnies of St. John's University earned a 38-20 victory over the Tommies of the University of St. Thomas. (Jack Rodgers / MediaNews … ((Jack Rodgers / MediaNews Group / St. Paul Pioneer Press via Getty Images))
MINNEAPOLIS - The University of St. Thomas football team has announced its plans for a season modified due to the COVID-10 pandemic, and it does not appear they’ll play rival St. John’s one final time in 2021.
Last fall’s season was canceled due to COVID-19 concerns, and MIAC presidents voted to allow member schools to put together a schedule of up to four competitions in the spring of 2021.
Team officials announced Tuesday the Tommies will face Division II Concordia-St. Paul for a scrimmage on Saturday, March 27 at Palmer Field in O’Shaughnessy Stadium. St. Thomas will hold Senior Day festivities on Saturday, April 17 as the Tommies will host Augsburg College for their lone regular season game at 1:10 p.m.
St. Thomas hasn’t played a game in 74 weeks, since a 17-7 win over Bethel to lock up the program’s seventh MIAC title in the decade.
"Our staff has worked tirelessly to fill a spring season with as many games as we could possibly find for our student-athletes, and we're grateful for the games and scrimmages we do get to play," St. Thomas coach Glenn Caruso said in a statement. "We're looking forward to competing with and celebrating the teams, athletes and league one final time."
It also means St. Thomas will not be playing St. John’s in 2021, which indicates one of the top rivalries in college sports is coming to an end. The teams last played in 2019, a 38-20 win for the Johnnies at Allianz Field.
St. Thomas is making the move to Division I in the fall of 2021, and will be an FCS program in the Pioneer League.